Braising lamb shoulder transforms the meat into a thick, aromatic stew. The tart sweetness of the dried apricots round out the abundant spices in this dish. Serve over steamed couscous, rice or quinoa. We just slightly adapted this recipe from Bon Appetit because we like to use more of the Ras el Hanout.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
3/4 cup dried chickpeas
5 garlic cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 lbs. lamb shoulder, cut into 1" cubes
salt and ground black pepper
1 large onion, diced
3 tbsp. Ras el Hanout
1 tbsp. chopped peeled ginger
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
Chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
Soak chickpeas overnight. Drain and place in medium saucepan. Add 2 whole garlic cloves and cinnamon stick. Add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until chickpeas are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain; set aside.
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Brown lamb in batches, about 4 minutes per batch. Set lamb aside.
Add onion to pot; reduce heat to medium, season with salt and pepper, and saute until soft and beginning to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic, Ras el Hanout and ginger. Stir for 1 minute.
Add tomatoes and lamb with any accompanying juices. Bring to a boil. Add 2 1/2 cups stock. Return to a boil, reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lamb is tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
Stir in chickpeas; simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes. Stir in apricots; simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with couscous and fresh cilantro.
Have you tried this with other meats, such as chicken breast or thighs, or in vegetarian dishes?
Thank you for this wonderful recipe which I have made many times. One question, though – am I correct to assume that when you drain the chickpeas, you discard the cinnamon sticks and garlic?
Thanks Rebecca! Thank you for pointing out the problem with the print function. We will resolve that as soon as possible! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
I am totally making this today. I will post a picture when it is complete.
I must note that the print function on this website does not work.
I had to copy and paste to MS Word.
Thanks for having such a great specialty shop and such enthusiastic support staff.
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Erica Perez
October 26, 2020
Hi Jerry,
I haven’t tried it with other meats, but I think it would be delicious with chicken or with vegetables such as a winter squash and greens.