Lamb Stew From Southern France

Total Time: 3 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 lbs leg of lamb, with bone (5 lbs bone-in)
• 1/3 cup fine rice flour or 1/3 cup cornflour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 large sweet onions, halved and sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 5 carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 750 ml merlot or 750 ml burgundy
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 lemon, zest of
• 8 garlic cloves, halved
• 20 prunes, halved
• 30 dried apricots, halved
• salt and pepper

Recipe

• 1 slice the lamb meat off the bone and cube. using a mallet, crack the bone in a few places and set aside.
• 2 whisk together the rice flour, salt, pepper and mustard powder in a dish and dredge the cubed meat.
• 3 heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a heavy dutch oven and fry meat in batches until well browned. remove to a plate.
• 4 add the remaining oil to the pot and stir in the onions, minced garlic, carrots and celery.
• 5 cook for 5 minutes over medium flame.
• 6 add all the spices and continue to cook for a couple of minutes, until fragrant.
• 7 add the lamb back to the pot, add the bone and pour in the and chicken broth.
• 8 stir in the tomato paste, thyme sprigs, lemon zest, halved garlic cloves and fruit.
• 9 season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• 10 cover the pan with a lid and cook over a gentle heat for 2 hours, or until the lamb is tender.
• 11 remove the bone and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes longer.
• 12 serve over brown rice, israeli couscous or your favourite ancient grain.