Last Saturday as I looked into our impossibly stuffed pantry, full of spices–reds, yellows, greens stacked and crammed into our cabinets, I contemplated what to make for a big meal that would last the workweek. I found myself pulling spices like a hipster at Trader Joe’s yanking half-off cans of organic San Marzano tomatoes and devised this lamb stew with the resulting jumble.
The results? A Caribbean-style stew that is delightfully spicy and easy to boot. The active time is pretty low impact. You just have to marinate the meat for a while, and later throw the whole pot in the oven and forget about it for a couple of hours. Then, voilá! Deliciously tender lamb stew for vegging on the couch and miscellaneous weeknight Netflix binge sessions…Er…that’s not what we did after making this…heh..heheh…
We’ve made quite a few stews on the blog–Chicken Peanut Stew, Beef Stew, and Chicken Gumbo, just to name a few. This one isn’t the showiest of them all, but it definitely holds its own. As the weather cools down, it makes for a comforting one pot meal.
Caribbean Lamb Stew: Recipe Instructions
Put the meat in a large bowl, and toss with all the spices (curry powder, cinnamon, chili powder, allspice, coriander, cumin, ground ginger, and salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
After the meat has had a chance to marinate, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven and sear the meat in batches until browned.
Remove the meat from the pot and set aside on a plate. Add the onions, garlic, and tomato paste and fry until the onions are softened.
Add the meat back to the pot, along with the beef stock and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Cover and transfer to the oven for 2 hours. Remove the pot from the oven and stir in the carrots and potatoes.
Transfer back to the oven and cook uncovered for another 45 minutes, until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
Serve over steamed rice and garnish with cilantro.
Caribbean Spiced Lamb Stew
Ingredients
- 4 pounds goat or lamb shank (1.8kg, cut into 2-3 inch chunks)
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 2 onions (thinly sliced)
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 6 ounces tomato paste (170g)
- 3 cups beef stock (700 ml)
- 2 cups chicken stock (475 ml)
- 3 medium potatoes (cut into chunks)
- 5 medium carrots (cut into chunks)
- steamed rice (to serve)
- a handful of chopped cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Put the meat in a large bowl, and toss with all the spices and salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- After the meat has had a chance to marinate, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven and sear the meat in batches until browned. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside on a plate. Add the onions, garlic, and tomato paste and fry until the onions are softened.
- Add the meat back to the pot, along with the beef stock and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Cover and transfer to the oven for 2 hours.
- Remove the pot from the oven and stir in the carrots and potatoes. Transfer back to the oven and cook uncovered for another 45 minutes, until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
- Serve over steamed rice and garnish with cilantro.
Tips & Notes:
nutrition facts
