On a cold winter’s night nothing is as warming as a hearty stew.

I love lamb, so whenever I see lamb stew meat in the butcher section (which is pretty rare here) I quickly grab it.

Lamb is very versitile and used in the cooking of many different cultures.

I had actually gone to the store to look for lingonberry preserves to make this stew in a Scandinavian style with caraway, mustard and dill seed. I was disappointed, because I could only find red currant preserves.

But by the time I got home, my husband had already started the stew with cumin, garam masala (which translated means hot spices) and bay leaves. A case of too many cooks in the kitchen.

Ok, so now different direction – Indian.

I added potatoes, chick peas, golden raisins and candied ginger, served it over cous cous (I was out of Basmati rice) and voila perfection.

Enjoy!

Avec Amour, Victoria and Alexander

Masala Lamb Stew

Yield – 4 Servings

1 1/2 Pounds Lamb Stew Meat

Salt & Black Pepper

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

2 Medium Onions, large chop

1 teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon Garam Masala

2 Bay Leaves

3 Idaho Potatoes

1 Can (15.5 oz) Chick Peas

1/4 Cup Golden Raisins

2″ Strip of Candied Ginger

1. Season lamb with salt and pepper, in a 4 quart saucepan heat olive oil over high heat and sear lamb on all sides, remove from pan and set aside, reduce heat to medium high, add onions and cook until golden brown on edges, add cumin and Garam masala and cook for about 1 minute, return lamb to pan, add 8 cups of water and 2 bay leaves, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, stir occasionally.

2. Peel and cut potatoes into 1″ cubes,

add to pan after first hour of simmering,

after 30 minutes  add chick peas,

raisins and ginger,

stir once and simmer another 45 minutes add more water if it gets too thick. The lamb should be so tender it falls apart easily. Adjust seasoning to your taste with more salt & black pepper if needed.