So I am learning to embrace the benefits of working from home. More in the sense of organising myself. I have found that I have not made the best of this, quite frankly privileged situation, because I have been approaching it in the most dysfunctional way.

However this week I have tried to be balanced in getting through work and house admin. The result? A cleaner house, a productive day and a delicious lamb stew!

I am still challenging my Moghrabieh energy it is just such wonderful combination of spices, meat and vegetables, cous cous and chickpeas.

https://zaatarandzaytoun.com/moghrabieh/

I decided to apply those basic principles into using up whatever was in my utility room, fridge and freezer. In this case it was a bag of frozen lamb chops (I don’t remember when I bought them!), some old carrots in the fridge, leftover bags of chives and parsley, and a can of butter beans.

I sliced up one red onion and sautéed it in a little olive oil. Once softened I removed from the pan and placed aside in a bowl

I put my lamb chops in the same pan and allowed them to brown lightly on both sides. Then I added a litre of hot water which had two vegetable stock cubes disolved in it. To this mixture I then added a stick of cinnamon, three bay leaves, a bowl ful of chopped (3) carrots, a few cloves, some ground cardamom, ground pepper and salt. I let that cook for about thirty minutes.

I removed lamb chops from the stock mixture and cut off the fat and cut the meat away from the bone until I was left with little chunks of lamb. These a put aside into a small bowl.

In another pot I added butter to 1 cup of giant (pearl) cous cous and stirred over a low heat until the butter was melted and the cous cous was a rich golden colour. I also added my prepared ‘homemade’ spice mixture (ground caraway seeds, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, Lebanese 7 spice, and black pepper).

I drained and rinsed the butter beans.

Then I added the spiced buttered cous cous to the stock, followed by the butterbeans, and lamb chunks. I also added some finely chopped chives and parsley, one roughly chopped red onion and a bit more of my spice mixture. I mixed the whole thing together and let it simmer for another thirty minutes, checking once in a while to stir it.

This was pretty delicious. It was just comfort in a bowl. Flavourful is perfect the best way of describing it.

It was just the kind of lunch that was needed between mountains of admin and then heading into a difficult clinical meeting. So, yes, I’m working on my balance.

The good thing about making a massive pot of stew is that there is always plenty for later. I managed to have enough for my subsequent two days working in the office.

Lunch at work. In front of the computer but at least I had lunch.

So it looks like this spiced cous cous stew, with whatever ingredients I have to hand is going to be my ‘go to’ this autumn/winter season. I’m going to make more of that spiced mixture so that I have it hand, ready and waiting and then just be creative with what I have in the house. Looking forward to it!

I hope that I will be able to maintain and sustain these little these little changes that make a big difference to my working days.