Lamb Stew with Trinidad Curry

It's cooling off in the desert and I mean cooling off. Today the high is only expected to be in the 50's and tomorrow in the 40's. We'll be harvesting citrus today and covering our fruit trees because lows are going to be darned low. Are you all going to remind me of the number of times in the past 8 months I've said I can't wait to be cold? Come on - now's your chance!

Cold weather here (cold being a relative term compared to my Northern roots) is a great excuse to dig out the fleece and silk long johns and an even better reason to have the oven on all afternoon. That's sorta' what I did yesterday when this stew went on the menu but I went one better. I flavored it with a home made blend of Caribbean spices guaranteed to warm the cockles of me heart.

Quite honestly the lamb we purchased from the University of Arizona's Department of Animal Science Meat's Lab is the absolute best we've ever tasted. I know I'm bragging about it a lot, but it is mildly flavored, unbelievably tender, incredibly lean and just about the best buy we've made in a long time. I used a shoulder roast to make the stew, deboning it, then cutting the meat into small cubes. It was then marinated overnight in an Island curry mixture made of toasted cumin and coriander seeds as well as cloves, poppy seeds, mustard seeds, cayenne, cinnamon, star anise, peppercorns, tumeric and ground ginger mixed with garlic, jalapeno pepper, shallots and vinegar.

After its overnight vacation in the refrigerator, the meat was coated in flour (optional) and browned and joined by onions, tomatoes and a combination of beef and vegetable stock. It cooked in a slow oven until the meat was tender before the root vegetables were introduced.

If you're worried it's going to be too spicy, rest assured it's really not because I added an extra couple of tablespoons of curry as well as a half teaspoon of cayenne to bring it up to our acceptable Scoville level. Yeah, it's official ...we've done burned out our tastebuds!

This is really a deliciously different stew and while you're going to have a ton of Trinidad curry powder leftover, keep it in a tightly sealed jar and you can use it on chicken, fish or shrimp and transport your tastebuds to the sunny Caribbean any old time you please.

Trinidadian Curry Powder (Adapted from recipegoldmine.com)

 4 tablespoons cumin seeds

2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds

1 tablespoon cloves

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

2 tablespoons ground cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 whole star anise (or 2 tablespoons ground anise)

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

4 tablespoons ground turmeric

4 tablespoons ground ginger

Roast the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry sauté pan until fragrant – just a few minutes. Place all ingredients except for turmeric and ginger into a coffee grinder reserved for spices only or use a mortar and pestle. Combine ingredients until well blended.  Add turmeric and ginger. Store in airtight container in a cool dry place for up to several months.

Lamb Stew with Trinidad Curry (Adapted from emerils.com as well as by “Cooking In Barbados”)

3 tablespoons Trinidad curry powder

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced

2 green onions, minced

2 tablespoons shallot, minced

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1-1/2 pounds lamb shoulder cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes

Combine above ingredients into a zip top bag and marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours, or overnight.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, minced

2 cups seeded roma tomatoes, diced

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 cups vegetable stock

Heat vegetable oil in a heavy pot, (flour meat if you wish) and brown in batches until well browned. Remove to plate to hold. Add onion to pot and sauté until translucent. Return meat to the pot and add tomatoes, salt, pepper and vegetable stock to just cover meat. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then place in 300 oven for 1-1/2 hours. Remove lid of pot after 1 hour. After meat is tender, add the following to the meat:

2 white potatoes, peeled and diced in ¼ inch cubes

2 large carrots, peeled and diced in ¼ cubes

Stir vegetables into meat and return pot to oven, covered and continue to cook until liquid is reduced and vegetables are cooked (another ½ hour). Serve with roti or flour tortillas. Download Trinidadian Curry Powder and Download Lamb Stew with Trinidad Curry

Hint - for a lower carb version, eliminate the white potatoes and carrots and substitute a sweet potato, cut into cubes. Serve without roti or tortillas.

Comments

[Mary]

I know I'll love this one. I adore lamb and the spices you have used here a step short of heaven. This is a perfect dish for a cold and damp winter night. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

[June]

It's a great way to spice up a stew Mary. Wish I could send you some U of A lamb, but our second best ever was from Jefferson, Oregon. YUM!

[Nanan]

Lovely way to do a Caribbean curry in the winter!!!!! I am so glad you finally got your cold temps!!!! I know you have been wanting them for a while!!! And no matter what you say now - you would rather bundle up more than have to contemplate walking around naked! HA

[June]

Lea - we have a wonderful rainy windy day here. If I wasn't looking at cactus, I'd swear we were in the Pacific Northwest. It's beautiful! As for your last sentence...you got that right! Tee,hee.