Persian Lamb Stew

Ingredients

For the stew

• 130g / 1 cup walnuts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp unsalter butter
• 2 onions, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cinnamon stick
• small piece orange peel, I used dried sumac and 2 preserved lemons, very thinly sliced
• 900g / 2 lbs diced lamb shoulder, fat trimmed
• 90g / 3/4 cup dried cranberries or handful of dried apricots
• 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 2 tbs honey
• 500 ml / 2 cups hot chicken stock (broth) from a cube
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley to garnish
• 1 tbsp chopped mint to garnish
• Optional: add sliced or whole pitted or even stuffed green olives as you like

For the rice

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 450g / 2 cups basmati rice
• 950 ml / 4 cups hot vegetable stock or water
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

Stew

1. Toast your walnuts for maximum flavour… You can do this in
   the same casserole dish you make the stew in or in the oven. Either
   way watch them like a hawk lest they burn. Once the walnuts start
   colouring transfer them to a mini chopper and grind to a fine
   powder.
2. Heat olive oil and butter in your casserole until butter starts
   foaming. Add the onions, cover the pot and cook over very low heat
   for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don’t let them colour or catch.
3. Stir in the garlic, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, nutmeg, salt,
   cinnamon stick and orange peel, cooking for a minute or two.
4. Add the lamb, stirring to coat in the aromatic spices. If the pan
   gets dry, add a little of the stock and scrape any browned bits in the
   pan.
5. Drizzle in the pomegranate molasses and honey. Add the
   dried cranberries stirring to combine.
6. Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer.
7. Add the ground walnuts, stir to combine then cover the pot
   and cook on very low heat for about an hour. Open the casserole
   and give the stew a good stir every 20 minutes or so to make sure
   the walnuts are not sticking. By the the of your cooking time most of
   the liquid will have cooked down and the stew will be thick and
   glossy brown.
8. Discard the cinnamon stick and orange peel. Taste and
   season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley and
   mint. Scatter jewel-like pomegranate seeds over the stew and
   serve.

Rice

1. Heat a tablespoon of butter in a lidded pot. If making golden
   rice then stir in half a teaspoon of ground turmeric, 5 whole
   cardamom pods, a cinnamon stick and a bay leaf. Stir to allow the
   spices to infuse the butter.
2. Add white basmati rice (no need to rinse) to the pot and stir to
   coat in the fragrant butter.
3. Add hot vegetable stock (or water) it should start simmering
   straight away. Stir once then cover the pot tightly and reduce heat
   to lowest setting. Leave to cook for 10 minutes without opening the
   pot.
4. Remove the lid and check the rice – almost all of the liquid
   should have been absorbed. Stir once with a gentle folding action.
5. Take the pot off the heat, cover with the lid and leave for
   another ten minutes for soft fluffy rice. Remove and discard the
   cinnamon stick, bay leaf, cardamom pods. Season to taste and
   serve.