You can use chicken instead of lamb for this recipe if you prefer but I particularly like the combination of these vegetables with lamb. If you are using chicken instead of lamb you could include flat-leaf parsley instead of mint. Use a tin of cooked chick peas but you can soak and then cook dried chick peas if you want. Although the chick peas are already cooked, still add them early in the cooking of the dish so that they can soak up the flavours of the other ingredients. The amount of chilli sauce you add is to your taste (of course you can use fresh chillies if you want). Start with a small amount and then add more later in the cooking.

Ingredients:

• 2 x 125 g (5 oz) lean lamb steaks
• 1 medium red onion
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 220 g (8 oz) cooked chick peas
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• chilli sauce – to taste
• 10 ml (2 tsp) chopped fresh mint
• 125 ml (5 fl oz) water
• juice of 1 lemon
• freshly ground black pepper
• pistachio nuts

Cooking instructions:

Chop the red onion, tomatoes and garlic. Cut any excess fat from the lamb steaks. Put the red onion in a pan with the olive oil and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. Add the lamb steaks and brown on both sides. Add the tomatoes, cooked chick peas, garlic, chilli sauce, mint and water. Cover, bring to the boil and simmer for about 25 minutes or until the lamb is tender, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary. Add the lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper and stir well. Shell the pistachio nuts and garnish the dish with them. Serve with rice.