Middle Eastern Lamb Stew

This is a great recipe to try if you are wanting to make your foray into the world of eating lamb. Take it from me, if some of my pickiest eaters loved it, I am confident that your family and guests will too. I carefully selected seasonings and herbs that would compliment the unique flavor of lamb and not overpower it.

Although not one ingredient will stand out, you will taste a hint of butter, mint, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, parsley and toasted pine nuts. It's neither too sweet nor too spicy...just a perfect blend of "warm and inviting."

Let's break it down even more and tell you exactly what is in this amazing hearty stew!

What Ingredients Do I Need to Make Middle Eastern Lamb Stew? 

• 2 tablespoons of salted butter (for sautéing the meat). You'll need a little more butter for toasting the pine nuts.
• 1 lb lean lamb stew meat, cut into one-inch pieces
• 1 yellow onion coarsely chopped
• 1 green pepper coarsely chopped
• 3 teaspoons of fresh minced garlic
• 1 can stewed tomatoes (15 oz.)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ⅓ cup red wine (this dish cooks for so long, I think you can safely say the alcohol content cooks out, but feel free to replace with extra broth.)
• ½ cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried mint
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon allspice (just a hint)
• 32 oz bag of frozen stew vegetables (potatoes, carrots, celery and onions) (I used the Kroger brand). 
• chopped fresh mint and/or parsley to garnish
• pine nuts toasted in butter

Note: I did notneed to include additional flour or cornstarch to the mixture. When you add the frozen stew vegetables, the potatoes will soak in some of the juice and add a little starchiness to the broth.  

How Do I Make Middle Eastern Lamb Stew?

First, melt the butter in your dutch oven. Toss in the lamb and stir the meat so that it begins to brown on all sides.  As it is browning, add your diced onions and bell pepper. 

When the onions and peppers are almost soft, add your garlic and continue stirring.  

Deglaze the pan with the wine, followed by the beef broth. Then add your crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, all the dried seasonings, salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  You will want to simmer the mixture until the lamb is fork tender.  I used lamb that was simply packaged as "lamb stew meat" and am not entirely certain what type of cut of meat I had, although my best guess is that it was a leg of lamb.

I would recommend cutting up pieces of leg of lamb, if you want to be certain of the cut.  Depending on your cut of meat and whether you use the same type of pot, you may need to simmer the meat mixture for 90 minutes to 3 hours.  Check the tenderness of the meat periodically with a fork.

I've really enjoyed cooking stews in my set of Tramontina dutch ovens. Although I frequently use instant pots, I find the stove top dutch oven is great when you are wanting to adjust seasonings in a soup or stew and keep a closer eye on when cooking is completed.https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thestuffedgra-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B075JYGYZB&asins=B075JYGYZB&linkId=a337f8b8b5a78b7fb19d571da9905be3&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff

When the meat is done, but not overcooked, add your bag of frozen stew vegetables. Turn up the heat to compensate for the cold, and then reduce the heat and cover when the mixture begins to simmer again. 

I chose to use frozen stew vegetables as a shortcut since I was recovering from a surgery and thought they worked fabulously! If you want to use raw carrots, potatoes and celery, then add them to the stew pot about 30 minutes before your meat is perfectly tender.

In a small sauté pan, toast about a ¼ cup of pine nuts in butter over low heat, stirring frequently so you don't burn these very expensive nuts!

Rinse and chop a handful of fresh parsley and a half a handful of mint leaves. Garnish stew with fresh herbs and toasted pine nuts.  These are really not optional! They really kick your stew up a notch and will be a big crowd pleaser.

Serve Middle Eastern Lamb Stew with a side of Armenian Rice Pilaf or a loaf of bread.

📖 Recipe

Middle Eastern Lamb Stew

A wonderful-tasting, hearty lamb stew that will leave you feeling comforted and highly satisfied.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine Armenian

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons of salted butter
• 1 lb lean lamb stew meat cut into one-inch pieces
• 1 yellow onion coarsely chopped
• 1 green pepper coarsely chopped
• 3 teaspoons of fresh minced garlic
• 1 can stewed tomatoes 15 oz.
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ⅓ cup red wine
• ½ cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried mint
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• 1 bag of frozen stew vegetables 32 oz bag of potatoes, carrots, celery and onions
• a handful of chopped fresh parsley
• a few pinches of chopped fresh mint
• ¼ cup of pine nuts toasted in butter

Instructions

 

• First, melt the butter in your dutch oven. Toss in the lamb and stir the meat so that it begins to brown on all sides. As it is browning, add your diced onions and bell pepper.
• When the onions and peppers are almost soft, add your garlic and continue stirring.
• Deglaze the pan with the wine, followed by the beef broth. Then add your crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, all the dried seasonings, salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. You will want to simmer the mixture until the lamb is fork tender, approximately 2 ½ hours.
• When the meat is done, but not overcooked, add your bag of frozen stew vegetables. Turn up the heat to compensate for the cold, and then reduce the heat and cover when the mixture begins to simmer again.
• In a small sauté pan, toast about a ¼ cup of pine nuts in butter over low heat, stirring frequently so you don't burn these very expensive nuts!
• Rinse and chop a handful of fresh parsley and a half a handful of mint leaves. Garnish stew with fresh herbs and toasted pine nuts. These are really not optional! They really kick your stew up a notch and will be a big crowd pleaser.

Notes

Serve Middle Eastern Lamb Stew with a side of Armenian Rice Pilaf or a loaf of bread.

Keyword stew

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