This slow and low cooked stew is my creation inspired by Greek, Turkish and other ingredients from that part of the World. I can imagine it is the sort of thing that is cooking right this moment in someones country kitchen wood fired stove on a beautiful Mediterranean island.
The aromas developing, teasing you for a long while before you get to taste the delicious result, will make your house smell of hearty home cooked fayre.
So here is how I made it.
Ingredients:
1 kg diced Lamb (fairly lean)
3 Onions, sliced
3 Garlic Cloves, smashed
2 Turkish Peppers (or 1 Bell Pepper)
12 Pitted Olives (I used a few of each variety)
1 Rosemary Stalk
3 Bayleafes
5 Cloves
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 tbs dried Oregano
1 dried long red Chilli
1 can of chopped Tomatoes
100ml Chicken Stock
Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
Start by browning the Lamb in a heavy based pot or dutch oven. Do it in batches to give the pieces enough space to get a good color. Remove all the meat onto a plate and add the Onions to the Pot. Stir these around for a while before returning the meat and the rest of the ingredients apart from the Olives. Bring everything to a simmer and cover. The Pot can now stay on the stove and cook on a very low heat or go in the oven at 150C. Either way it takes about 3 hours to make this stew melt in the mouth tender. The olives can join the stew about 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
I was wondering what would be best to accompany this stew and have decided on Orzo, a Rice shaped Pasta. Mashed Potato would be good also or Potato dumplings. But then it wouldn't really be proper Mediterranean, would it.
I also made some Dolmades to snack on while waiting and a filo pastry stuffed with Spinach and Feta.
Bon Apetit!
