Lamb, flavored with saffron, ginger and paprika, simmered in white wine and
chicken stock for 4 hours, becomes tender and almost creamy--comfort food
for perilous times.
Comfort food is definitely in order.
The economy is tumbling into a deep freeze. The political parties are blistering each other as they disintegrate into little pieces. Even the soup companies are at war: (See “Mm-Mm Militant: Campbell Goes After Progresso” at Brandweek.)
It all makes me want to retreat into the kitchen and cook something delicious. Something that takes many hours and fills the house with delectable aromas, soothing my jangled nerves. ( Retail therapy helps: Yesterday I bought a Jessica Kagan Cushman bracelet that says: Keep Calm and Carry On.)
But back to the kitchen: You heard about Hich Elbetri and his luscious Moroccan braised goat in my last post. For most of us, procuring, butchering and cooking a 90-pound goat is going to be tough. (I mean difficult—the meat was divinely tender.) So I asked Hich if he could adapt his recipe for lamb. His dark eyes lit up as he reeled off an enticing list of ingredients and somewhat impressionistic cooking instructions. “Great food. I’m stoked,” he wrote in a email a few days later.
After some back and forth, he came up with a slow-braised dish that is robustly flavored, but elegant in its simplicity. Here the spices are cut to the bare minimum—just a little sweet paprika, ginger and saffron to boost the luscious taste of the lamb—but the slow cooking method is virtually the same as for the goat. The meat is browned, then simmered until it is "creamy" in white wine and chicken stock, both of which liquids must then be reduced to almost nothing.
As Hich said, “Slow food equals good food.” So give yourself a leisurely afternoon to cook the lamb: Don’t try to rush it.
The chef and I differed in a friendly way over what to do with the reserved mirepoix and bits of meat once the lamb had been cooked and the broth strained. I just mixed the irresistible mess back in with the velvety chunks of lamb. It was divine and everyone at the table loved it. But Hich said, “Don’t recommend this for a nice dinner with friends. Save for the cook to enjoy another day.” Hmmm, this would be a fabulous late-night treat for the cook…maybe I shouldn’t have been so generous. The choice is yours, though.
Also up to you is how to serve the lamb. I ladled the tender meat into bowls on top of a little couscous, but Hich much prefers serving it as a sandwich “on a roll or grilled with cheese on some type of sliced bread and a fruit chutney.” At Sandwhich, the bread might be grilled sourdough or a lightly toasted baguette, the chutney made of figs, almonds and spices.
If you don’t have a favorite chutney—I used sweet, tangy Spiced Figs from The Farmer’s Daughter here in Chapel Hill—you could also top the lamb with the very Moroccan combination of toasted almonds, sesame seeds and prunes, as Hich suggests.
So many yummy ways to go. You’ll just have to cook this dish all winter long. It’s enough to make you uncurl from the fetal position.
Recipe: Hich’s Moroccan Braised Lamb with Saffron, White Wine and Prunes
Serves four to six people
Ingredients:
A 5 lb. boneless leg of lamb cut into 1 inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or enough to film the bottom of the pot
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large yellow onions
½ pound carrots
3 celery ribs
1 rounded tablespoon dried thyme or oregano, or both
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
1 to 2 cups dry white wine
4 cups chicken stock or just enough almost to cover the lamb (some of the meat should stick up out of the stock)
Optional topping:
½ cup blanched almonds (see note)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
½ cup dried, pitted prunes
3/4 cup chicken stock
Method:
1. Heat the oven to 250 degrees.
2. Season the lamb chunks generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Prepare the mirepoix: Chop the onions, carrots and celery into ¼-inch dice. Set aside.
4. Heat a large enameled cast iron pot over a high flame. Add the olive oil to the pot. When the oil is very hot but not smoking, add a single layer of lamb to the pot. Do not crowd. Sear until nicely browned. Remove and set aside. Repeat with the rest of the lamb, searing it in batches. Put only a single layer of lamb into the pot at a time.
5. Pour out all but 2 tablespoons of oil and fat. Add the garlic, onion, carrots and celery to the pot, along with the dry herbs, ginger, paprika and saffron.
6. Reduce the heat to medium high and cook until the onions are translucent and all the vegetables are wilted, about 10 minutes. Do not brown.
7. Return the lamb to the pot and stir. Pour in enough white wine to cover the meat half way up (1 to 2 cups). Simmer rapidly over medium high heat until the wine has been reduced to a syrupy consistency and there is almost no liquid left.
8. Add enough chicken stock almost to cover the lamb—you should see some meat sticking out of the liquid. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat. Cover the pot with a top or aluminum foil, and place in the oven. Cook for 3 to 4 hours until the lamb is very tender and almost creamy. Check the pot after one hour to be sure there is sufficient stock and that it is just simmering. It should never boil once it is in the oven. Reduce the heat slightly and/or add more stock if necessary.
9. When the meat is tender, remove from the oven. Put the meat in a stainless steel bowl or container and wrap with plastic film. Strain the meat juices through a strainer. Reserve the solids. Put the juices in a small pot over high heat and reduce until the sauce is thick and velvety. There should be almost no liquid.
10. While the juices are reducing, you can make the prune and almond topping, if you are using it: Separately toast the almonds and sesame seeds in a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they are golden brown. The sesame seeds will crackle and pop when they are ready; the almonds will take about 6 or 7 minutes. Set aside. Combine the prunes and the chicken stock to a boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes, or until they are plump and fully hydrated. Drain and set aside.
11. Return the reduced juices to the meat. You can add the reserved solids as well, or save them to eat later.
12. Serve with couscous or polenta; top with prunes, almonds and sesame seeds if desired. Or, layer the lamb in a sandwich, on a roll or between slices of grilled bread, and serve with fruit chutney.
Note: To blanch almonds, place them in a metal bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them soak for 5 minutes or until the skins slip off easily. Dry the almonds before toasting them.