Clean out the Refrigerator Lamb Stew

[liveonearth]

I made it yesterday--improvising, as I generally do in the kitchen--and it turned out SO GOOD that I'm writing the recipe down for posterity. I am new to lamb and it entices me to experiment with spices that I have never used much. My specialty: the one pot meal.


lamb stew meat (fatty)
onion
celery
carrots
coconut oil
garlic powder
fresh garlic too
white pepper
salt
oregano
turmeric
savory
flour
hot water (just-boiled kettle on the stove)
basmati rice
fresh cilantro

Chop stew meat to bite-size. Toss drained/dry stew meat in white flour mixed with oregano and salt. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet to not-quite-smoking, and toss in flour-covered meat. Cut any big pieces in half. Brown it well, then add chopped onion and celery. Add just enough hot water to scrape everything off the bottom, turn the heat very low. No cold water! Add the spices--all of them except the fresh cilantro. Lots of turmeric. Fresh garlic in nice visible slabs. Stir it sometimes. It will thicken some and turn orange with the turmeric. Add enough (hot) water that you don't have to worry about it drying out, and go do something else while it simmers. Twenty minutes before serving, throw in the basmati rice and more water if it needs it. Immediately before serving stir in chopped fresh cilantro. It's even better after refrigerating. You may have to add a bit more (what temperature?) water to make it a stew again because the rice keeps soaking up water--and wait to add the fresh cilantro until after leftovers have been re-heated!

Note to Rookie Cooks: Please don't ask for amounts. I don't know! The RIGHT amount.
Other possible ingredients: raisins, potatoes or quinoa instead of rice.

Turmeric is an powerful anti-cancer agent, so I read... garlic and onions are right up there too. Cilantro contains a lot of the element sulfur, which assists in the elimination of some toxins including metals that bioaccumulate in our systems. Garlic has a lot of sulfur in it too. I'm going to find out in Biochemistry how sulfur acts to chelate metals and get them OUT of us. And if this isn't enough reason to add TWO KINDS of garlic to my stew, the garlic powder gives a richness to the sauce.

Shakti just jumped in the window with snowflakes in her fur and smelling of the ponderose pine tree that she sits in. Yum.

Comments

[neptunia67.livejournal.com]

Sounds delicious.

I also tried a new recipe last night, for lamb shanks. They came out quite good. The braising sauce had lemon zest, lemon juice, vegetable stock, onions and bay leaves. I browned the shanks like in your recipe, then added the above with a couple cups of boiling water, let that simmer for about 1.5 hours then added chunks of carrot and sliced onions to the broth and simmered for another 30 minutes. The sauce made a delish gravy and I served it with sauteed mushrooms and turnip greens and red quinoa. Yum!

[liveonearth.livejournal.com]

I have since learned that turmeric is also used for liver support in the Ayurvedic tradition.