Mediterreanean Lamb Stew

I often read a recipe while visualizing how it might taste (and look) if I just “tweaked” it a bit. Sometimes, a little experimenting makes a good dish REALLY good. You should not be handcuffed to exact measurements given but adapt according to your tastes, substituting ingredients for a new twist or adding or subtracting measurements. Other than baking, exact measurements are not as crucial in making dishes such as this marvelous lamb stew.

It started with a recipe from the New York Times (full disclosure here) and after three or four tries, I came up with this version, which, I believe, is even better. You can call it “Lamb Stew—My Way” and if you have a better version, please let me know so I can try yours.

Here is my “Mediterranean Lamb Stew” with notes on some changes I made from the original.

Ingredients:

·        2 lbs. boneless leg of lamb (The New York Times called for lamb shoulder, but I found it to be too fatty and less meat per dollar)

·        1 tbsp. unsalted butter + 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (NYT called for 2 tbsp. butter but my goal is to use less fat in my diet—more on that later)

·        1 small onion, grated

·        6 cloves minced garlic (NYT called for 4 cloves, but I find garlic becomes very mild when used in stews)

·        1 tsp. each salt, black pepper, cinnamon, coriander, cumin (Note: these were amounts in original recipe, but I used two tsp. cinnamon and one heaping tsp. garam masala to give the dish that unique Mediterranean flavor)

·        ½ tsp. red pepper flakes—use a bit more if you like a bit more bite

·        ¼ cup apricot preserves (I tried orange marmalade and it works well, too!)

·        1/3 cup red wine vinegar

·        1 20-oz can. drained and rinsed chick peas (I tried garbanzo beans once—not bad)

·        1 ½ cups chicken stock (NYT called for two cups, but I found this made the dish too watery)

·        1/3 cup dark raisins (NYT called for ¼ cup—I also added a handful of dried cranberries, which was a nice touch)

·        ¼ cup chopped parsley

·        2 tbsp. lemon juice

·        Cooked cous cous for serving (I tried orzo and it’s good, too. Rice is another consideration.)

Directions:

A)      Now that you have all of your ingredients ready, here comes the most difficult part—trimming the meat. Open the boneless leg of lamb and cut into large, manageable pieces. Using a sharp, smallish knife, trim all of the fat you can see and cut the meat into bite-size pieces (1-1 ½” each).

B)      In a large, heavy bottom pot, melt the butter, add the oil and the lamb, onion, garlic, pepper, salt, spices, preserves and vinegar. Keep stirring (6 minutes or so) until the aroma is strong.

C)      Add the chick peas and stock. Bring to a boil over a medium-high heat. Reduce heat to just a simmer, cover and cook for about 1 hour 15 minutes. If you have less than two pounds of meat, cook for an hour.

D)      Add raisins and craisins and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Stir in parsley and lemon juice and you are almost finished.

E)      Make the stew the day before and you will be ready to serve. After cooking, place dish in the lowest shelf of the fridge. When ready to re-heat, remove from fridge and scoop out the congealed fat that has risen to the top with a slotted spoon. After removing the fat, you will be left with a healthy, delicious dish fit for the nicest occasion.

Let me know how it works for you or what changes you have made to enhance the recipe. I can be reached at chefricklevy@hotmail.com.