Middle Eastern (Inspired) Lamb Mince and Liver Hotpot

I may have a bit of an obsession with getting liver into my meals in totally delicious ways. But there are worse obsessions to have. This dish, is slightly random. I may offend a few people because I’m not even sure it’s totally Middle Eastern inspired. There’s a hint of North Africa in here as well I’m sure of it. Nevertheless, I don’t think it really matters. I got creative with some ingredients and a number of spices and ended up with this hotpot that would be perfect for a big batch cook, a family supper or a dinner party.

I’ve started to get much bolder with my inclusion of liver, so there is quite a lot in here, but it works - I promise! I recommend serving with some fragrant rice (I mixed baharat spices through mine), a sprinkle of feta and fresh herbs.

I roasted my peppers and onions to give them a sweetness, but if you don’t have time or can’t be bothered, you can just add them to the same dish! Additionally, if you don’t have all the ingredients to hand, feel free to sub a few out and get creative. I love to encourage creativity in the kitchen!

TIME: 1 hr to 90 mins (depending on how long you would like to stew it for)

SERVES: 4 - 6 people depending on portion sizes

SEASON: All seasons

INGREDIENTS:

500g lamb mince (I get mine, and the liver, from Piper’s Farm)

c. 250g lamb’s liver

680g tomato passata (large glass jar)

2 bell peppers (I used halves of red, green and yellow for the colour)

2 medium onions

2 carrots

1 medium courgette

c. 200g drained chickpeas (can be from a jar, can or soaked from dry) (optional)

c. 100g black olives (fresh or drained from a jar)

1 cup red wine (optional)

1 fresh chilli (as hot as you fancy)

3 cloves garlic

2 tbsp ground cumin

2 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp za’atar

1 tsp baharat spice

Generous pinch of salt

Coconut oil for cooking

METHOD:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees while you roughly chop your onions and peppers. Place them in a oven-proof dish to bake in some coconut oil, sprinkled with a little smoked paprika for about 45 minutes.

2. Rinse the liver thoroughly and add to a Nutribullet or equivalent and blend until you have a thick liquid.

3. Take a large frying pan and add the lamb mince on a medium heat. Once it starts to brown, pour in the blended liver. Add roughly 1 tbsp cumin and 1 tbsp smoked paprika and mix through the meat thoroughly. Once fully cooked, remove from the heat and leave to one side.

4. Heat a tbsp coconut oil in a large separate casserole dish over a medium heat. Wash and chop the carrot and courgette and add to the pan. Allow to fry for a couple of minutes and then add a splash of filtered water to encourage the veggies to steam a little.

5. Finely chop the garlic and chilli then add to the vegetables along with the za’atar, and mix thoroughly, cooking for a couple more minutes.

6. Add the meat to the casserole dish along with the red wine. Then stir in the salt, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 1 tsp baharat and 1 tsp smoked paprika.

7. Add the passata, chickpeas and olives, mix together thoroughly, then cover and simmer for c. 20 minutes. Check and stir every 5 minutes, and add a little filtered water (or more wine) if the sauce starts to dry up.

8. Remove the roasted onions and peppers from the oven and stir them through the mince dish. Either serve immediately, or allow to simmer for a little longer before serving. The longer you let it simmer, the softer the texture and richer the flavour.

9. Serve with whatever you fancy. I recommend some fragrant basmati / wild rice, with baharat stirred through it, plus fresh Middle Eastern herbs (a mix of oregano, mint and coriander), and some creamy feta.