Servings: four to six.
North African in spirit, this hearty sweet and savory stew is perfect for the season. Serve it with couscous or good crusty bread.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.
Season the lamb with 2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. In a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, combine the lamb, carrots, onion, cinnamon, bay leaf, and enough water to cover. Cover and braise in the oven until the meat is very tender, about 2-1/2 hours. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve over a large bowl. Discard the vegetables and spices. (The recipe may be prepared to this point up to 2 days ahead. Cool the lamb and broth, and refrigerate separately. Skim the fat from the broth before continuing.)
In a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, heat the butter or oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, coriander, and cayenne and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant (don’t let the garlic burn), 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in the chickpeas, prunes, tomato purée, and a pinch of salt. Add the reserved lamb and 4 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes and then turn the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the parsnips and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve sprinkled with cilantro or parsley.
Very nice dish and great textures. I didn't brown the meat ahead of time, but will do next time for boost of flavor and visual appeal. Added carrots for extra color, and lots more parsley as well. With 4 c. broth, sauce rather thin so had to thicken it a bit.
Oh my gosh----if I could give this a 10 I would. I followed the recipe except that I let it stew for the better part of 2 hours. I have just retired and my husband said that if he would have known he was getting meals like this he would have had me retire much earlier!
At times I like unbrowned stews because it lets the meat character come through unmediated and unpunched up. I used some lamb "stew meat" and the dish tasted terrific. Great assembly of ingredients.
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