Revisiting a Mediterranean Stew

Back in 2011 I posted Tangine Type Lamb, based on my memory of a lunch a friend fixed during a break in a day filled with meetings. I was impressed not only by the talent she displayed, but in the taste of lamb stew. The Tangine recipe was close, but when my sister moved up here, I wanted to try to get a little closer, so I pulled up my globe-hopping friend's e-mail with the following recipe which serves 4:

2 tbsp cooking oil
2 lb leg of lamb or shoulder is more economical, boned & cut into 1” cubes
1 large onion sliced
1 clove garlic crushed
1 teasp powdered turmeric
2” cinnamon stick
1 teasp salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tabsp flour
1 & ½ cups lamb stock
1 tabsp brown sugar
8 prunes stoned and soaked in water for 2 hours
8 dried apricots soaked in water for 2 hours

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over moderate heat. Add the lamb cubes & sauté, stirring occasionally, until brown on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, remove the lamb and set aside on a plate.
2. Add the onion to the pan and fry until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, salt & 7 grindings of pepper. Stir & sauté for 5 minutes. Add the flour, stir & cook for a few minutes before adding the stock slowly. 
3. Raise the heat and continue stirring until the mixture comes to the boil, return the meat to the pan, lower the heat, cover & simmer 40 minutes until lamb is tender.
4. Ten minutes before the lamb is cooked, add the sugar, prunes & apricots. Serve hot with rice which has been boiled with a bay-leaf.

Alternatively, serve in soup bowls with a hunk of rustic bread or thick Pita. Keep in mind that Turmeric stains upon contact, but it is considered an anti-inflammatory.

Judi's recipe has a few changes from the one I found online, such as lamb broth instead of water and stick cinnamon instead of ground, but the basic Middle East cooking remains.  Obviously, neither can be done during a lunch break - and we were not late back to work - so she had adjusting to compensate for the time.

Now, that I've re-discovered Judi's recipe, comes the fun in making it for two, and be done within 30 minutes. I know she used two lamb chops for the meat. As soon as we walked in, she put a few prunes and apricots to soak, but I'm not certain if she used water or wine. Cutting the lamb chops into bite-size pieces, she browned in olive oil quickly, removed and browned the onion, and finally added the garlic, followed by turmeric, ground cinnamon, salt, and pepper.

She always had a variety of stock, so I don't know if it was lamb stock or vegetable that she added, then returned the lamb as well as the drained fruit. Oh, the fragrance as it simmered for another few minutes! While that simmered, she sliced a potato very thinly and sauted in a separate skillet. When the sauce thickened to her liking, the stew was served over the potatoes and a pita completed the meal.

So, now you have a lamb stew recipe. Ready to try it out?