Lamb Stew with Prunes

Author: Elizabeth

Recipe Makes 8-10 Servings

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, grated
• 4 cloves garlic, grated (if you have a food processor with a grating attachment – it makes really quick work of grating the onion and garlic)
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garam masala (or 1/2 tsp ground cumin if you don’t have garam masala in your pantry)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• dash of salt & pepper
• 3 lbs lamb stew meat in 1 1/2 inch pieces pieces
• 1 cup beer (I used a Shiner Bock, because it’s what I had in the fridge)
• 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 4-6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch rounds
• Zest of 1 large naval orange in wide strips
• 2 cups sweet potatoes in 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 roasted red bell peppers (jarred is fine) cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup whole prunes
• 1 cup frozen green peas

Directions:

In a large, heavy pot like a dutch oven over medium heat, combine the oil, onion garlic, chili powder, garam masala and cinnamon.  Stir well, then add the meat to the spice mixture and coat it well.

Increase the heat to high, then add the beer, chicken stock and orange zest.  Bring to a boil then add the sweet potatoes. Reduce the temperature to a gentle simmer.  Simmer, partially covered for 30 minutes.  Add the roasted red peppers and dried plumbs. Simmer, partially covered for around 30 minutes more. The sweet potatoes, orange zest and most of the prunes will break down while they are cooking till they nearly disappear and thicken the stew. At the end, add in the frozen peas and stir to incorporate them well.

Serve immediately, or let it refrigerate overnight so that the flavors come together even more. This dish makes delicious leftovers.

About the Author:

Elizabeth, The Waspy Redhead