Moorish Lamb Stew

TinyBubbles's Note:

The Moors occupied Spain for over 800 years. Moorish culture, music, food, and architecture remains visible all over the coutry. Their last stronghold was Granada, where we recently enjoyed a delicious, spicy lamb stew. By combining several recipes, and a bit of trial and error, I was able to recreate the dish for my husband and our friends at a recent dinner party. This goes well with an icy cold beer, or a very crisp, light white wine to complement the heat! It seems like a lot of ingredients and spices, but it's very easy to prepare and definitely worth it!

• Total Time: 72 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 72 hrs

Ingredients:

Serves: 6-8

Yield: 6.0 1 cup s ...

• 2 lbs boneless lamb , cut into large chunks
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 -3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 (16 ounce) package baby carrots , cut into 2-3 pieces each
• 2 medium turnips , cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 bunch green onion , chopped (5-6)
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 (14 ½ ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans , drained and rinsed (chick peas)
• 2 cups lettuce , shredded
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F Heat oil in skillet on the stove.
2. Combine flour, paprika, salt, and pepper. Toss lamb in flour to coat, and brown on all sides in hot oil, in batches. Set meat aside.
3. Remove all but about 2 Tbsp oil and add butter to it. Saute onions until tender, adding garlic and the remaining spices for the last 3-4 minutes. Stir and cook to bring out the favors.
4. Add wine, scraping up bits from the pan and simmer until reduced by half, about 6 minutes.
5. Pour 6 cups water into a loarge covered casserole or dutch oven. Add tomatoes, broth, garbanzos, the onion-garlic-wine mixture from the skillet, and then the lamb, carrots, and turnips.
6. Bake at 325 F for 90 minutes. Stir in lettuce and lemon juice. Bake andadditional 90 minutes, until lamb is very tender and the lettuce has nearly dissolved, thickening the stew.