I was delighted to cook on TV3’s new show- Sunday AM. The team were really lovely and welcoming. This is a gorgeous special occasion dish and takes a bit of prep but is actually very simple. Watch Part 1 here & watch Part 2 here

These burgers are absolutely delicious and a slightly healthier version of your average beefburger with all the toppings! A great summery meal that is quick and easy to make and ideal for a BBQ. If you can’t get preserved lemons, use lemon zest instead. You will get a different result but still a very tasty one! I have started to stock preserved lemons here at the Cookery School so give me a shout if you are finding it difficult to find them or you could of course, make your own although you will need to make them about a month before you need them.
Ingredients:
For the burgers:
450 g lamb mince
1 red onion
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoon fresh oregano (use a teaspoon of dried if you don’t have fresh)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 preserved lemon, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
100g feta cheese, crumbled
1 egg, whisked lightly (to bind)
For the raita:
3 tablespoons Greek Yogurt
Fresh mint, finely chopped
½ a cucumber, seeds removed with a teaspoon & diced1 clove garlic, minced or chopped finely
lemon juice
To serve:
Pitta breads & Rocket Leaves
Method:
Combine all the ingredients for the burgers in a bowl, keeping half of the egg back.
To Serve:
I love to serve these burgers in lightly toasted pitta bread as it is lighter than burger buns but please feel free to use what you like!
Place the burgers in the pitta breads and top with the raita and some rocket leaves. Dig in!
I was on twitter the other evening when Colette from Cakes, Bakes & Other Bits asked the question- What is a Tagine? This opened up a bit of discussion and triggered a funny memory for me. When I was about 10, my parents went on holiday to Morocco returning with a tagine. Lots of people thought it was a hat. My Dad had gone to lots of trouble to get it home from the market (to be fair this was before Ryanair & the tiny baggage allowances we have nowadays) he had bought it in only to find the chimney part had cracked. Anyway, not giving up on the dream of making a tagine at home, he persevered and insisted on using it on our electric ’80’s style cooking rings. All was going fine until he was just about to serve it up when he lifted the chimney part off and it crumbled in his hands and into the stew. Very disappointing after all his hard work! He informed me this morning that the remnants became a flower pot for years afterwards!
This is a dish I frequently make in my cookery classes and always goes down a storm! It’s a great dish for feeding a crowd as all the work is done earlier in the day so that you can spend time with your guests when they arrive.
My understanding is that a tagine is the cooking vessel made of earthenware from North Africa. It is used to slow cook stews using lamb and chicken mainly. Nowadays, we tend to think of a tagine as the stew itself using North African spices such as cumin, turmeric, coriander, saffron, cinnamon, ginger, all spice, cloves etc. The spice blend Ras El Hanout is also often used which contains a small amount of rose petals to give a light fragrance. It will often contain preserved lemons, dried fruits such as apricots, dates & raisins.
Recipe:
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1.5 kg shoulder of lamb, ask your butcher to bone, trim and cut it into 2 cm dice
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced or chopped finely
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoons of honey
500mls of lamb stock
1 aubergine, chopped into cubes
2 preserved lemons, pips removed, quartered
Large handful of toasted, flaked almonds
Bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
For the marinade:
2 tablespoons ras el hanout
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 ½ tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 ½ tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
Method:
Herby Fragrant Couscous
Serves 6
Ingredients:
300grms couscous
300mls hot chicken stock
2 limes, cut into wedges
Bunch of mint, roughly chopped
Bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
Optional: Sml knob of Butter
This week I am posting easy, tasty alfresco dining recipes. Since I am having friends over myself this weekend, I thought many people would be doing the same so why not suggest an easy 3 course meal perfect for casual summer entertaining? The idea is simple- minimum work with maximum taste. Most of the work takes place before your guests arrive so that you can still enjoy your friends and familys’ company when they arrive!
Thanks to Cliona O'Flaherty & Sharon Hearne-Smith for shooting & styling this photo
This lamb dish is great for catering to larger groups as you tend to get a variety of slices that are rare, medium & well done due to the non-uniform thickness of the meat.
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
For the lamb:
1 butterflied leg of lamb
2 tsp Fennel seeds
2 tsp Coriander seeds
2 tsp Cumin seeds
2 tblsp Cardamom Pods
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
100 mls Olive Oil (bog standard is fine for this)
50mls Soy sauce
grated zest of 1 orange
5 garlic cloves , roughly chopped
For the Raita:
1 small tub natural yogurt
Fresh mint, finely chopped
1/2 cucumber
1 clove garlic, minced or chopped finely
lemon juice
To Garnish:
A bunch of fresh Mint
1 Pomegranate (seeds removed) or pack of seeds from the supermarket
Method: