Sunday, February 17, 2008

Lamb Stew with Cranberry and Mint

Lamb Stew with Cranberry and MintThis recipe originally came from an old Cooking Light magazine but I tweaked it here and there for myself. It's a good cold weather stew and serving it next to the couscous makes it even heartier and more delicious.

I'm particularly fond of the kalamata olives--they're an acquired taste but once you've acquired it you'll love them forever.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic (generous tablespoons)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 pounds of trimmed and cubed lamb
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
3 tablespoons cranberry juice concentrate
2 14-ounce cans beef broth
2 cups cubed carrots
1 1/2 cups pitted kalamata olives
1 15-ounce can drained chickpeas
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups hot cooked couscous

Saute the onions in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot oven over medium-high heat until tender and golden brown. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute. Spoon the onion mixture into a large bowl.

Place the flour in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Roll the lamb cubes in the flour, shaking off the excess. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the lamb cubes and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Add the browned lamb to the onion mixture. Repeat the process with the remaining lamb mixture and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Add the cranberry concentrate and broth to pan, scraping pan to deglaze and loosen browned bits of meat; bring to a boil. Stir in lamb mixture, carrots, olives and chickpeas. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until lamb is very tender. Stir in the last 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the mint and the pepper and serve in a bowl next to a large scoop of couscous.

Here are a couple other recipes for lamb that I've posted and liked:

* Lime and Coconut Lamb
* Rosemary and Honey Glazed Leg of Lamb
* Sundried Tomato Stuffed Shells with Sausage and Lamb

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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Michelle this is great! Cranberry and mint sounds intriguing. Hehe I was just looking for an excuse to cook some couscous so I guess I've found it.

Tim Appleton (Applehead) said...

This sounds so good It make me want to go butcher mine today! (We just had twins last week.)

Anonymous said...

This sounds unique and interesting. Thanks :)

Julie said...

YUM! We are couscous fiends around here.

For Christmas, I got the 2008 Cooking Light Cookbook. EVERY single one of the recipes I've made thus far has been a hit with my entire family.

And believe it or not, I just picked up couscous at the grocery store for next week's menu.

Small world!

Heather said...

This looks fantastic - and I too am a lover of the kalamata - I put them in everything. I'm definitely going to give this a try!

all over the map said...

Lamb is "the" meat of choice here in Oz.
These will com ein handy.
I love lamb....mmhhh yummy!

Anonymous said...

Oh my I'm craving me something warm and maybe gingery tonight. I've got an upset tum and still your dish calls to me. I've got a nice warm pot roast in the crock and can't even bring myself to crawl up the stairs to get some. *pout* I'm hoping Mr SudsMuffin will indulge me when he gets home.

Anonymous said...

I CANNOT wait to try this (although my one foray w/ lamb each year is usually disappointing)- but I figure, how can couscous, cranberry, mint and olives go wrong?

Thanks for sharing,
Someone who really wants to blog but is so cyber illiterate I'm not sure how to start...

Anonymous said...

mmmm, this looks so yummy. I am going to try it tonight with my Celebrity Foods lamb. Thanks for the recipe!