TAGINE OF VENISON WITH APRICOTS

Notes: A tagine is both the name of the recipe and the name of the vessel in which it is cooked in Morocco: an earthenware dish with a conical lid. You may of course use the shoulder or even shin, but it will need longer to cook. Also, de-stoned prunes may be successfully substituted for apricots. Different spices may of course be added, but cumin, ginger and saffron are always included. Salted lemons & limes are common ingredient in the middle east and lend a delightful flavour. Pack some slices into a jar with lots of coarse sea salt and leave for a few weeks. 

Ingredients for 4:

• 700g (1½ lb) venison haunch, cubed (try also 800g pheasant thighs)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tablesp olive oil
• 1 teasp cumin
• 1 teasp ground ginger
• 1 teasp turmeric
• ½ teasp ground coriander seed (opt)
• ½ teasp cinnamon
• ½ teasp saffron
• ½ teasp ground black pepper
• 1 red pepper, de-seeded & cut into chunks
• ½ head of garlic cloves, peeled & halved
• 125g (4 oz, or 12) dried apricots, pre-soaked
• Few slices of chopped salted lemon
• Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• Handful of fresh coriander, chopped
• 300g (10 oz) cous cous
• 1 tablesp oil
• 500 ml (18 fl oz) water

Method
Heat the oil an a pan and toss the onion and meat in it till a little brown. Add the spices and fry them too for a minute. Add the red pepper and garlic. Add enough water to cover, bring to simmering point and either simmer gently or cook in a medium oven for about an hour. Then add the apricots and cook for a further ½ hour or until the meat is tender. Add enough preserved lemon to adjust the salt content. To cook the couscous, heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the cous cous till just beginning to brown. Then add the water. Withdraw from the heat and cover for 3-4 minutes until the water is taken up, stirring occasionally to make sure the cous cous does not stick.  Serve with the tagine, adding the freshly chopped herbs just before serving.