the inlaws are coming! the inlaws are coming!

ma belle famille will be here at the end of May. I hope I have better luck feeding them than I did when my wonderful funny drink of water for a parched soul mother was here.

You see, when the weather turns, when the winds blow in from the desert and the heat and humidity compete for gold medals in the Hellish category, any thoughts of food fly out the window. We'd eat a light breakfast of some fruit, perhaps one of the Nicopotame's special wheat-free pancakes, the recipe for which is endlessly changing (last version had paneer in it, yum!), and some Easiyo. So much easier to make your own yoghurt when you have the right equipment. I'm about to experiment with making camel's milk yoghurt!

 

So I'm thinking what to feed my other family when they come to visit us. Definitely this heavenly lamb with apricots I fell in love with last year, though it's far too sweet, and needs to be reworked a bit. It's too hot for my favorite Indonesian version of stone soup, with the season's best vegetables, a viande or poultry of some sort, and a rich, thick coconut curry to hold it all together. Frozen mango shells brimming with a yoghurt/mango/honey puree for a cool snack or dessert. What else can I feed them?

I'm going to look at my favorite recipes and see if they can be reworked for the crock pot. That way, I can cook this week and the next, then just defrost something exquisite.

And of course, roast beef with a mushroom/thyme sauce, pan-seared haricots verts with garlic and olive oil, and a deceptively simple potato galette is always a winner.

Shopping list calls. Here's the unmodified version of Lamb with Apricots for your culinary pleasure:

Lamb and Apricot Tagine

3 Tb olive oil
450g/1 lb lean cubed lamb (or beef)
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 Tb plain flour
200 g/7 oz dried apricots
600 ml/1 pint rich lamb stock
juice of 1/2 lemon
4 Tb clear honey
50g/2 oz. lightly toasted, slivered almonds
handful of coriander leaves

couscous to serve

Heat oil in large, heavy based saucepan and cook lamb over moderately high heat for 5 - 6 minutes, until golden all over. Add all spices and toss and cook for 1 minute, until aromatic. Add plain flour and toss lightly to coat. Add apricots and pour in stock and lemon juice. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer gently, covered, for 25 minutes.
Add honey and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, uncovered, another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. Stir in almonds and coriander leaves. Serve over couscous.