Shurpa Lagman

How I stumbled on to this dish is a mystery. I must have seen it mentioned on a website or in an article somewhere and immediately knew that I had to try it.

Basically, Shurpa Lagman is a soupy stew with chunks of meltingly tender boneless lamb, diced vegetables and chickpeas swimming around in it.
That alone should be enough to tantalize, but then you gild the lily by adding fresh, thick cut egg noodles, some minced garlic and cilantro, and a splash of white vinegar to round out the flavors. It is absolutely delicious, rich and hearty. The kind of one dish meal that we subsist on during the winter.

I took a chance and made it for some friends who take their food very seriously. At the end of the meal there wasn't a drop left their bowls and the satisfied sighs and smiles around the table were proof that this is indeed a very special dish.


This intensely flavored mélange is now considered one of the national dishes of Uzbekistan, even though Shurpa and Lagman are actually two different dishes.
Shurpa, a thin meat and vegetable broth, is Kazakh and Lagman, a lamb and vegetable soup with fresh noodles, is Uzbek.

Shurpa Lagman
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

From the New York Times

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1½ pounds boneless lamb stew meat, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 10 cups beef stock
• 2 large turnips, peeled, cut into ½-inch dice
• 2 carrots, cut into ½-inch dice
• 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, cut into strips
• 1 28-ounce can diced plum tomatoes, with juice
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ¾ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Salt to taste
• White or rice vinegar (optional)
• 8 ounces thick Chinese noodles (or fresh fettuccine), freshly boiled, for serving

1. In large heavy pot, heat oil over high heat, and brown meat, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add onions and stir often, until softened and slightly colored.

2. Pour off fat, add stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 1½ hours. Add turnips, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin, hot pepper flakes, coriander, chickpeas and ¼ cup cilantro, and salt to taste. Simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes more. If flavors seem flat, stir in vinegar 1 tablespoon at a time, until bright and tasty. (I added 1 minced clove of garlic as well). Cover and let stand 15 minutes.

3. Ladle into bowls, top with noodles, and sprinkle with remaining cilantro.

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Photo du Jour - Winter Vegetables

Carrots, squash, leeks, turnips, broccoli, cabbage, pumpkins, black radishes, Swiss chard, spinach - just a sample of the tempting winter vegetables at the market.

I can't resist them.

Moroccan Carrot Salad
Pumpkin Soup
Garbure
Leek and Swiss Chard Tart
Pork Colombo
Lamb Stew Pin It

Lunch

We spent the weekend having long lunches with friends. Definitely the best way to spend a lazy holiday weekend here in France.


Saturday was a curry extravaganza by the sea which left us feeling very satisfied and needing a nap. Strangely enough, we were able to garner the energy to go wine tasting in the late afternoon...

Sunday's lunch featured gigot d'agneau, roasted potatoes and cauliflower gratin followed by a fabulous apple and frangipane tart, kind of like this. John and Huw are wonderful cooks and we always know to expect delicious food, wonderful company and a fun afternoon when we're invited to John's house.


Today we're drinking lots of water and eating salad. Pin It

Curaloo? Vindurry?

This weekend ten of us are gathering at a friends house for a curry lunch and my contribution will be our favorite lamb curry. Well, it's not really a curry. It's kind of a mélange between a curry and a vindaloo.
A Curaloo? A Curdalry? A Vindurry? What ever you want to call it, it's delicious!

This is an easy recipe, but it needs up to a couple of hours to cook slowly so the lamb is melt-in-your-mouth tender.

• 1 inch piece minced or grated ginger
• 5 cloves minced garlic
• 5 minced green chili's
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 kilo or 2 lb. lamb shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 3 sliced medium yellow onions
• 4 chopped medium tomatoes
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup neutral tasting oil, I use grapeseed but canola, sunflower or corn are also good
• salt to taste
• water
• chopped fresh cilantro (coriander for my British friends)

1. Mix and mash the first 7 ingredients together to make a kind of paste.
2. Heat the oil in a pan with a lid on medium and fry the sliced onions until golden.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for 5 minutes.
4. Add the paste and fry for another 5 minutes.
5. Put the lamb in the pan, pour the vinegar over, stir well to combine and cook for 10 minutes.
6. Add salt to taste and enough water to just cover.
7. Cover the pan and simmer until the lamb is tender and the juices thicken, about 1 to 2 hours. I know there's a big difference between 1 hour and 2 hours, but it depends on the lamb. One time I made this it took just an hour and another time it took a lot longer.
   
8. Garnish with chopped cilantro and enjoy.
   

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Autumn Lamb Stew

This recipe came about last week when I was trying to find a use for lamb shoulder and turnips that I had bought at the market. I love turnips but I rarely buy them because I have so few recipes that call for them.
The result was a rustic stew with a rich broth that pairs perfectly with crusty, French bread.
A delicious starter would be a salad of sliced Belgian endive, lamb's lettuce and Granny Smith apples drizzled with lemony dressing and sprinkled with toasted walnuts.

• 1 ½ pounds boneless lamb stew meat, I used shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes and trimmed of fat
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 Tablespoon herbes de Provence
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup diced carrot
• 2 cups diced turnip
• 1 branch fresh thyme
• 1 cup frozen baby peas, thawed

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat.
2. Mix flour with herbes de Provence, salt and pepper. Coat the lamb pieces with the flour mixture and add them, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil. When browned, remove to a plate with a slotted spoon.
3. About halfway through browning the meat, add the garlic cloves and brown them alongside some lamb, being careful not to burn them.
4. When the pieces are all done, reduce heat to medium and add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned.
5. Stir in the water, scraping up the browned bits clinging to the bottom of the pot.
6. Put the lamb, garlic, carrots, turnips and thyme branch into the pot, give it a good stir and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook about 1 and 1/2 hours or until the lamb is meltingly tender.
8. Stir the thawed baby peas in at the end and make sure they're warmed through.
9. Before serving remove the thyme branches and smash the garlic cloves against the side of the pan and mix them into the broth.
10. Taste and correct for salt and pepper.

Serves 4 Pin It