This warmly spiced Lamb Stew is both extremely quick and extremely versatile.  There are lots of modifications you can make to turn it into a very substantial and interesting meal.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 can of tomatoes
• 500g diced lamb
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 chilli or 1 tsp ground chillis (optional)
• Couscous

Instructions

1. Brown the lamb in some oil for a few minutes and set aside.
2. Soften the onion in some more oil, and add the tin of tomatoes.
3. Add in the spices and the lamb and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes, till the lamb is cooked through and tender.

Couscous has to be the easiest thing in the world to prepare: just measure it out (about 100g per person is about right) and then measure out the same amount of boiling water.  Put the couscous in a bowl, pour over the water, add a tiny droplet of olive oil and leave to sit for 5 mins.  The couscous will fluff up beautifully.

Some lovely things you can do with this recipe:

• Add a tin of chickpeas into the stew – it will make it go even further.
• Serve with hummus and tzatziki on the side – you can get really good tubs of both in Marks & Spencer for around €2 apiece.
• Do a side of roasted Mediterranean vegetables: red or yellow peppers, courgettes and red onion.  Just chop them into large chunks and roast in olive oil in a hot oven for about 20 minutes.