Simple lamb stew ideal for winter season

Lamb stews are quite popular in the Mediterranean, and there are as many recipes as there are villages. In Morocco, lamb stews are often prepared with olives, nuts, plums or apricots, honey and exotic spices.

In Greece and the Middle East, there is a predominant use of oregano or thyme, tomatoes, cinnamon, lemon juice and various other herbs and spices.

I have developed my recipe over 10 years, and it is definitely a winter stew, beneficial for helping to deal with colds and flu.

The recipe is easy to prepare because you put all the ingredients together to cook it, rather than going through the preparation step by step.

At Café Collage, we will serve this dish on and off during the winter months.

BAKED LAMB AND VEGETABLE STEW

2 cups tomato sauce

1 tablespoon harissa

6 cups chicken or beef broth (if not available, use water)

4 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon yellow curry

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1⁄2 cup fresh garlic cloves

4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch slices

3 zucchini, washed and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces

1 cup dry garbanzo beans, soaked in hot water for two hours

1⁄2 cup brown lentils, soaked in cold water for one hour

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Select a deep baking pan. In a large bowl, mix the tomato sauce with the harissa and the broth. In another bowl, toss the lamb with the olive oil, salt, pepper, coriander, curry and ginger.

Combine both mixtures in the baking pan. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and zucchini. Drain the garbanzo beans and lentils and add to the lamb mixture. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix well. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 90 minutes, or until the lamb is quite tender without falling apart.

Serve this dish warm with jasmine or basmati rice, couscous, quinoa or roasted potatoes.

Salim Ben Mami is head chef and owner of Café Collage restaurant in Oregon House, Calif. Contact him at 530-692-2555 or ccollage@succeed.net. His website is cafecollage.net.