Spicy Lamb Meatballs & Couscous

I'm a big fan of lamb - for me the flavour is unrivalled and, when minced, adds an edge to any classic dish where you would normally use beef. This dish is absolutely delicious and ridiculously easy to make. I often like to take ages to cook, but when you don't have the time, this recipe from Gino D'Acampo's 'Pronto!' cook book does the trick. Ready within 30 minutes, you will love these lamb meatballs on a number of levels.

Ingredients
Serves 4

• 500g of minced Scottish (or local) lamb
• 1 x 400g of plum tomatoes
• 150ml of red wine
• 1 x clove of garlic, grated
• 1 x tablespoon of dried oregano
• 1 x teaspoon of chilli flakes
• 200g of couscous
• 500 ml of vegetable stock
• 10 x dried apricots
• handful of chopped basil and parsley
• 2 x tablespoons of EV olive oil 

Method

1. In a small pan, pour in your measured red wine and bring to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and allow to bubble away for about 8 minutes or until visibly thickened. This is going to add an amazing richness to the sauce. While this is simmering away, in a large bowl, throw in your minced lamb, grated garlic and oregano and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and roll into 15-20 meatballs. Pop a large, non-stick pan on a medium to high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and allow to heat up. Once hot, add the meatballs and fry for 5-8 minutes or until well sealed. 
2. While the lamb cooks, prepare your couscous. In a medium sized bowl, add your couscous and then pour over the stock. Cover and leave until your meatballs are ready. Prepare the apricots and herbs by roughly chopping them up, these will be added to the couscous later. 
3. Once the lamb meatballs have plenty of colour on them, add the tinned tomatoes, red wine and chilli flakes. Stir well and allow to simmer away for about 8 minutes, make sure to turn down the heat if it seems to be boiling. The tomatoes will be sucking up all the flavour from the meatballs, making the sauce brilliantly flavourful. 
4. Once the sauce has reduced slightly and the meatballs are cooked through, uncover your couscous, fluff with a fork and add the apricots and herbs. Season well with salt and plenty of pepper. Spoon onto a warmed plate and then pour over your saucy meatballs. Serve immediately. 

This dish is fantastically warming and spicy, nevertheless relatively light. It could kind of be considered a healthy option, couldn't it? I don't know, but who cares? the flavour of those meatballs really explode because of the garlic and oregano all the way through them, and the red wine adds a rich edge to the sauce. This is all lifted, however, by the fresh herbs and sweet apricot in the couscous, creating a great balance of flavour. Well done Gino, you're quite loud and annoying, but there's no doubting this recipe.