Lamb and Orange Stew

Seasonal cooking can seem something of a chore at this time of year, especially if you are not a fan of turnips and cabbage.

Carrots and parsnips however, are almost as tasty at this time of year as in the summer and autumn. Winter fruits such as oranges and satsumas offer a promise of warmer times and don’t forget the bitter Seville oranges are now available for making marmalade or flavouring duck.

Lamb is often at its cheapest in the winter. For example Donovans butcher in Rathgar is currently offering 2 shoulders for 13 Euro, surely some of the cheapest lamb in the country.

Adding fruit flavours to meat dishes is more common in North Africa and the Mediterranean (e.g. Morrocco’s Lamb and Date Tajine and Pigeon and Date Pastilla) but is worth an experiment or two in these colder climes.

Lamb and Orange Stew
This is an adaptation of a Lebanese dish and the orange peel along with the spices adds pleasant warming flavours perfect for this time of year. Feel free to add Mediterranean vegetables such as courgettes, aubergines and peppers which will work just as well as the root vegetables mentioned below.

Ingredients: 500g Gigot Lamb Chops (or lamb pieces), 1tbs Butter, 2 Onions finely chopped, 3 Carrots, 2 Parsnips, 2 x 400g Cans of Tomatoes, Peel of 1 whole Sweet Orange, Peel of ½ Lemon, 1tsp Ground Cinnamon, 1tsp Ground Allspice, Salt, Black Pepper.

Trim the lamb chops of most of their fat. Heat the butter in a large frying pan until sizzling and fry the trimmed chops until browned. Remove to a plate. Fry the chopped onions until brown and caramelised. - add a little more butter or oil if necessary.

Add the tinned tomatoes, break them up with a wooden spoon, and replace the chops. Peel the orange and ½ lemon with a potato peeler, tie with a piece of string and add to the pan. Peel and chop the carrots and parsnips into small batons and stir in along with the cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper.

Cover the pan with tin foil and cook on low heat for 90 minutes. Remove the orange/lemon peel and check to ensure the lamb is tender – it should come off the bone. Cook for longer if wished.

Serve with plain boiled rice or some flat bread.

Tajine

One of the great boons of our immigrants is the wonderful ingredients they brought with them.

Spiceland on Richmond Street in Portobello is typical and stocks food from Pakistan, Bosnia, Russia and North Africa (the owner Abraham is from Libya).

You will find Halal meats, Georgian Bread (made in Finglas), Libyan Honey, Tunisian Olive Oil and lots and lots of spices.

Spiceland’s Halal butcher makes Merguez (Lamb Sausages) and is one of the few places that sells mutton (2 year old lamb – perfect for stewing).

Spiceland have also opened up a Souk next door selling couscousiere (for steaming cous cous), Turkish coffee makers and Tajines. I picked up a huge Tajine for €25 and made the following recipe.


Abraham’s Lamb/Mutton Tajine
Feel free to use any ovenproof dish (cover with tinfoil). Change the proportions as you wish and feel free to omit the meat or add honey, preserved lemon, prunes, apricots, aubergines etc.

Ingredients: 2kg Mutton (or Lamb or Chicken); 3kg of Veg – Potatoes cut in wedges, Carrots cut in strips, Celery, Squash, Tomatoes; fresh Coriander, Ras el Hanout Spice Mix (see below), garlic, ginger, salt, pepper.

Brown the meat in oil and set aside. Fry the onions until browned then add the remaining veg. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Replace the meat and mix in.

Finely chop the fresh coriander, ginger and garlic; add 3-4 quartered tomatoes and 3-4tbs. Ras El Hanout spice mix or use a mix of the following: cumin, coriander, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric, cayenne, salt and pepper. Mix into the veg and meat, adding a good splash of strong olive oil (Tunisian or Greek).

Finely slice some potatoes and line the bottom of the Tajine or dish. Add the veg and meat and press firmly into place. Add a teacup of water, cover and cook in the oven at Gas 4 – 180oC for 2-3 hours until the meat is tender. Check after 1 hour and add more liquid if needed.

Serve with Rice, Flat Bread or Cous Cous.

Cous Cous - Pour 500g of couscous into a dish and pour on 600ml of boiling water containing 1tsp of salt. Stir vigorously so that the water is absorbed evenly and leave it to swell for ten minutes. Add a dash of olive oil and (most importantly) rub the couscous between your fingers to break up any lumps and to ensure it is light and fluffy

Salsa Verde

Mexican food is a perfect cure for Turkey and Christmas Pudding overload.

Sadly in Ireland we are mostly offered Tex Mex food, which has as much connection with Mexico as a bacon and cabbage pizza has with Naples.

Real Mexican food can only be found from the likes of Theresa and Gustavo Hernandez at Leopardstown Market on Fridays and Temple Bar Market on Saturdays. Their website/blog has recipes and tips - www.meromeromexico.com.

Theresa and Gus are virtually the only people in the country selling the correct ingredients such as Mexican sun-dried chiles: Ancho, Chipotle and Mulato.

Salsa Verde is the ubiquitous Mexican Salsa (sauce) that can be used with virtually all Mexican dishes as a base sauce or to flavour rice, meat or fish. It also makes a very good dip for corn chips.

Tomatillos add the acidity to this recipe but lime juice can be substituted. Theresa’s ultra secret substitute (never before revealed in print!) is under-ripe Kiwi fruit, first cousin of the Tomatillo.

Tomatillos can be found in some veg. shops or from Duncan Healy's Organic Stall also at the Leopardstown and Temple Bar Market.

Theresa’s Salsa Verde
Ingredients: 2-4 green Chiles (pref. Jalapeno), 1 small Onion, 2 Cloves of Garlic, 4 sprigs of Coriander Leaf, Flesh of 1 large RIPE Avocado, 2 Tomatillos (lime juice or unripe kiwi), Salt..

Heat a heavy pan and lightly char the chiles, peeled garlic and peeled and quartered onion.

Cut the tops from the chiles and blitz in a liquidiser with the other ingredients. The salsa should be thin so add a little water. Add more chiles for extra fire.

Keeps well in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 7 days.

Fry come chicken pieces on the pan and warm in the salsa, pour over fish or use to flavour rice

Mexican Rice
Soak 250g of white or light brown rice in lots of water for 20 minutes. Drain and fry the rice in a little oil until squeaking. Add 500ml of Stock and half the quantity of Salsa Verde (use Theresa’s Salsa Adobada for red rice). Add frozen peas & diced carrot and simmer for 20 minutes. Mix in coriander leaves & salt and cover for 5 min. to fluff.

Serve with fried slices of Plantain and chicken or fish cooked in Salsa Verde.