posted by Liz Thomas 05-27-103 9:17 PM
Lamb and Orange Koresh
From “Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons” by Diana Henry
Although the Persian original for this recipe describes it as a sauce to dress white rice, it is, in fact, a delicious stew. Serves 6.
3 oranges
1 1/2 butter
2 tsp caster sugar
Olive oil
1 1/2 lb lamb from the leg, cut into 1 – 1 1/2 inch cubes
2 onions, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Ground seeds from 3 cardamom pods
9 1/2 fl oz orange juice
Juice of 1 lime
9 1/2 fl oz lamb stock or water
3 carrots
Handful of torn mint leaves
2 tsp orange flower water
1 oz shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
Remove the peel from the oranges, taking care to leave the pith behind. Cut the peel into thin strips and blanch in boiling water for two minutes then strain. Heat half the butter and add the orange rind. Stir, then add the sugar and cook over a medium heat for a couple of minutes, until the rind has slightly caramelised. Set aside.
Brown the lamb in a little olive oil in batches over a fairly high heat. Set aside. Add more oil to the pan with the rest of the butter. Heat this and sauté the onions until soft and translucent. Sprinkle on the cinnamon and cardamom and cook for another minute. Add the fruit juices, the stock or water, and the lamb with any juices that have run out of it. Season and bring to the boil. Simmer on a very low heat for 1 1/4 hours.
Peel the carrots and cut them into fine strips about 2 1/2 inches long. Remover the pith from the oranges and skin each segment. Add the carrots to the lamb for the last 20 minutes of cooking time and the orange segments for the last ten minutes. In the last two minutes stir in half the fresh mint and the orange flower water. Scatter over the rest of the mint and the pistachios. Serve with plain white rice.
Notes: I have typed this word for word – you’ll notice that after the first paragraph there is no more mention of the orange rind! I assume that you are supposed to sprinkle it over with the mint and the pistachios. At least, that’s what I did!