Moroccan meatloaf with olives, apricots and pistachios
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- A little effort
- Serves 8
Ingredients
- 400g lamb mince
- 400g turkey mince
- 50g breadcrumbs
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 6 tsp ground cumin
- 6 tsp ground coriander
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 lemons, both zested and 1 juiced
- 3 tbsp honey
- 100g pitted green olives
- 75g dried apricots, diced
- 75g pistachios, chopped
- olive oil
- grated to make 1 tbsp ginger
- 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
to serve
- couscous
- mixed leaves
Method
- STEP 1
Tip the lamb and turkey mince into a large bowl and break it up a bit with a fork. Add the breadcrumbs, onion, eggs, 4 tsp each of the cumin and coriander, 1 tsp of cinnamon, the lemon zest and 1 tbsp of honey, with 1 tsp salt and some pepper. Mix everything really well.
- STEP 2
Set aside a few of the olives, chopped apricots and pistachios, and mix the rest with the mince. Oil a 900g loaf tin, then press in the mince, rounding the top gently. Slice the olives and press these into the top with the leftover apricots and pistachios to decorate. Wrap thoroughly in clingfilm and freeze now, or freeze after cooking (see below)*.
- STEP 3
To make the sauce, add a drizzle more oil to a pan and add the remaining cumin, coriander, cinnamon and ginger. Fry gently for a minute until the spices become fragrant, then add the chopped tomatoes, lemon juice and the remaining honey. Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes until it reduces, thickens and smells fragrant. Season. If freezing, let it cool.
- STEP 4
Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Drizzle the top of the meatloaf with a little olive oil. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes on a middle shelf until piping hot in the middle – test with a skewer. Leave to settle for 15 minutes while you re-heat the sauce, then lift out the meatloaf and slice thickly. Serve with couscous and a leafy green salad.
- STEP 5
*Freezing notes: To freeze, spoon the sauce into a bag or box, or freeze it in portions. Freeze the meatloaf whole, uncooked in the tin. Two nights before you bake it, take the meatloaf out of the freezer and transfer to the fridge to defrost slowly. Or, after baking, slices can be frozen – stack them between baking parchment so you can easily take as many as you want to defrost at a time. Cold, they make a great lunchtime roll-filler with lettuce and a dollop of hummus or tzatziki, or wrap them in foil and warm in a medium oven, until piping hot, for dinners. Just two of you? Divide the mince between 4 mini loaf tins and bake for 25 minutes, to cook, once defrosted.
