Moroccan lamb keema
Of all the minces, beef mince gets used the least in this house. I think I’ve just reached saturation point with beef mince. This country uses it… a lot. My childhood, like many, was filled with cottages pies and spaghetti bolognaises and lasagne and many other varieties of pasta bakes. Burgers, meatloafs, meatballs, chilli con carne; the list is endless, but it can feel a little… same-y. All these things are delicious but just a little uninspiring. Lamb mince and pork mince… they’re the ones for us. Pork mince is lovely and light, and endlessly useful to me, given my predilection for Asian food – dumplings and meatballs and Asian-influenced burgers all make regular appearances in the Bear Cave. It’s lighter than beef mince, and works in beautiful traditional dishes too – pork and apple burgers, pates and terrines, pigsty pie (my own little creation; ostensibly, a pork version of cottage and shepherd’s pies… I must post a recipe soon).
But, of course, this is a post about lamb mince, and lamb mince is my go-to mince for flavour and satisfaction. Comfortingly heavy, in much the same way as beef mince, but with a hell of a lot more flavour. Of course, you could make shepherd’s pie with lamb mince but my absolute number one use is lamb keema. It’s robust enough to be able to cope with the more demanding flavourings of Moroccan, Indian and Middle Eastern food. Plenty of times I use this mince to stuff some aubergines and bake them. Sometimes I have it with rice or cous cous. One of Cub’s favourites, and a comforting autumn dinner, is keema pie: I make this recipe and put it in a ovenproof dish, topped with sweet potato mash and baked in the oven.
Moroccan lamb keema served with flatbreads
As you can see, I consider this keema to be pretty versatile. This time around, I served it with homemade flatbreads, aubergine puree and yogurt. We plonked everything on the table and set about making the most delicious wraps. If you had a bunch of coriander knocking around, then serve that too – use it like a salad leaf and add it to the wraps. This keema freezes brilliantly and benefits from a night in the fridge to let the flavours come together, so feel free to make it the day before you need it, or make a big batch to freeze half.
Ingredients
Serves 4
This recipe serves 4, and the flatbread and aubergine puree recipe coming up in a couple of days serves two. I normally make both recipes as is and have this a couple of nights in a row, once with flatbread and once with cous cous. You could, of course, half or double the recipes so they sync up
- 500g lamb mince
You will need good quality mince with a good percentage of fat - 2tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 sticks celery, finely chopped
- ½ red pepper, finely chopped
- ½ yellow pepper, finely chopped
- 1tbsp za’atarThis is a Middle Eastern blend of spices, herbs and sesame seeds. If you don’t have a ready-made blend you can find a recipe here
- 1tbsp turmeric
- ½tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 dried chilli, finely chopped
- 1tsp ground cumin
- 1tsp coriander seeds, crushed
- 4tbsp yoghurt
Directions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the vegetables and saute them for 5-10 minutes, until softened.
- Add the spices and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the room is filled with their aroma.
- Add the lamb mince. Stir to combine and cook for 8-10 minutes, until well cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
- If you are using a particularly fatty lamb mince then you will need to drain off a little of the fat. If not, just remove from the heat and leave to cool for a minute. Add the yoghurt and stir well to combine. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.
- Serve with the flatbread and aubergine puree and enjoy this full-on feast.
