Lamb Tajine with Lemon and Olives

This recipe is pretty amazing. The lamb is sooo very soft and tender and all the flavors go together extremely well. The couscous is a perfect complement to the dish.
Here is the original recipe http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/lamb-tagine-lemon-olives.
The recipe is pretty perfect as is. Although, Nick is a little bit suspicious of the golden raisins still, but he'll come around if we make it a few more times. None of the flavors are too overpowering by themselves so the dish comes together perfectly. This time, we followed the recipe and removed the lamb from the dutch oven, then re-added, but we think it would be better to not do that. It might be better to just add the onion and all the spices to the lamb.

Plated

Cous Cous

Tajine 

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon paprika, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground roasted cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 lb baby carrots
1/2 cup golden raisins
25 green olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of one lemon
2 cups couscous
4 cups water or chicken stock or a combination (for the cous cous)

Directions:

1. Sprinkle lamb with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add lamb; sauté 5 minutes or until browned.
2. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon red pepper, onion, and next 5 ingredients (through garlic); sauté 2 minutes. Add stock; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 15 minutes. Stir in carrots and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Partially cover; cook 1 hour. Add raisins and olives. Remove from heat; add cilantro and juice. Serve with couscous.
3. For couscous -bring 4 cups water or chicken stock or combination of both to a boil. Pour in 2 cups of couscous. Turn off heat, cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. 

What we liked:

The wonderful combination of flavors. The meat is super tender.

What we didn't like:

Nothing it's all good, though Nick is still a little suspicious of raisins.

What Kaspian thought about it:

He wasn't too impressed at first. But then he had the idea of couscous + butter, and LOVED it. So, he ate a cup of couscous and a quarter stick of butter with it. 

Next time:

No Change, great as is. 

Week1, Day 3: Stewed Beef and Vegetables

Today we made a quick stewed beef and vegetables in the slow cooker. We love slow cooker meals as they are easy in the evenings. All the work gets done in the morning, you forget about it, and are pleasantly surprised with a yummy meal when you come home.

Plated!

In the slow cooker

Simple Rice for the base

We got this Recipe from the Cooking Light Magazine:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-ropa-vieja

Ingredients: 

Cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds flank steak, trimmed
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 cup thinly sliced white onion
1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 cup unsalted beef stock
3 tablespoons unsalted tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (14.5-ounce) can unsalted fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1/3 cup pimiento-stuffed olives, halved
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 cups hot cooked rice

Directions: 

1. Coat a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cut steak into quarters. Sprinkle steak evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; add steak to pan. Cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Transfer steak to slow cooker. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil, onion, bell peppers, and garlic to pan; cook 3 minutes or until slightly softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in raisins; transfer onion mixture to slow cooker.
3. Combine stock, tomato paste, cumin, oregano, tomatoes, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl. Pour tomato mixture over steak and vegetables in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours and 15 minutes or until steak is very tender.

4. Remove steak from cooker; shred using 2 forks. Stir steak, olives, and cilantro into sauce. Serve steak mixture over rice.

What we liked:
Tasted great, the olives added a nice tartness to it. Put together in about 20 minutes which is nice.

What we didn't like: 

The golden raisins were a little odd, they are also not an ingredient that you would just have on hand most of the time. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He did not want it at all. 

Next time: 

It might be better on a sandwich than over rice. No golden raisins.