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Persian Lamb Stew

I just love a good lamb stew, really warming and one pot meals are just the best. This version is inspired by the flavours of Persia and works just so well. The main ingredients are no different to a usual British stew but add in a few spices that are easy to come by and you get something beautiful, if you fancy something a bit different give this a go.

Ingredients

serves 2 big humans and 2 small or get some leftovers for lunch the next day

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  • 1 large onion

  • 2 garlic cloves

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 500g diced lamb

  • 2 medium potatoes (500g)

  • 2 carrots (250g)

  • 1 parsnip (250g)

  • 500ml chicken stock

  • 700ml water

  • 1 tsp ground cumin

  • 1 tsp ground ginger

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

  • 2 preserved lemons (or zest and juice of 1 lemon)

  • pinch of saffron

  • 1 tsp rose harissa paste (optional but great)

  • small handful of chopped parsley

Method

Start by halving the onion then slicing each half from root to tip into 4-5 nice large chunks. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a flame proof casserole dish (or large saucepan) and sweat the onion on a low heat for 8 mins. They shouldn't get super soft due to the size of the slices and you want to retain some bite to it. Chop your garlic very fine and add to the onions continuing to sweat for 3 mins until slightly softened.

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While this is doing cut the potatoes, carrots and parsnip into 1 inch chunks ready to start the stew. Slice the preserved lemons into quarters then half each so you end up with 8 small chunks from each lemon. If you don't have the preserved type then grate of the zest of one and juice it.

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Once done add in the cumin, ginger and cinnamon and fry for a minute or two until you can smell the spices coming out. Then turn up the heat and add the lamb, cooking for a few minutes until it has browned on the outside. Now add in a good pinch of saffron and the harissa paste if using. This is for flavour rather than heat and goes so well with the rest of the spices, don't worry it won't be too spicy as you use so little.

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Now throw in the vegetables and lemons (or juice and zest) then add the stock and top up with water (use boiling to save time) until it covers the meat and veg. Stir then cover and bring to a simmer. Once simmering you can continue to cook on the hob or move to an oven set to 160C (320F) and let cook low for 2 hours.

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After 2 hours remove from the oven/hob and check the liquid levels as this is a stew so you want a fair amount of broth there. Every pan/dish is different so some will let more evaporate than others. If you feel it needs more just add in some boiling water and stir through, the flavours will all still be there just more concentrated so this won't harm the dish at all.

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Ladle out into bowls, let it cool a little (it's always way too hot straight out the pan), scatter with the chopped parsley and tuck in.

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