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Registered: ‎07-02-2015

Spiced ground lamb, tomato & spinach stew

[ Edited ]

This quick and apparently easy recipe appeared today, probably in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

 

Looks good to me, because DH and I love lamb and usually only do grilled lamb chops. Need to shop for the berbere spice.

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SPICED LAMB, TOMATO  & SPINACH STEW

by Kate Williams, Atlanta Journal & Constitution, March 12, 2020

 

Once March rolls around, I get antsy for spring cooking. But even though I’m itching to get outside and grill, the month usually brings enough dreary weather to merit a few more soups and stews.

 

This particular lamb, tomato and spinach stew, flavored with fragrant berbere spice and kalamata olives, is an excellent dish to transition from winter to spring. The bright acidity of the tomatoes keeps the stew lively, while the spinach adds color and vibrancy. The lamb is plenty rich and rib-sticking, but it also, like the month of March itself, hints at springtime.


As with any quick, meat-filled stew, you’ll want to use ground lamb for this recipe. You needn’t worry about cooking the lamb long enough to turn tender it as you would stew meat — several minutes is really all that you need — and you can break it up into large pieces, or crumble it completely into the sauce.
But before you even think about adding the lamb to the pan, you’ll need to address the spice blend. Berbere is a spice blend from Ethiopia, and while it can contain a multitude of ingredients, it typically contains a mix of warm spices and heat from dried chiles.

 

Berbere used to be challenging to track down, but these days, you can find it at Kroger. Spice levels vary from brand to brand, so it is worth tasting before cooking with it; adjust the amount you use to your taste. I like to take the time to bloom the berbere before doing anything else; heat olive oil in a skillet until shimmering, add the spice mixture to the hot oil and cook, stirring constantly, until its fragrance fills the room. Then you can add the lamb.


From there, the process is simple: cook the meat until no longer pink, add olives and a large can of tomatoes, which I prefer to crush into large chunks with my hands, then let the stew simmer away until the tomatoes taste more like lamb and berbere than the can from which they came. Finally, stir in a full five-ounce package of baby spinach, handful by handful, until it wilts into the sauce. It never looks like all of the spinach will fit, but it always does.

 

Serve the stew over a bed of couscous, alongside a pot of orzo pasta, or simply with good bread to sop up all of the juices.

 

 

Spiced Lamb, Tomato and Spinach Stew

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons berbere spice blend
1 pound ground lamb
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes
1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach


On the side: Couscous or orzo


Coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil. Place over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the berbere and cook, stirring constantly, until aromatic, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the lamb, breaking it up into pieces with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.


Continue to cook the lamb, stirring often, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the olives and stir to coat in the spices. Using your hands, crush the tomatoes as you pour them into the pot, along with all of the juices in the can. The tomatoes don’t need to be fully crushed; a chunky mixture is ideal.


Bring to a rapid simmer, then reduce to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes take on the flavor of the lamb and the spices, 10 to 15 minutes.
Still on medium heat, add the spinach in large handfuls, stirring the greens into the sauce to wilt. Continue to stir in spinach until all the greens have been added. Season the stew to taste with salt and pepper, then serve with the couscous.

 

Serves 4

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,113
Registered: ‎09-30-2010

Re: Spiced ground lamb, tomato & spinach stew

@novamc1   Oh, thank you for posting this awesome recipe.

Have to pick up some ground lamb, spinach, and the spice.  I already have the olives and couscous.

 

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