Lamb Marrakesh

There's stew and then there's STEW which about sums up last night's dinner effort in capital form. From Taste of the Territory, Flavors of Oklahoma, this one's loaded with exotic ingredients popular in Morocco including chili peppers, cinnamon, cloves and tumeric. Sweetened with sherry soaked raisins and crunchy almonds quite honestly the mere memory of this bowl of tender morsels of lamb in a sweet hot spicy sauce makes my mouth water for more. 

It was perfect for trying our local lamb; however if you're not into the stuff try the recipe with chicken instead. I suppose you could even use pork but for heaven's sake call it something else because I'm pretty sure they don't eat pork in North Africa. 

As for us, we're stocking our freezer these days with locally raised products and our first order of business was to find a great butcher shop. Luckily we found Eric and Cindi Clark at Oregon Coastal Cutters who operate a butchering, custom cutting and mobile slaughtering service for local farmers and hunters. A visit to their South Beach, OR retail location resulted in an order for a locally raised lamb, cut and wrapped to our specifications. (Awesome it is too - tender, mildly flavored and about as good as it gets!)

Not only that, we left with a pound of their perfectly spiced, fresh pork breakfast sausage too and I'm here to say we'll be getting more of that PDQ never mind the rest of the porker...beef too of course and maybe goat as well. Course if my great white hunter has anything to do with it, he'll be calling on them to cut, wrap and freeze the results of his hunting excursions - that is unless I can put the same curse on him I did with the javalina huntin'. Would I do such a thing? I mean really!

Anyway, here's the recipe for this bowl of wicked good flavor. When I make it again (soon), I may  be inclined to add some big juicy green olives and maybe even throw in a couple of dried apricots for a little extra somethin' somethin. Heaven forbid, I should make something the same way twice.  Oh, in case you think there's too much spicy heat in the way of crushed red chili peppers, you can cut the amount down a tad or alternatively drizzle a little honey on your bowl. That'll tame that savage heat just as well.

Lamb Marrakesh from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from Taste of the Territory, The Flair and Flavor of Oklahoma

3 pounds lean lamb cut into 1 inch pieces (I used shoulder)

Salt, pepper, flour for dredging

1/4 cup olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground clove

¼ teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 – 24 ounce can whole tomatoes with juice

1-1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock

1 cup raisins soaked in 1/4 cup dry sherry

1/2 cup almond slivers, toasted

Preheat oven to 325. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium high. Season lamb with salt and pepper and coat in flour, shaking off excess. Brown on all sides in hot oil. Remove from pot and set aside. Add onions and garlic and sauté until onion is softened. Return meat to the pot and add seasonings and cook, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, raisins with sherry and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover and place in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove cover and cook for additional 45 minutes until liquid has reduced, sauce is thick and lamb is very tender. Garnish with toasted almonds. Serves 4 to 6. 

Other favorites lamb recipes from JBug's Kitchen

   

          Sausage Rolls              Leg of Lamb Provencal     Lamb Shanks with Lentils

Comments

[pam]

This sounds divine! I love your little scoop of couscous!

[June]

Thank you Pam. The scoop of couscous was for the picture only. Big Guy put a little more in his bowl come eatin' time. LOL

[Lea M. Callais]

That looks lovely - esp. with that dollop of cous cous - I bet my sister would be in heaven eating that - along with my niece!

[June]

Lea - it is really tasty. I can't help but wonder if one could substitute roasted red peppers for the tomatoes and add more stock, it could translate quite well for you without the food of death (tomatoes).

[Lorraine]

Nothing better than lamb prepared with Moroccan flavors, and the color had me almost licking my screen. The idea of adding the fruit is a great idea...so North African. (T doesn't care for olives so I would have to leave those out)

[June]

Lorraine - it is amazing and that lamb...Wow! I do believe everything's better in the Northwest. By the way, preserved lemons would be fab too of course.