Sunday, November 6, 2011

Lamb and Chick Pea Stew

A strong craving for lamb and chick peas is what inspired this dish.  I happened to find fresh turmeric root in the market, so that took me down this kinda Moroccan path.


Ingredients
1T olive oil
1 small onion, small dice
1 lb round lamb, lightly seasoned with s&p
3 coves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh turmeric root, grated or 1 t ground*
1 inch fresh ginger root, grated or 1 t ground*
1 t. cumin
1 pinch cinnamon
2 fresh ripe tomatoes chopped, with juices or 1 14oz can diced tomatoes with juice
2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked and simmered till tender or 1 can no-salt chick peas
4 cups rich veggie broth* or good quality chicken stock (no salt or low salt)
1 cup cooked spinach, well drained*
1 T. cider vinegar


Method
  1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed soup pot until shimmering, cook onions until just beginning to soften and add the lamb.  Cook over medium until the lamb is just cooked through.  Depending on how fatty your lamb was, you may want to drain off some fat after cooked...but you'll be pouring out a ton of flavor.
  2. Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon and tomato.  Cook over hight heat stirring constantly for about 2 minutes.
  3. Add chickpeas, stock and spinach, bring to a boil, reduce and simmer partly covered for about 20 minutes or until you reach desired depth.
  4. Season with salt and pepper, add vinegar about 2 min before serving.  Serve with warm naan or pita.
Alternatives:
Vegetarian - leave out the lamb, reduce the stock a bit so you have a very thick stew and top with a poached or fried egg.
Vegan - skip the egg and the meat.


*Helpful Hints 
Ginger - select ginger that is big enough around for easy peeling, use a carrot peeler or a small sharp knife to get the tough skin off.  There is a device called a ginger grater with is worth the couple of bucks if you cook with fresh ginger a lot.  Otherwise you can squish it thru a garlic press, slice into thin disks and mince or use a micro-plane.
Fresh Turmeric - I stumbled upon this in Whole Foods, its pretty hard to find.  If you happen to see it, grab it but don't kill yourself trying to find it.  Note: this stuff STAINS everything and will last on your hands for days.  Wear gloves.
Veggy Stock - this is a great recipie
Spinach - to drain it well, twirl it through a paper towel lined salad spinner or press it into a sieve.

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