I didn’t start off intending to do this recipe this week but switched to this after talking to Soufiane of Besaha at his stall at our market during the weekend. Soufiane is an unassuming sort of guy from Morocco who has been quietly and steadily working on new products for a while. You might remember I’ve recommended his Moroccan spice blends before. New last weekend were two Moroccan Couscous mixes. Using Israeli couscous he’s added his spices, dried fruit or herbs and nuts. So this is a very very simple recipe using several of Soufiane’s products – the couscous, his preserved lemons and his BBQ slice blend. If it hadn’t been raining Mike would have cooked the lamb on our barbecue!!
Ingredients
Lamb chops or lamb steaks
Marinade (for 2 reasonable size shoulder chops)
2 tbsps olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed or grated
Pinch of chilli flakes
½ tbsp Besaha Moroccan BBQ spice blend
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp each of finely chopped dill and mint
Mix the marinade ingredients together in a dish and then add the lamb making sure you cover both sides of the meat with the mixture. Cover and set aside for at least 45 minutes or leave in the fridge overnight.
Yogurt Sauce 1 cup plain yoghurt
Juice of ½ lemon
¼ Besaha preserved lemon, flesh discarded, skin chopped finely
1 clove garlic, crushed or grated
1 small Lebanese cucumber, halved, de-seeded and finely diced
Good handful of finely chopped herbs – eg dill and mint
Freshly ground black pepper
Mix together all the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and set aside in the fridge for about an hour. The saltiness will come out of the preserved lemon so wait till the sauce has been sitting for a while before deciding whether to season it further.
Final Preparation
Make the Moroccan Couscous according to directions on the packet. It takes about 15 minutes all up. Heat your grill pan or BBQ ready to cook the lamb. Cook to your liking and then let the meat rest for about 5 minutes before serving. Garnish the couscous with finely chopped herbs. Serve with the lamb and yoghurt sauce, lemon wedges and perhaps a green salad or green vegetable such as asparagus. Very very simple and delicious!! I’ll definitely make sure I have a packet or two of Besaha couscous in my pantry from now on.