Ah, the unassuming envelope of onion soup mix. It's more than just for onion soup (or dip). It adds tremendous flavor (and convenience) in all these recipes.
Moroccan Lamb Stew
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- #19960
serves/makes:
ready in:
over 5 hrs
over 5 hrs
2 reviews
ingredients
1 1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon paprika or powdered saffron threads
3 pounds lamb shoulder, trimmed of all fat and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 onions, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2/3 cup raisins, soaked in warm water
24 pitted black olives (such as Kalamata)
2 preserved lemons, thinly slice
OR
1 unwaxed lemon, grated zest
6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound couscous, to serve
directions
Drain the chick peas, rinse under cold running water and place in a large saucepan, then cover with water and boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Drain the chick peas and return to a clean saucepan. Cover with fresh cold water, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 1- 1 1/2 hours until tender. Remove the pan from the heat, add a little salt and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine half the olive oil with the sugar, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, saffron or paprika, pepper and 1 tsp salt Add the lamb, toss to coat well and set aside for 20 minutes.
In a large heavy frying pan, heat the remaining oil over medium- high heat. Add enough lamb to fit easily in one layer (do not overcrowd the pan) and cook for 4-5 minutes, turning the pieces to color all sides, until well browned. Transfer to a large flameproof casserole and continue browning the meat in batches, adding a little more oil if necessary.
Add the onions to the pan and stir constantly until well browned. Stir in the garlic and tomatoes with 1 cup water, stirring and scraping the base of the pan. Pour into the casserole and add enough water to a boil over high heat, skimming any foam that rises to the surface.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 1 hour, or until the meat is just tender when pierced with a knife.
Drain the chick peas, reserving the liquid, and add to the lamb in the casserole with about 1 cup of the liquid. Stir in the raisins and their soaking liquid and simmer for 30 minutes more. Stir in the olives and sliced preserved lemons or lemon zest and simmer 20-30 minutes more, then add half the chopped cilantro.
About 1/2 hour before serving prepare the couscous according to the instructions on the packet. Spoon the couscous onto a warmed serving dish, spoon the lamb stew on top and sprinkle with the remaining fresh cilantro.
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nutrition data
Nutritional data has not been calculated yet.
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reviews & comments
October 9, 2013
This recipe was a little intimidating but I forged ahead and it turned out delicious. I think using canned chickpeas would be a huge step in making this a quicker recipe, but I used dried this first time. I couldn't find perserved lemons so I just used the zest of a regular lemon as suggested. The lamb was really tender and I liked all the flavors with the ginger and cumin and such. I will make this again, but probably using canned chickpeas just so I don't have to start this 24 hours in advance.
December 17, 2010
This was lovely, especially with couscous. I didn;t follow the recipe exactly, but put all the ingredients in the slow cooker, and used lamb crops instead. I then took the bones out a hour or two before serving. Lovely!