Eastern Mediterranean Lamb Stew

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!