Lamb and Lentil Stew

Lamb and lentil stew is a staple around my house.  I prefer semi boneless lamb, so I can easily bone the lamb and trim generously, leaving lots of meat on the trimmings.  I then use the bone and trimmings for this stew.  You can use a full bone-in leg of lamb, but you better have a big enough pot to house that bone.  The bone and trimmings really form the flavor base for this rich stew, but you also could do a variation of this stew with a combination of lamb meat and chicken broth, if that's what you've got on hand..
1 lamb bone
¼ lb meaty lamb trimmings
1 carrot, diced
1/2 large onion, diced
6 cups water

2 stalks celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 large onion, diced
8 oz mushrooms, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp powdered cumin
½ tsp powdered coriander
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp rosemary leaves, crushed
1 cup Puy lentils

1 potato, peeled and diced
1 can diced tomatoes, drained, or 3 plum tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Toss the lamb bone and trimmings along with the carrot and onion into a soup pot with a dash of olive oil. Cook over medium high heat for about 10-15 minutes, to allow the meat and veggies to brown up and caramelize very, very well.

This will form the flavor base for the stock. Add the water and bring to a boil. Skim of any foam that might float to the surface, reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer for about 45 minutes.

Let stock cool and then strain into a bowl. Remove and dice any meat from the bone and trimmings and set aside.

Sauté the next batch of carrot, onion and celery in a dash of olive oil in a soup pot. Simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the veggies to caramelize a bit. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking on high heat until the mushrooms release what water they will.

Turn heat to medium and allow the mushrooms to brown up a bit. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes and rosemary, and cook another 2-3 minutes.

 Return the stock to the soup pot and add the lentils. Bring to a gentle boil, stir, and reduce to a simmer. Cook covered for about 45-60 minutes, depending on the age (hardness) of the lentils (you can soak the lentils the night before, and that can reduce the cooking time).

Meanwhile, heat a dash of olive oil in a small skillet to shimmering hot. Carefully add the tomatoes and allow them to cook for about 5-8 minutes to darken in color and enrich their flavor.

Once the lentils are just becoming soft and toothsome, like slightly undercooked rice, add the potato and tomatoes to the soup. Salt and pepper to taste (better to salt and add tomatoes [acid] later when cooking lentils because salt and acid can slow the cooking process). If you used canned diced tomatoes, you can certainly add the reserved tomato liquid, or save for another use.

Cook stew until potatoes are only just soft, and the lentils are soft enough to eat, but still have body. Stir in the vinegar.

Garnish with fresh parsley. Serves 6.

Cook’s Note: You can use whatever vinegar you have, or lemon or lime. A dash of acid brightens up this very rich dish.

Moroccan Lamb Stew

Here is a lamb stew rich with Moroccan flavors.  Ras el Hanout spice blend, pomegranate molasses and dates meld together in a warming aromatic stew.
1/2 lb carrots, about 6, peeled and cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
2 leeks, cleaned, trimmed and diced
3 to 3-1/2 lb boneless lamb, cut into 2-inch pieces

4 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp Ras el Hanout, Moroccan spice mix
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes, drained (liquid reserved) and crushed by hand

2 Tbsp Pomegranate Molasses
2 dozen dried dates, pitted and quartered

Sauté the carrots and the leek in a Dutch oven or large pot, with a dash of olive oil. Add a tablespoon of water, and allow the water to evaporate while the leeks soften.

When the leeks are softened, remove the carrot and leeks to a bowl.

Add a dash more olive oil to the pot and brown the lamb cubes well on each side. Salt and pepper to taste as they brown. Allow enough air space around each cube so they develop flavor from browning well - otherwise they will boil rather than brown. Brown the cubes in several batches and remove to the bowl with the carrots when done.

After the last batch of lamb cubes are browned and removed, add the garlic and ginger to the pot. Cook about a minute. Then add the Ras el Hanout powder to the pot and cook another one or two minutes, until very fragrant.

Now add the crushed tomatoes to the pot and turn up the heat to high. Cook the tomatoes in the spice mix and allow them to darken, caramelizing a bit, to develop bold flavor. Stir often.

After about 5 minutes of cooking, return the lamb and veggies to the pot.

Add the reserved tomato liquid and enough water to just cover the meat. Bring to a gentle boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for an hour.

Then add the pomegranate molasses and the dates. Stir well, cover the pot and simmer another half an hour.

Serve over couscous.

Serves 6-8.

Cook's Note:  Ras el Hanout is a North African spice blend often used in Moroccan cooking.  With high notes of clove, cinnamon and cumin, it is to Moroccan cooking as Garam Masala is to Indian cooking.

Pomegranate molasses is also often used in Moroccan cooking.  It is a flavorful syrup reduced from pomegranate juice and is pleasingly sour and only slightly sweet.

Pork and Pinto Stew

Cooking up beans in the slow cooker is a great way to a fast weeknight meal.  Cooks by itself while you work - what could be easier? So long as you have a few minutes the night before to prep.
1 lb pinto beans
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 lb baby carrots
3 stalks, celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp crushed rosemary flakes
1 Tbsp oregano leaves, minced
1 lb oxtail (two large)
1/2 lb smoked chorizo, sliced
1 lb baby Yukon potatoes
1 quart chicken stock plus 2 cups water to cover

Soak beans for 8 hours in plenty of water. Drain when ready to prepare the stew.

Sauté the onion, carrots and celery in a browning slow cooker or in a skillet. Add the chorizo and ox tail pieces.

Cook about 10 minutes, browning the meat on all sides. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, rosemary and oregano and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Add this mixture into the slow cooker with the beans, potatoes, stock and water. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook 4 hours on high and then 4 hours on low setting.

Remove oxtails to a plate and then remove meat from bone. Return meat to stew. Gently stir and serve in bowls.

Serves 6-8.

Fanny’s Slow Chicken Stew

I have very fond memories of my mother-in-law, especially her cooking!  I remember the fun evenings coming to visit my wife at her parent's very large home in rural Connecticut.  Fanny would make this stew for a crowd in a huge pot.  She'd look back and forth at the pot and the crowd in the living room, and ask - now what else can I put in here!?  There was always plenty.
4 bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
2 bone-in chicken breast halves, cut in half
1 lb Italian sausages, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 large sweet onion, peeled and diced (about 1-1/2 to 2 cups)
3 carrots, peeled and cut at a diagonal, 1-1/2 inch
2 Tbsp rosemary, crushed
2 tsp fresh lemon thyme, minced, or 1/4 tsp dried thyme

1 lb fresh button mushrooms, washed, dried and sliced thickly (1/4-inch)
4-5 Russet potatoes, or the equivalent (peeled unless very young and small), about 2 lb, I used a combination of Russet, peeled, and baby red, unpeeled

1 lb Polish kielbasa, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 quart chicken broth
2 cups dry white wine
water as needed

I will refer to the “pot” as a direct browning slow cooker, but it could be a Dutch oven or a pot on the stove.

Brown the chicken pieces with a dash of olive oil in the pot, over medium high heat for about 15 minutes, turning several times.

Remove chicken to a large bowl and keep warm.

Add the onion, carrot and sausage to the pot and brown for about 10 minutes, gently stirring, every once in a while.

Add the rosemary, thyme and garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Remove the sausage mixture to the bowl with the chicken.

Heat a dash of olive oil in the pot set to high. Add the mushrooms. Let them cook until they release what water they will and then brown up a bit. This should take about 10 minutes, with regular stirring.

Return the chicken and sausage mixture to the pot and add the kielbasa, potatoes and tomatoes. Add the broth and wine, and just enough water (if necessary) to almost cover the meat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook on low for 4 hours in the slow cooker. Otherwise bring to a gentle boil on the stove, reduce to a simmer, and cook for about an hour.

Serve in bowls. Serves 6-8.

Cook’s note: I prepared the dish the night before and let sit in the refrigerator. The next morning I placed it in the slow cooker and cooked on low for 4 hours. The I returned from work that day it was steaming and ready to go.

Tagine of Lamb and Preserved Lemons

Warm up to a spicy tagine as the first ice storm of the year envelops your world.  Or as family in Florida tells me, you are decorating your Christmas tree in shorts, in the eighties.
5 trimmed lamb loin chops

Spice Mix:
1 Tbsp garam masala seasoning
1 tsp favorite Indian curry powder
1 tsp Pimenton, Spanish smoked paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp crushed dried red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/4 tsp black pepper

1 leek, trimmed, cleaned and diced
1/4 purple Bermuda onion, sliced, about 1/2 cup
2 stalks celery, diced
1 stick cinnamon
2 Tbsp harissa Middle Eastern chili paste (or other favorite)

1 15-ozcan petite diced tomatoes, drained (liquid reserved)
6 slices preserved lemons (see note)

Mix together the spice mix and coat the chops evenly with the spice mix. Heat the base of a tagine and add a dash of olive oil. Brown the chops evenly on one side for about 3-5 minutes. Flip the chops and brown the other side for another 3-5 minutes.

Remove the chops to a plate and keep warm. Add a dash of olive oil to the tagine base and add the leek, onion, celery and cinnamon. Cook the veggie mix down for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the veggies soften and begin to caramelize.

Add the harissa or chili paste and mix well.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Remove the veggies to a bowl. Add one last dash olive oil to the tagine base and raise the heat to high. Add the drained tomatoes and sizzle for about 5-8 minutes.

Allow the tomatoes to darken and caramelize a bit, and to develop great flavor and fragrance.

Return the chops to the tagine and pour in the veggie mix. Nestle in the lemon slices.  Add the reserved tomato liquid and just enough water to cover.

Bring to a slight boil, gently mix the pot and reduce to a simmer. Cover the tagine with its top and cook about 30 minutes, jostling the ingredients once or twice.

Serve with couscous or other favorite side. Serves 2-3.

Cook's Notes:  You can substitute the garam masala for other robust spice mixes such as Montreal seasoning (a favorite of Canada) or Cajun spice mix, for example.

Preserved lemons are a common ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking.  They are brined in a vinegar and available in jars - I use Trader Joe's.

A tagine is a cone-shaped dish used in the middle east to make stews.

Its shape enhances reflux of cooking liquids - as they vaporize, they condense on the inside of the cone and rain back down on the stew, evenly distributing moisture while cooking.  At least that's the theory.  My tagine does a great job, but you certainly could use a standard Dutch oven or other heavy pot just as well to make a fine tagine.

Our first Mid Atlantic ice storm. Christmas approaches...

Barley Miso Lamb and Bean Stew

Beans and lamb go together like a... you fill in the blank.  I always keep a bit of a roasted leg of lamb aside for a dish like this.  You could use fresh or frozen roasted lamb - whatever you achieve, to make this thick, flavorful stew.
2 carrot, finely diced
1 onion finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained well, liquid reserved
1 lb lamb (raw or roasted), cubed 1/2-inch

1/2 cup French lentils
1/4 cup pearl barley
1/4 cup barley miso paste
6 cups water
1 can Gret Northern (or Navy) beans, drained

Sauté the carrot, onion and celery for about 8-10 minutes.

Add the garlic, rosemary and red pepper flakes, and cook another 2-3 minutes.  Add the lamb to the veggies and cook until the lamb is well browned, about 8-10 minutes.

Turn heat to high and push the lamb to one side. Add the drained tomatoes to the other side.

Allow them to cook and sizzle, as they deepen their color and caramelize a bit, about 5-8 minutes.

Add the reserved tomato liquid, the water, lentils, barley, miso paste and white beans. Give the mixture a good stir and bring to a gentle boil. Stir again, reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered for about an hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes.  Adjust liquid level with water, and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 6-8.

Bison Bean and Barley Chili with Pearl Onions

This is a rich hearty chili with a sweet surprise of pearl onions.
2 cups water plus 1 tsp salt
1/4 cup pearl barley

1 lb ground bison (or beef, preferably grass fed)
1 16-oz bag frozen pearl onions, thawed
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (or powder)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 jalapeño pepper, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 can Navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
about 2 more cups water
palmful cilantro, minced

Bring the salted water to a boil in a small pot. Cook the barley in the water for about 15 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Brown the ground bison in a soup pot or Dutch oven with a dash of olive oil until well browned. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set browned bison aside in a bowl.

Add a dash more oil to the pot and add the pearl onions. Allow to brown slightly, about 8 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the cumin seeds, fennel seeds, jalapeño pepper and garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Return the bison to the pot.

Add the tomato paste, chili powder and turmeric. Cook the mixture down for another 5 minutes or so to darken the paste and develop its flavor.

Add the beans and the barley and enough water to make a thick chili. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes to develop flavor. Adjust consistency with water as necessary. Serve in bowls, garnished with cilantro.

Serves 4-6.

Asian Beef Stew

Beef noodles seems to me to be the ham and cheese sandwich of China.  Can't go wrong, order anywhere and you're good.  And what an outrageous difference you'll get - just like any classic dish.  Make this the way you like.
3 lb beef chuck, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
4 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large sweet onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch fresh ginger, minced

1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp gochujang Korean chili paste
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp Sambal Mattah (I use Trader Joe’s)

1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups beef or chicken broth
2 large shiitake mushrooms, sliced
Palmful fresh cilantro
2 green onions, sliced
toasted sesame seeds

Brown the meat in a dash of oil in a Dutch Oven or large pot. Work in batches to allow plenty of air between the cubes as they brown. Set beef aside in a bowl when browned.

Add the carrots and onion to the pot and a dash more oil if necessary. Cook about 10 minutes, to just brown the edges of the onion. Add the garlic and ginger and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Whisk together the hoisin sauce, gochujang, sesame oil and samba mattah in a small bowl. Return the beef to the pot and add the broth, tomato sauce and hoisin mixture. You should have enough liquid to barely cover the meat.

Pieces poking up through the top is good.

Bring to a gentle boil, stir and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook about 45 minutes, stirring every once in a while. While the stew cooks, sauté the mushrooms in a dash of oil just until lightly browned.

After 45 minutes, remove the top from the pot and stir in the mushrooms. Continue cooking another 45 minutes, allowing the liquid level to reduce to a nice saucy consistency. By now the broth should be a deep red.

When the beef is fork tender, ladle stew into bowls over noodles or rice. Garnish with fresh cilantro, green onion and sesame seeds. Serves 6-8.

Cook’s Note: If you don’t have gochujang, you could use the same amount of miso paste. If you can’t find samba mattah, you can substitute a few teaspoons (careful!) of asian chili paste with garlic. I also substitute Trader Joe’s chili jam for gochujang and/or samba mattah.

Pork Stew with Lentils

This will keep you warm in the winter! Pork, lentils and chick peas marry in a stew flavored with southern Mediterranean herbs and spices.  You could easily substitute lamb for the pork to suit your preferences.
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, diced

2 lb pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp herbes de Provence or Italian herbs
2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup dark French Puy lentils
1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken (or other) broth

in a large Dutch oven, sauté the carrot, celery and onion (mirepoix) in a bit of olive oil for 12-15 minutes. Allow the veggies to soften and begin to caramelize. Remove to a bowl.

Heat the same pot to high with a bit of olive oil and brown the pork on all sides for about 10 minutes. Add the fennel, cumin, herbs and garlic for the last 2-3 minutes.

Add the beans, tomatoes and broth and salt and pepper to taste. You should have just enough liquid t cover the solids.  Adjust with a bit of water if necessary.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, stir and cover. Cook for about 1 to 1-1/2 hour, until the lentils are cooked through and the meat is tender and falling apart.  Stir every once in a while, checking the moisture level. Adjust with water to a stew consistency.

Serves 6.

Cook’s Note: This is great served with rice and sautéed cabbage and Brussels sprouts.

You can also make this dish with lamb.