Lamb and kumara tagine with macademias

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Macadamia nuts add a luxurious touch to an easy, slow-cooked winter stew, fragrant with spice.

Eamon Sullivan, former 100m freestyle world record–holder is not just an elite athlete, he’s also a fine cook. And, for the second year in a row, he’s the face of the Australian Macadamia industry.  

The dish he shares with us here is a warmly spiced, slow-cooked stew sweetened with kumara and dates and given an earthy crunch with roasted macadamias. Cook it up, turn on the telly and watch Eamon turn it on in London!

What you need:

1 cup roasted macadamia nuts, chopped

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

1 bunch coriander with stems, torn

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tbs lemon juice

2 tbs olive oil

1.2kg boned lamb shoulder

11⁄2 cups chicken stock

500g peeled kumara, cut into 5cm chunks

12 seedless dates

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 150 C.

Combine the ground coriander, cumin and paprika, fresh coriander, onion, garlic and lemon juice in a blender or food processor and blend until almost smooth.

Cut the lamb into 5cm cubes. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add a third of the lamb, fry until browned on all sides, transfer to a baking dish. Repeat with the remaining lamb.

Add the coriander mixture and stock to the frying pan, bring to boil then add to the lamb.

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for two hours. Add the nuts, kumara and dates and cook a further hour or until the lamb and kumara are tender.

Serve with steamed green beans and couscous or rice.

Serves 6

3 more ways with macadamia nuts

1. Macadamia-banana French toast

Heat oven to 200 C. Put a banana, a cup of milk, two tablespoons of chopped macadamias, a teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon into a food processor and whizz until smooth. Dip bread into the mixture, place on buttered baking trays, and bake for about five minutes each side. Top with icing sugar, sliced banana and more chopped nuts.

2. Roast macadamia and veg

Cut pumpkin, sweet potato and beetroot into chunks, and red onion into quarters. Toss with macadamia oil, then roast for an hour at 180 C, turning occasionally. Top with a handful of roughly chopped macadamias and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes before mixing and serving.

3. Olive and macadamia spread

Put ¾ cup of macadamia nuts, 6 anchovy fillets, 1 tablespoon of rinsed capers, 12 large pitted green olives, four hard-boiled egg yolks, a garlic clove, a handful of Italian parsley and two tablespoons of white wine vinegar in a food processor. Process until smooth, then add olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Use as a dip or spread on bruschetta.

Text: Robin Powell