This is not the first recipe I have made using these three main ingredients, but it is the simplest, and it uses lots of bits of meat that don’t always find a good home. I made this with a bag of lamb ribs and breast, but you could also use boned shoulder of lamb, cut into cubes. For cooking these cuts of meat, a long slow cook is best.
INGREDIENTS:
- About 1kg of mutton or lamb, cut into large pieces.
- 2 cans of chickpeas, drained
- Around 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 600ml of water or simple lamb stock
- 2 tsp dried mint leaves
- 3 tsp hot paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- salt and pepper
- juice of half a lemon, or more to taste
- around 450g waxy potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced
METHOD:
- Heat the oil a large casserole pan, and add the lamb and sliced onions. Cook over a medium heat, stirring from time to time, until the onion is softening and the lamb is browned.
- Add the drained chick-peas and the water or stock, and bring to a simmer. Stir in the herbs, paprika and turmeric, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over a low heat for a couple of hours, until the meat is becoming tender.
- Add the lemon juice, adjust the seasoning to taste, and then put the sliced potatoes on the top. Cook for another thirty minutes. As an alternative, cook the potatoes separately and serve them mashed. You could also set the stew aside, or freeze, ready to finish with the potatoes the next day.
- Serve with a swirl of plain yoghurt.