Moroccan Lamb Stew with Apricots

The lamb gets mellow from cooking until tender, and the warm spices take away any overly “lamby” flavor. The apricots, cilantro, and pine nuts are a wonderful combination. This stew took very little time or effort–very nice for a complex-flavored dish like this. This would be great with crusty bread, served over couscous, or with chickpeas added in for a heartier meal.

Step: 1

Combine lamb, coriander, cumin, paprika, cayenne, cardamom, turmeric, and salt in a large bowl; toss together until lamb is evenly coated.

Step: 2

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or tagine over medium heat. Add onions; cook, stirring occasionally until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger, and cinnamon; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add seasoned lamb; cook, stirring frequently until light brown, being careful not to caramelize, about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until the lamb is just tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Step: 3

Stir in apricots, orange peels, and honey; continue to simmer over low heat, uncovered, until the liquid has thickened slightly and lamb is fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard cinnamon sticks and orange peels.

Step: 4

Divide evenly among 4 bowls. Garnish each bowl with a tablespoon each of cilantro and pine nuts.

Per Serving: 553 calories; protein 44.5g; carbohydrates 40.9g; fat 24.8g; cholesterol 125.5mg; sodium 1129.7mg.

The word “stew” can process to both a food and a cooking method. Stewing makes slowly cooking chunks of meat, vegetables or beans in a flavorful liquid . It’s same as to braising, instead it does have a few notable differences. The raw animal vested is chopped into few of pieces instead of being cooked whole , and the liquid completely covers the contents in a stew as different to a braise’s halfway all of it . When meat or vegetables are cooked using this method, the resulting dish is called stew.

Stew has a perception for being a rib-sticking eating process that warms you up on a freezing , winter day. It’s true ; a bowl of old menu of beef stew does have warming properties , but stew’s cozy factor more than a way beyond preserving you from the cold . It’s all about those tender chunks of food and vegetables, swimming in a thick, ultra-rich gravy. The more they come together creates the ultimate comfort food, no matter the weather.