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Recipe: Moroccan lamb stew with lemon couscous

Guest chef Brian Montgomery

When Brian Montgomery discovered cycling five years ago, he didn’t realize the impact it would have on his life. Dealing with his grandparents’ deaths shortly after losing a friend in a work- related accident, Montgomery was looking for a way to take his mind off things. When he spotted an old bike in his garage, he decided to start riding. From there, he was hooked.

“I actually took the old bike out and went for a spin in the woods. I just fell in love with it. I continued to do it. Even now, if I’m having a bad day, I just hop on the bike and go for a ride,” Montgomery said.

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He began focusing on road riding and shopped around for a Cervélo S5. When he visited a local bike shop, he met the sales associate, Kayla. “I was taken aback by her so much. I kind of forgot about the bike,” he said with a laugh. “She was the main thing on my mind. We hit it off and went snowboarding for our first date.” The two married in 2015. Recently, the couple took ownership of the very bike shop in which they met, Impala Bicycles in Richmond Hill, Ont.

The only thing that matches their passion for cycling is cooking. When Montgomery was 14 years old, he worked at a restaurant in Stouffville, Ont., roughly 40 km northeast of Toronto. The chef noticed Montgomery’s interest in food and asked the young man if he wanted to cook full time. Since that moment, Montgomery has been focused on the culinary arts.

Now a full -time sous -chef, he has worked in many restaurants and hotels, receiving gold medals in culinary competitions. He specializes in vegetable and culinary carving, and also caters events.

After a nice, long ride, Montgomery recommends Moroccan lamb stew with lemon couscous. He said it’s a well -rounded dish and helps you regain energy.

Moroccan lamb stew with lemon couscous

food gripped 5 MAY 20161879

Ingredients

1 lb. trimmed lamb (shoulder meat) cut into
1 inch cubes
1 medium cooking onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 tsp toasted coriander seeds
½ tsp toasted fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin
1 ½ tsp ginger, minced
2 tsp garlic, minced
6 tbsp flour
4 cups beef stock
¼ tsp of grated orange zest Juice of half an orange
1 cup diced tomatoes, drained ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds
12 dried apricots
1 Yukon gold potato, peeled and diced
2 cups baby spinach
olive oil
plain Greek yogurt
cilantro leaves, chopped
3 cups couscous
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Grind toasted fennel and coriander seeds to a fine texture with a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder.
Set aside.

3. In a small mixing bowl, mix the lamb with some olive oil and salt and pepper. Transfer the lamb to a small roasting pan and place in the oven. Roast until the meat is browned and slightly caramelized, about
15–20 minutes.

4. In a stockpot, heat a liberal amount of olive oil on medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery. Cook stirring frequently until the vegetables are slightly browned. Add garlic and ginger. Cook for 30 seconds until they are aromatic. Coat the vegetables with flour and cook for a minute, stirring frequently.

5. Add beef stock, tomatoes, fennel, coriander, cumin, orange zest and orange Juice. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Then, reduce to a simmer and add lamb. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

6. Add in apricots and almonds. Cook for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes and baby spinach. Cook until the potatoes are done all the way through and the lamb is nice and tender, about 15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

7. While the potatoes in the stew are cooking, mix lemon zest and juice in a stainless-steel bowl. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and 3 cups of boiling water. Stir, add couscous and stir once again. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the couscous to absorb all the liquid, about five minutes. Remove the wrap and fluff couscous with a fork. Season to taste.

8. Serve the stew over the couscous and top with a dollop of yogurt and some cilantro.

Nutritional Information

For one serving
Calories 1,119
Saturated Fat 7.2 g
Carbs 140 g
Fibre 13 g
Protein 760 g
Serves 4