Brasied Lamb with Pomegranate

Though it might be warm where you're at here in Anchorage we've still got weeks and weeks of winter to enjoy before break-up so stews are still a grand thing.

This lamb stew smells so wonderful baking and this may sound funny but when I buy the meat at the store and the package has "Product of Australia" stamped on the side I get a little thrill.

Something about knowing that this was once on a farm on the other side of the world and was prepared and shipped thousands of miles right to my dinner table is kind of amazing. We live in great times people!

This smells wonderful baking and I'm afraid the picture you're getting is a shot I took before it went into the oven (we were having company so I didn't want to make them wait while I took pictures of their meal. Seemed rather tacky). I notice that I threw in a lone quartered potato that I had left over--just if you're wondering why that's in the picture but not in the recipe.

2 pound boneless leg of lamb
3 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces of shallots, peeled
1 cup beef broth
1 cup POM pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, lightly crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
zest and juice of 1 blood orange
12 dried plums

Cut the lamb into large cubes, heat the oil in a dutch oven until very hot and add lamb, cooking over high heat for a minute until browned. Transfer to a plate. Add the shallots, reduce the heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes until golden.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove shallots and set aside then add broth and pomegranate juice and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping the bottom to break of the browned bits. Stir in the honey, cinnamon, ginger, saffron and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper, add lamb and shallots and bake for 30 minutes.

Take lamb from the oven and add the orange juice and plums then return to the oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Garnish with the zest and serve with a side of couscous.

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