Spiced Roasted Lamb and Vegetables
This fragrant stew, redolent of cumin, coriander, ginger, allspice, fennel and cinnamon, is slowly simmered to tenderness. A lamb shoulder roast makes the most succulent stew, but thick bone-in shoulder chops are sometimes easier to find and work just as well. Let the meat rest a day or two in its own broth in the refrigerator. Reheating revs up the complex spice mixture. Then, grab a warm flatbread and get to dunking.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 6 persons
Ingredients
- 3thick bone-in lamb shoulder chops (about 2½ pounds)
- Salt
- 2teaspoons ground cumin
- 2teaspoons ground coriander
- 2teaspoons ground ginger
- 2teaspoons hot paprika
- 2teaspoons red-pepper flakes, such as Aleppo, plus more to taste
- 1teaspoon ground allspice
- 1teaspoon ground fennel
- ½teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Olive oil
- 1large yellow or white onion, diced
- ¾cup canned crushed tomatoes with their juices
- 2cups cooked chickpeas, or use 1 (15-ounce) can, drained and rinsed
- 1dried bay leaf
- 2large carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 3-inch chunks
- 2or 3 medium turnips, each peeled and cut into 8 wedges
- 2medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 3-inch chunks
- 1or 2 medium-hot green chiles, such as Anaheim, cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces
- ½small green cabbage, cut in wedges (optional)
Instructions
Step 1
Start the stew: Lay the chops flat and season both sides with salt. In a small bowl, mix together cumin, coriander, ginger, paprika, red-pepper flakes, allspice, fennel and cinnamon. Pack the mixture generously on both sides of chops, using all of it. (You can wrap and refrigerate up to overnight, or continue cooking at this point.)Step 2
Put a large skillet over medium-high heat and add enough olive oil to lightly coat the pan. When oil shimmers, brown the chops for 3 to 5 minutes per side, working in batches if necessary. Remove and set aside.Step 3
Lower heat to medium and add more oil to the skillet, if needed. Add the diced onions and sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring, until onions are softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes with their juices, stir and cook for 5 minutes more, until the tomatoes dry out a bit.Step 4
Transfer onions to a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Add the browned chops, the chickpeas, bay leaf and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the lamb is fork-tender, about 45 minutes more. Turn off heat. Remove chops from pot. When cool enough to handle, cut chops into rough 1-inch chunks. Return meat chunks to the pot. Spoon off any rising fat. Taste and adjust seasoning of broth if necessary. (At this point, refrigerate overnight, if desired.)Step 5
Prepare the vegetables: Set up a steamer or bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the vegetables for about 10 minutes, until firm-tender. Reheat the stew, if necessary.Step 6
To serve, place a pile of vegetables in a large shallow serving bowl and ladle the stew over and around. Alternatively, arrange vegetables and stew in individual bowls. Sprinkle everything with red-pepper flakes.