this is a very unglamorous picture, which is not surprising as the dish itself was thoroughly rustic. however, it more than made up for this in it’s wonderful flavours.

slow-cooked lamb  - leg or shoulder with the bone in – is a favourite of mine. i love lamb which can be “carved” with a fork and spoon. my lack of interest in potatoes and traditional roast dinners means that we usually have this with a pilaf of some sort, or beans which have been cooked under the lamb so that they absorb its flavours.

this time i cooked the lamb on a bed of chickpeas (1 tin, drained and rinsed), a couple of sliced red peppers, some garlic, stock and white wine. when the lamb was ready – c3hrs at 170c – i put it aside, drained the liquid from the chickpea and pepper mix, skimmed off the fat and then used this in place of stock to  reconstitute some couscous. when it was ready, i added the chickpea and pepper mix to the couscous along with the juice and zest of a lemon, a handful of finely chopped spring onions, chopped mint and parsley plus seasoning.

the resulting couscous was packed with the flavours of the lamb which were lightened up and made more spring-like by the lemon and herbs. we ate this with a salad on the side and had leftovers as a packed lunch the following day.

keeping to the theme of food that is difficult to photograph in an appealing way, let me share with you the culinary delight that is chicken fattee. this moro recipe, chicken fattee with rice, crispbread and yogurt to give it its full name, is a much-loved favourite of mine.

i think it was one of the first recipes i made from casa moro and is one which i return to regularly. it’s not quick to pull together but the different components can all be prepared in advance (i wrap them in foil and warm through gently in the oven) and work together wonderfully.

it is a great dish for feeding people frugally – one chicken can be stretched to feed eight without any problem. i also think it has a wonderful celebratory feel – i pile it up on a large platter in the middle of the table and tell people to help themselves. my vegetarian equivalent is diana henry’s bulgar and spinach pilaf with labneh and chilli roast tomatoes.

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