Spicy Lamb Stew Recipe

Name: Spicy Lamb Stew
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 210 min
Total time: 235 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 to 3 pounds of lamb shoulder stew meat, cut into 1½-inch cubes; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 2 yellow onions, chopped; 2 dry pasilla chiles, chopped, stems and most seeds removed; 2 red bell peppers, chopped; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 8 to 10 sprigs fresh flat leaf parsley; 4 to 5 sprigs of thyme; 1 bay leaf; 1 tablespoons hot Hungarian paprika (see recipe note); 1½ teaspoon ground cumin; Pinch ground cardamon; 14 oz of canned whole tomatoes, put through a food mill, or puréed; 1½ cups chicken stock (use gluten-free stock for gluten-free version); 2/3 cup raisins; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

We love lamb around here, every which way—braised, roasted, grilled, and even made into meatballs. Here is a spicy lamb stew, that is almost beefy in taste. Think of it as a spicy lamb pot roast.

The recipe is adapted from The Niman Ranch Cookbook, where it is billed as a tagine, a savory Moroccan stew.

Lamb shoulder pieces are browned, and then slow cooked in stock and spices such as cumin, paprika, and cardamom.

Slow cooking, at a low, even temperature is important for the lamb shoulder to become tender. We cooked this stew on the stove-top, but you could easily make it in a slow-cooker or even a traditional Moroccan tagine.

Spicy Lamb Stew

Prep Time 25 mins

Cook Time 3 hrs 30 mins

Total Time 3 hrs 55 mins

Servings 4 to 6 servings

You will get more flavor if you use less expensive lamb pieces that come bone-in, in which case you'll likely want to remove the bones before serving. Pick lamb pieces that have some fat.

Hot Hungarian paprika is not the regular Hungarian paprika which is sweet and mild. It is even hotter than cayenne. If you don't have access to hot paprika, I would substitute 1/2 with sweet paprika and 1/2 with chili powder.

2 to 3 pounds of lamb shoulder stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 yellow onions, chopped
2 pepper pasilla chiles, chopped, stems and most seeds removed
2 red bell peppers, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 to 10 sprigs fresh flat leaf parsley
4 to 5 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoons hot Hungarian paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
Pinch ground cardamon
14 ounce canned whole tomatoes, put through a food mill, or puréed
1½ cups chicken stock (use gluten-free stock for gluten-free version)
2/3 cup raisins
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cheesecloth
Kitchen twine

Sear the lamb on all sides:

Pat the lamb dry with a paper towel. Drying the lamb this way first will help the lamb pieces brown. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy, high-sided pot, such as a Dutch oven, over medium high heat. When the pot is hot, add the lamb pieces in batches, being careful not to crowd them. Cook, turning as needed so that the lamb pieces brown evenly on all sides, for 6to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Sauté onions, peppers, chiles, garlic:

Return the pot to medium-high heat. Add the onions, dried peppers and red bell peppers and stir to coat with the oil in the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute.
Make a bouquet garni with parsley, thyme, bay leaf:

Make a bouquet garni by placing the parsley, thyme and bay leaf in the center of a doubled over cheesecloth square. Gather the ends and secure with kitchen string.
Add spices, tomatoes, lamb, stock, raisins, herbs, simmer and cook:

Stir in the paprika, cumin, and cardamom and cook for a minute. Add the puréed (or cooked tomatoes put through a food mill) tomatoes, lamb, chicken stock, raisins and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil over high heat, decrease heat to low. Cook, partially covered, for about 3 hours, or until lamb is tender.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve over couscous or rice (gluten-free option).

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
359	Calories
14g	Fat
26g	Carbs
34g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	359
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g	18%
Saturated Fat 4g	19%
Cholesterol 99mg	33%
Sodium 322mg	14%
Total Carbohydrate 26g	9%
Dietary Fiber 4g	14%
Total Sugars 15g
Protein 34g
Vitamin C 45mg	224%
Calcium 80mg	6%
Iron 5mg	26%
Potassium 931mg	20%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.