Persian Lamb Stew
I was given a bag of dried limes from a Iranian lady, a spice completely new to me and this is my version of a typical Persian dish. If you can’t find dried limes replace with fresh or dry out your own! Persian stews can be spiced with a little chilli and ginger is sometimes used.
Quantity: 6 portions Cooking time: 2 hours
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions - chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
550 - 600 g lamb shoulder - trimmed and diced
2 sticks celery - diced
5 cloves garlic - crushed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 dried limes or 1 fresh halved skin on
850 ml / 1 & 1/2 pints water or stock
200 g / 8 oz cooked kidney beans (1 tin)
2 tablespoons tomato puree
seasoning
Variations -
Replace the kidney beans for another bean like haricot, black eye or butter bean.
Replace the shoulder for leg, allow 15 minutes more cooking time for a leaner dish.
Oven Temperature - Gas 5 / 180*c
Method
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan or equivalent
- Sauté the onions and sugar until golden brown but not black
- Add the lamb and cook on a lower flame to seal and brown
- Stir in the celery, garlic and all the spices including the limes, for a minute or so to release all the flavours
- Cover with the stock and a suitable lid (or tightly cover with tin foil)
- Bake in a preheated oven middle shelf gas 5 / 180* c for 1 and 1/2 hours
- 15 minutes before the end stir in the chickpeas, puree and season to taste - finish of cooking
- Squeeze any remaining juice or pulp back in to the stew before discarding
- Serve with plain steamed rice or cous cous