When Chester and I moved to Maine in 1988, we knew no one in the town where we settled. One way to make friends, we thought, was to invite people to dinner - people we met in my business or at one of the shops we frequented. On these occasions, Chester insisted we serve something exotic, partly because he liked exotic food and parlty because he thought this would make a lasting impression. At one of our very first dinner parties, on a very cold January night, we served this not-so-exotic but very tasty lamb stew. The guests were a woman from the local card shop and her boyfriend who turned out to be a locksmith. The stew was a lot more interesting than the locksmith.
This is easy to make and has slight Moroccan overtones. Like all stews it can be kept covered and chilled and reheated, which makes it even tastier. This means you can make it ahead and save it for your dinner party. Serve it with a green salad - with green grapes, sounds good - and some crusty country bread. My previous recipe for ice cream over macaroons would be a lovely finish to the meal. And a red wine, please. Yum!
2 large onions, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 C olive oil
3 lb lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
the lamb bone, if possible
a 4-inch stick of cinnamon
1 T mustard seeds
2 14-oz cans of tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with the juice
1/4 t saffron
1 turnip
6 pitted prunes, halved
1. In a deep kettle or Dutch oven, cook the onions and garlic in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onions are softened.
2. Add the lamb and cook over moderate heat, stirring, just until the lamb is no longer pink.
3. Stir in the cinnamon stick, the mustard seeds, the tomatoes with their juice, 2 cups of water, the lamb bone (if using) and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer the stew, covered, for one hour.
4. Peel the turnip, cut it in half horizontally, then cut each half into 6 wedges. Add the turnip and saffron to the stew and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add the prunes and simmer for 30 minutes more, partially covered, or until the lamb and turnips are tender (for a total cooking time of 2 hours).
5. Remove the bone from the stew and serve, over basmati rice (see recipe earlier on this blog), if desired.
Note: the recipe calls for saffron, gathered by hand from crocuses, and therefore plenty expensive. You can leave it out if you wish but it does impart a very particular flavor - and stew is all about layers of flavor - and gives the stew a lovely color.
This is easy to make and has slight Moroccan overtones. Like all stews it can be kept covered and chilled and reheated, which makes it even tastier. This means you can make it ahead and save it for your dinner party. Serve it with a green salad - with green grapes, sounds good - and some crusty country bread. My previous recipe for ice cream over macaroons would be a lovely finish to the meal. And a red wine, please. Yum!
MOROCCAN LAMB STEW WITH PRUNES
serves 6 - 8
2 large onions, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 C olive oil
3 lb lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
the lamb bone, if possible
a 4-inch stick of cinnamon
1 T mustard seeds
2 14-oz cans of tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with the juice
1/4 t saffron
1 turnip
6 pitted prunes, halved
1. In a deep kettle or Dutch oven, cook the onions and garlic in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onions are softened.
2. Add the lamb and cook over moderate heat, stirring, just until the lamb is no longer pink.
3. Stir in the cinnamon stick, the mustard seeds, the tomatoes with their juice, 2 cups of water, the lamb bone (if using) and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer the stew, covered, for one hour.
4. Peel the turnip, cut it in half horizontally, then cut each half into 6 wedges. Add the turnip and saffron to the stew and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add the prunes and simmer for 30 minutes more, partially covered, or until the lamb and turnips are tender (for a total cooking time of 2 hours).
5. Remove the bone from the stew and serve, over basmati rice (see recipe earlier on this blog), if desired.
Note: the recipe calls for saffron, gathered by hand from crocuses, and therefore plenty expensive. You can leave it out if you wish but it does impart a very particular flavor - and stew is all about layers of flavor - and gives the stew a lovely color.
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