Day 282.
I was given a copy of Nigella Lawson's "Nigella Express" last week, and have had fun flipping through it. One of the meals seemed quite easy to adapt to the crockpot, so I made it last night.
I was carded for the first time in way-too-many years, which was kind of fun (and embarrassing. I didn't have my ID with me because I walked, and there was a bit of awkward banter before the checker (who shared that she was 22) decided I was, in fact, old and decrepit.)
I found this neat blog while googling to see if there were reviews of this particular Nigella recipe.
The Ingredients.
--2 pounds lamb stew meat or leg of lamb cut in chunks
--1 head of garlic, peeled but intact cloves
--2 cans black olives, drained
--2 yellow onions, sliced in rings
--4 T capers (I thought this was too much. Start with 2.)
--2 tsp ground cumin
--1 tsp corriander
--1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
--1 750ml bottle of red wine
The Directions.
I used a 6 quart oval crockpot. It was pretty full, so I'd stick to a big guy for this dinner.
Cut the onions and put them into the bottom of your crockpot. Add the entire head of peeled garlic cloves. Drop in the lamb, and sprinkle the dried spices and ginger. Add the olives and capers. Pour in the wine.
Cover and cook on low for 8-12 hours. I cooked our stew for 4 hours on high, then another 8 on low. Stew meat tastes better the longer you cook it.
Serve with mashed potatoes, polenta, or quinoa. Nigella suggests couscous.
The Verdict.
I actually just ate this now, and it's 5am. I didn't get my act together in time yesterday to eat it for dinner (we ordered Chinese), and I wasn't pleased with how the meat was still tough at 6pm. I liked the flavor, but I wouldn't recommend having it with coffee.
I assume Adam will enjoy this for lunch, and the kids will eat some of the meat if I rinse off the sauce. The sauce is a bit strong, and the capers packed a pretty powerful punch.
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