2 1/2 lb lamb stew meat - preferably leg
1/3 cup olive oil
3/4 lb onions, diced large
4 tsp chopped garlic
2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp crushed red pepper - or to taste
1/2 tsp cinnamon
32 oz can tomatoes, drain & chop
1 cup rich brown veal stock or
1 cup rich beef stock
1/3 lb fresh spinach, wash & drain
1/2 cup yogurt
1 tbsp grated lemon peel
1 salt, to taste
1/4 cup pine nuts*
Directions
*Roasted at 350 F. for about 3 minutes.
Sear lamb in the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven. Add
the onions; saute them for 2 minutes; then add the garlic and saute
it for 1 minute. Put in the turmeric, nutmeg, cardamom, crushed red
pepper and cinnamon and saute the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes more,
being careful not to burn the onions or garlic. Add the tomatoes and
veal stock and stir.
Cover the dish and bake at 350 F. for about 1 hour, until the meat is
tender and begins to break up. Remove the dish from the oven and add
the spinach, stirring until the spinach is wilted and blended in.
Allow the stew to cool slightly. Add the yogurt, lemon peel and salt
to taste. Sprinkle with roasted pine nuts.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings. Serve over rice pilaf.
From executive chef Phil Soroko of Someplace Special
restaurant/McLean, VA. In _The New Carry-Out Cuisine_ by Phyllis
Meras with Linda Glick Conway. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company,
1986. Pg. 128. ISBN 0-395-42504-2. Typed for you by Cathy Harned.
Servings: 4 servings
Afghani Lamb With Spinach Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Dutch Oven; Lamb; Meat; Spinach; Stew
The History of Recipes
Historians have traced the existance of recipes far back into the far past, in truth as far back as pharonic Egypt, and quite possibly further than that. Interesting though that is, in the main part, these early records were just primitive hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for preparing food.
Fascinatingly, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to food historians is a collection of tablets in the Sumerian language describing the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made drinkers feel wonderful and blissful. Progressing into The time of the romans around 25BC a man called Apicius assembled a number of scripts which described recipes prepared by wealthy roman citizens. In his scrolls, Apicius tells us how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into hors d`oeuvres, main course and dessert, something we still use today. Aspicius informs us how the chefs of Roman times were skilled in the use of a wide range of herbs, including some that we all recognise for example basil, fennel and dill. Later, in the 15th century, the Crusaders brought back many new foods and spices from the Middle-East, including spices such as coriander, parsley, and rosemary. The introduction of these new foods and spices caused an increase in recipe manuscripts, most of which are now in academic collections. During the next few hundred years, the powerful families of Wesstern Europe tried to lay on the most extravagent banquests, and as a result chefs and their recipes became highly prized. Notwithstanding that, it wasn`t until the nineteenth century that haute cuisine and recipe books became really popular. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, spent years to assembling, verifying, and writing down the recipes of their peers. By the advent of the 1900s, recipe publications were increasing in popularity as a result of increased literacy, leisure time and disposable income. Like it or not, the introduction of TV brought us celebrity chefs and the demand for the spin-off recipe books. And that brings us to the present day and the invention of the internet, allowing everybody to access massive numbers of recipes just like those on the site you are now reading. |
We hope you enjoy this Afghani Lamb With Spinach recipe.
