Jewish Advocate

Denise Phillips

Denise Phillips is a food writer and author of “The Jewish Mama’s Kitchen.” Trained at Prue Leith in London, Denise now runs her own cooking school and Web site, www.jewishcookery.com.

A lovely lamb stew

By Denise Phillips - Saturday May 10 2008


Lamb Stew with Dill and Olives

This recipe is Sephardi; the flavors of turmeric and lemon amongst its ingredients reflect its Syrian origin. Cheaper cuts of lamb were used and by adding the peas and olives small amounts of meat went along way. Economic needs and large numbers of mouths to feed made stews like this very popular. They were often enjoyed with pita bread to mop up the tasty juices. The slow gentle cooking transforms the meat into succulent tender pieces and the visual impact of the yellow and green ingredients make it most impressive.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/4 pound shoulder of lamb – cubed
2 onions – peeled and finely chopped
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper – to taste
2 cups beef stock
Juice of 2 lemons
1/2 pound spinach – roughly chopped
4 sticks of celery – finely chopped
8 scallions – finely chopped
1 1/4 cups green olives – pitted and rinsed
2 cups frozen or fresh peas
2 tablespoons fresh dill – finely chopped

Garnish
1 lemon – sliced, Sprigs of fresh dill

Method
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot. Brown the lamb cubes and onions.
Add the turmeric, freshly ground black pepper and salt. Pour over the beef stock and lemon juice. Add the celery and scallions. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 2 hours.
Add the olives, peas, spinach and fresh dill. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.

Serve
hot with rice or couscous with slices of lemon and sprigs of fresh dill.
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