Persian Lamb Or Beef Pumpkin Stew Recipes

SLOW-COOKER PERSIAN LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Preheat a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker. Season lamb with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high. Add lamb and cook until golden brown all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.
• Add onions, carrots, celery, and dill to Dutch oven; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker, along with garlic, thyme, wine, orange juice, lime, and saffron.
• Cover and cook on low until meat is falling apart and shreds easily, 7 to 8 hours (or on high 5 to 6 hours). Skim fat from surface. Serve stew over quinoa, topped with dill, pomegranate seeds, and pistachios.

GHEYMEH (PERSIAN BEEF STEW)

Steps:

• Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a saucepan over medium heat; stir in onion. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add stew meat, split peas, limes, tomato paste, salt, curry powder, turmeric, and pepper. Add just enough water to fully cover the surface of the mixture. Cover and simmer until split peas are tender and meat is cooked through and no longer pink in the center, 2 to 3 hours.
• Just before the stew is ready, heat 2 inches oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Slice potatoes into 2-inch long, thin pieces and lower carefully into the hot oil in batches. Fry until soft, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
• Increase the heat so the oil is 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Fry potatoes again, until golden and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. Remove from the oil and drain on fresh paper towels.
• Pour stew into bowls and place potatoes on the surface.

KHORESH-E GHORMEH SABZI (PERSIAN HERB, BEAN AND LAMB STEW)

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, season the meat with turmeric, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
• Rinse the beans and place in a medium bowl with 1 cup water and a generous pinch of salt. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, place a large Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons oil. When it shimmers, add meat and cook, turning regularly so that it browns evenly on all sides, about 15 minutes. Once the meat has browned, move it to the edges of the pot and add the onion to the center of the pot, along with a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onion begins to soften and turn brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Drain the beans and add to the pot, stirring to combine everything and coat the beans with oil. Add 4 cups water, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer for 2 hours.
• In the meantime, prepare the herbs: Wash parsley and cilantro, then use a salad spinner to dry very well. Remove and discard the tough stems. Chop the leaves and tender stems very, very finely, or feel free to use a food processor to get these herbs as finely chopped as possible. The more finely chopped the herbs, the more green and unctuous the ghormeh sabzi will be.
• Separately chop the chives and entire bunch of scallions (including the green tops) as finely as possible by hand. These, too, must be very finely chopped - nearly minced - but they will turn to mush in a food processor and thus should be chopped by hand.
• Set a large frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the remaining 1/4 cup oil and the scallion-chive mixture. Allow to wilt, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes, then add remaining chopped herbs and fenugreek leaves, crushing the fenugreek leaves between your fingers as you add them. Cook, stirring continuously, until the herbs are wilted and very dark green - but not burned - and they give off a bright green oil when pressed with a spoon, 18 to 20 minutes. This step is crucial to the flavor and color of the stew. You'll know the herbs are ready when they feel dry and emit a strong, savory aroma.
• When the meat has cooked for 2 hours, add the cooked herb mixture, Omani limes and 1/2 cup water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer for another hour. Check on the limes occasionally to make sure they are submerged in the stew but not falling apart. Gently push them into the stew if they're still floating after 20 minutes.
• As the stew nears the 3-hour mark, remove the lid and check the meat; it should be very tender. If the ghormeh sabzi seems a little watery, leave it uncovered for the last 20 minutes of cooking and allow to reduce into a thick stew. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. If the stew needs a little acidity, juice a lime into the stew through a sieve by pressing down on it with a spoon (avoid letting the seeds through the sieve, as they can be bitter). Set aside. Taste the stew and continue adding more lime juice until the stew is sufficiently tangy. Stir in the saffron. The stew should be a very deep, dark shade of green and quite thick when done. Return dried limes into the stew to serve.
• Serve hot with Persian rice and mast-o khiar.

PERSIAN LAMB OR BEEF PUMPKIN STEW

Steps:

• Brown the meat and add about 1 and 1/2 cups water.
• Add tomato paste, turmeric, cinnamon, saffron and salt and pepper and sauteed onion.
• Cook covered ata simmer for about 1 and 1/2 to two hours.
• Meat should be tender and nearly falling apart stage.
• You may need to add water during cooking but you shouldn't end up with more than the stated amount.
• You don't want a watery stew.
• In the meantime, seed the pumpkin and slice into 2X2 inch pieces and peel.
• Brown on both sides in corn oil.
• The pumpkin should become brown in some places and somewhat flexible but not totally cooked.
• Add to meat and cook covered an additional 20-30 minutes until tender but not falling apart.
• A fork should go into the pumpkin easily but not break it up.
• Add the prunes the last 5 minutes of cooking.
• They shouldn't really cook too much but should get warm.
• Serve over hot basmatic rice.

PUMPKIN STEW WITH LAMB

Steps:

• Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Heat oil in a heavy casserole and add half the meat, stirring so pieces brown evenly, 3 to 4 minutes over high heat.
• Scoop out meat and add remaining cubes to the fat still in the casserole. Cook, stirring, about 3 minutes, or until pieces are well browned. Scoop out second batch and add to the first.
• Put onions in the casserole and add garlic. Cook, stirring, about 1 minute, and return meat pieces to the casserole. Sprinkle flour over all and stir to coat pieces evenly.
• Add wine, water, tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme and chili pepper and cover closely. Bring to boil and simmer about 40 minutes. Add pumpkin. Continue cooking about 20 minutes longer. Stir in rosemary and corn and bring to boil. Remove bay leaf and serve.

PERSIAN LAMB AND CHICKPEA STEW (QORMEH SABZI)

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large heavy pan, and saute the lamb until well browned on all sides.
• Add the onion, cooking until soft, then add salt, pepper to taste, turmeric, lemon juice, and water, bringing to a boil.
• Lower heat and cover, simmering for 15 minutes.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet and saute the onions, celery leaves, spinach, and parsley for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add these vegetables and the chickpeas to the meat and mix together thoroughly.
• Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer another 20 minutes, or until meat is tender, adding water as necessary to keep up with consistency.
• Serve with steamed basmati rice.

ABGOOSHT (PERSIAN LAMB AND CHICKPEA STEW)

Steps:

• The night before you plan to cook, season the lamb with turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cover and refrigerate. Place chickpeas and beans in a medium bowl; add 3 cups water and a generous pinch of salt. Refrigerate overnight.
• To cook: Set a large Dutch oven or soup pot over high heat. Add lamb, onions, tomato paste and 8 cups water. Drain chickpeas and beans and add to pot. Bring to a boil, stir to dissolve tomato paste, and cover pot partially with a lid. Reduce heat and simmer stew for 2 hours.
• Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Add potatoes and Omani limes to pot and continue simmering until potatoes and meat are both completely tender, about 1 hour. Taste and adjust the seasoning of the broth with salt and pepper.
• Remove limes from pot, and one by one, juice them into the soup through a sieve by pressing down on them with a spoon. (Avoid letting the seeds through the sieve, as they can be bitter.) Taste the broth after juicing each lime and add just enough so that the broth is tangy and bright.
• Use the sieve to remove the meat, potatoes and beans from the pot and transfer them to a large bowl. Use a fork to pull the meat off the bones. If any of the bones have marrow, use a skewer to remove it and add to the bowl. Use a potato masher to mash meat, beans and potatoes into a soft, uniform paste - this is called goosht kubideh, literally "mashed meat." If the mixture appears dry, add a few spoonfuls of broth and continue to mash until unctuous and smooth. Taste the paste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and Omani lime juice, as needed.
• To serve, bring broth and goosht kubideh to the table, along with bowls of liteh pickles, salad-e Shirazi, warmed sangak bread, fresh herbs and, if you like, doogh. All of the sides serve as palate cleansers to balance the richness of the dish.
• Traditionally, the broth is eaten first with sangak bread, which can hold up to the broth without disintegrating. Typically, the bread is torn into bite-size pieces and added to broth to soak for a couple of minutes before digging in. This process is called tilit.
• Serve the goosht kubideh separately after everyone has had a bowl of broth. Traditionally the meat paste is made into small sandwiches with fresh herbs, and eaten with alternate bites of salad-e Shirazi and liteh pickle. Leftover goosht kubideh makes for a great sandwich or baby food, and freezes well for up to 2 weeks.

PERSIAN HERB, RED BEAN & LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Put the dried red kidney beans in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 1 hr.
• Heat a flameproof casserole over a medium-low heat for a few minutes before adding 2 tbsp oil. Season the lamb and sear on all sides until golden brown, then remove to a plate. Fry the onions over a low heat for 8-10 mins until soft and translucent.
• Drain and rinse the soaked kidney beans, then add them to the onions along with the turmeric and dried limes. Stir to coat in the spiced oil, then return the lamb to the casserole. Pour over 1 litre water, or enough to cover the lamb, and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid, then turn down to a simmer. Leave the lamb to gently braise for 1 hr.
• Put the coriander and parsley in a food processor and blitz to chop finely (you can also do this by hand, but the finer the herbs, the better the stew's flavour and consistency).
• In a separate frying pan over a medium heat, fry the leeks in the remaining 1 tbsp oil for 6-8 mins until softened. Stir in the fenugreek leaves, blitzed herbs and chives - it is sometimes easier to add these in batches. Fry for 5 mins until the herbs are dark green (this removes moisture and deepens the flavour).
• Once the lamb has braised for 1 hr, add the leek and herb mixture along with 250-500ml hot water to loosen, stirring well. Braise for a further 2 hrs, or until the lamb is completely tender and falling off the bone. Add a dash of hot water to loosen if the sauce has thickened too much - I prefer it to be almost broth-like, but that is personal preference. Season to taste (a good pinch or two of sea salt is essential) and, depending on the acidity from the dried limes, add a squeeze of lime juice for a fresh finish.