Greek Lamb And Spinach Stew Recipes

GREEK LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Into the largest saucepan or casserole you have that will go into the oven, pour 3 tablespoons of the oil. Brown the meat in batches over high heat and remove with a slotted spoon to a plate nearby. You may need more oil as you do this. The onions will certainly need it, so pour the remaining oil or add more, add the onions, sprinkling a little salt over them and cook then until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, celery, thyme, and oregano. After a couple of minutes or so, when the smell of garlic wafts up, remove half the mixture. Add the meat to the mixture in the pan, cover with the remaining half, add the bay leaves, carrots, tomatoes, stock and wine. I use a big but flattish casserole and this amount of liquid covers the meat, but if you find you need more liquid, add water- you want a lot of liquid, because you will, eventually, be cooking some pasta in it. Bring to a boil, remove scum, and let bubble for about 3 minutes. Then cover, transfer to the oven, and bake for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or cook on a very low heat. The meat should be tender and yielding. Remove the carrots (and eat, cook's treat) and bay leaves, too, if you want, and season, to taste, with the salt and pepper.
• Of course you can proceed to the final stage now, but I am presuming you're not going to. In which case, let the stew cool and keep it in the refrigerator until you want it. Skim the fat off the top, and do remember to take it out of the refrigerator a good 1 to 2 hours before you cook it again. You can reheat this in the oven, but because the pasta will be put in on the stove, I tend to heat it there. Make sure the stew is piping hot. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. When it boils, add the salt and then pasta. Cook this until it's nearly but not quite cooked; it should have a couple of minutes still to go.
• Then drain the pasta and add it quickly to the bubbling juices in the casserole, making sure first that there are enough bubbling juices. You don't want the meat to be drowned, but you want enough for the pasta to be covered. The pasta will absorb some of the liquid as it finishes cooking, of course.
• In a couple of minutes, the pasta should be cooked. Crumble some feta and put in a bowl with the chopped parsley, oregano, or basil. Stir to combine and then leave the spoon with it, so that people can sprinkle the herb-spiked cheese over the stew as they wish. Ladle the stew into shallow soup bowls.

LAMB STEW WITH SPINACH & GARBANZOS

Steps:

• Sprinkle lamb with salt, pepper, and garlic. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add lamb and sauté until brown, about 10 minutes.
• Add onion and carrots and sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garbanzo beans, broth, tomato sauce, and lemon juice and bring to simmer.
• Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer gently until lamb is tender, about 1 hour.
• Add spinach to stew. Cover and cook until spinach wilts, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

MEDITERRANEAN LAMB AND LENTIL STEW

Steps:

• Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the lamb cubes and bones and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add onion and garlic and continue cooking about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Stir in the lentils, 2 cups of the chicken broth, tomatoes, carrots and the thyme, sage and basil. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender but not quite done, stirring occasionally. Depending on the type and freshness of the lentils, this will take from 15 to 30 minutes. If the stew seems dry, add more broth (up to one cup additional). Discard the lamb bones.
• Add the spinach and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Garnish individual servings with some of the crumbled cheese.

SABZI (SPINACH AND LAMB STEW)

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or similar pot, heat 1/2 cup oil over medium-high. Add the onion, garlic and chile, and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Push the vegetables to one side and add the lamb to the other. Cook until lightly browned on all sides, 3 to 8 minutes total. Add 2 tablespoons kosher salt (or 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt or fine salt) and 4 cups water, then stir and bring to a gentle boil, skimming any scum that rises to the surface. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook until the lamb is tender, 1 hour and 5 minutes to 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, in a kettle or a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil, and keep at a simmer.
• In a very large skillet with a lid, heat the remaining 1/2 cup oil over medium. Add the cilantro and garlic chives, and fry, stirring occasionally, to bring out all the flavors, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl.
• Place the same skillet over medium-high heat (no need to wash), add the chopped spinach and the just-boiled water, and cover partially. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid is gone, about 20 minutes.
• Add the lamb, 1 cup of its cooking liquid (any remaining broth can be refrigerated or frozen for another use) and the cilantro mixture to the spinach. Stir to combine well, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until all the flavors mingle, about 15 minutes. Taste, season with salt if desired and serve with challaw.

LAMB STEW WITH SPINACH AND GARBANZO BEANS

Steps:

• Sprinkle lamb with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add lamb and sauté until brown, about 10 minutes. Add onion and carrots and sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garbanzo beans, broth, tomato sauce, and lemon juice and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer gently until lamb is tender, about 1 hour.
• Add spinach to stew. Cover and cook until spinach wilts, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Season stew with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.

GREEK LAMB & SPINACH STEW (SLOW COOKER)

Steps:

• Mix lamb pieces, tomatoes, onion, garlic, Greek seasoning, salt and pepper in a 3 1/2-quart or larger slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on low 7-9 hours until lamb is tender when pierced.
• Mash 1 cup beans. Stir mashed and whole beans, artichoke hearts and spinach into cooker.
• Cover and cook on high 15 minutes or until spinach wilts and mixture is hot. Stir in lemon zest; sprinkle with feta and serve.