Subject: RECIPE: Lamb stew
From: nlm@attunix (Nancy Mintz)
Date: 13 Nov 86 06:48:49 GMT
Newsgroups: mod.recipes

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.RH MOD.RECIPES-SOURCE LAMB-STEW-1 M "13 Aug 86" 1986
.RZ "MARGO'S LAMB STEW" "Fragrant lamb stew"
This recipe comes from Margo Kaiser, with whom I used to work.
It's a delicious stew, spiced fragrantly but not hot. It's one of my
favorites.  It's also very easy. The most tedious work is trimming the lamb,
and you can get the butcher to take care of that.
.PP
The spice mixture is my attempt to re-create Margo's ``secret spice''
(she didn't offer \fIthat\fR recipe).  Feel free to try your own variations.
If you hit on one that you feel is particularly good, please let me know
about it.
.IH "serves 6 to 8"
.IG "3 Tbsp" "olive oil" "50 ml"
.IG "1" "large onion"
(thinly sliced)
.IG "4" "garlic cloves,"
minced
.IG "3 lbs" "lamb," "1.5 kg"
cut into stew-sized cubes, and carefully trimmed of fat.
.IG "4 lbs" "cooked tomatoes" "1.5 kg"
(2 large cans)
.IG "3" "bay leaves"
.IG "" "lemon juice"
.IG "1 Tbsp" "Hungarian paprika" "15 ml"
.IG "1 tsp" "celery salt" "5 ml"
.IG "\(12 tsp" "ground cumin" "2.5 ml"
.IG "1/8 tsp" "cayenne" "0.5 ml"
.IG "dash" "allspice" "0.5 ml"
.IG "dash" "cinnamon" "0.5 ml"
.IG "1 \(12 lbs" "fresh green beans," "700 g"
washed and trimmed
.PH
.SK 1
In a stewpot, saut\z\(aae onion in olive oil on medium-low heat until golden
brown. Add garlic in the last 2\-3 minutes.
.SK 2
Add lamb cubes and saut\z\(aae until brown.
.SK 3
Add tomatoes, and simmer until meat is tender.
Keep an eye on the liquid; add water or red wine if it becomes dry.
.SK 4
Add bay leaves, lemon juice and spices.
Simmer on low heat for at least 2 hours.
.SK 5
About \(12 hour before pronouncing it done, add the green beans.
.SK 6
Serve with plain yogurt and pita bread.
.NX
I prefer to cook through step 4, refrigerate overnight, and then finish
cooking the next evening.  This greatly enhances the flavor.  When you
take the stew from the refrigerator, skim any lamb fat that has
congealed on the top before continuing.
.PP
I find that many butchers don't understand that I want good quality
meat in stews.  I get better quality, more carefully trimmed meat by telling
them that I want lamb cubes cut for shish kebab.
.SH RATING
.I Difficulty:
easy.
.I Time:
20 minutes preparation, several hours cooking.
.I Precision:
measure the spices.
.WR
Nancy Mintz
UNIX System Development Lab, AT&T-IS, Summit, New Jersey, USA
ihnp4!attunix!nlm