Sneha's Recipe: Lamb

Traditionally, tajin sfinari bil zaytun is cooked stove top and then baked in an oven, a clay pot is used, which is later transferred to the oven. This colorful, its combination of carrots and green olives has a unusual mix of flavorings, like caraway seeds, lemon juice, cinnamon, harissa paste and parsley.

Tagine in Libya doesn't refer to the distinctive Morrocan cooking vessels, it just means casserole.

Serves 3 -4
Ingredients
½ Kg Boneless Lamb / Mutton - cut into 2" cubes
500 Ml Lamb Bone Stock / Chicken Stock or Water
500 Grams Carrots - sliced diagonally into thick pieces
1 Medium Onion- chopped
1 Teaspoon Grated Ginger
1 Stick Cinnamon
1 Teaspoons Caraway Seeds / Shahjeera
Salt & Black Pepper powder - to taste
½ Cup Pitted Green Olives
1 Heaped Teaspoon Harissa - I used homemade Harrisa
For Serving
Olive oil
Juice of one lemon
½ Cup Chopped Parsley

Method

Place the onion, cinnamon and caraway seeds in the pot ( I used my mud pot) with olive oil, and stir on medium heat.

Add the diced lamb, stirring occasionally until it is evenly browned. Add the stock. Cover and leave to cook on a medium heat until the meat is just done, at this point the stock should be reduced to about half the amount (concentrated). Remove the meat from the pot with a slotted spoon and strain the liquid through a sieve (fine enough to catch the caraway seeds).

Add the meat, stock to same mud pot. Add in the carrots, cover the pot tightly with foil, and place in the oven for about 45 minutes at 200°C. When the carrots and lamb are fork tender, add the harissa and mix it in the sauce. Scatter olives on top and place the pot in the oven for about 10 minutes without a cover.

When some of the sauce has evaporated and the lamb has browned slightly, remove from the oven. Don't let it dry out!
Stir in the fresh lemon juice over it and drizzle generously with olive oil, then garnish with chopped parsley.

Enjoy warm with bread to soak up the sauce.

Labels: Lamb, Libya, Mutton, Stew, Baked, Carrots, Olives, Main course, Eat the World, Sunday Funday

Each month a group of us join Evelyne of CulturEatz as she travels to different countries to Eat the World.
Check out all the wonderful Libyan dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

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Sneha’s Recipe: Tajin Sfinari bil Zaytun/ Libyan Lamb Casserole with Carrots and Green Olives

Palatable Pastime: Maghreb Chicken and Vegetable Stew

Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Macroona Imbakbaka (Libyan Minestrone)

Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Mbakbaka (Spicy Libyan Pasta)

Kitchen Frau: Kufta bin Batinjal (Eggplant Kofta in Tomato Sauce

Pandemonium Noshery: Sharba Libiya - Libyan Mint and Lamb Soup

Made this Handi Mutton for my family get together dinner and it turned out so delicious that they all enjoyed. The next day a little was remaining that was even more delicious. This is yummy dish.

The mutton is cooked it on slow fire in a mud handi for about 4 hours so the flavors was even more yummy. This is called handi mutton mughlai since this is made in mud handi (which we East Indians call it a treezal).

Try this yummy recipe and enjoy it like we did.. so let's go to the recipe.

Ingredients
1¼ Kg Mutton/Lamb- cut into medium cubes
Grind To Fine Paste
4 Large Onions
12 Green Chilies
4 Tablespoons Ginger Garlic Paste
30 Mint Leaves
8 Tablespoons Coriander Leaves
3 Teaspoons Coriander Powder
2 Teaspoons Cumin powder (roasted & ground)
1 Teaspoon Green Cardamom powder
2 Teaspoons Garam Masala
1 Cup Brown Onion - crushed
4 Tablespoons Ginger - julienne
1 Cup Ghee
Whisk Together
2 Cups Yogurt
6 Tablespoons Cream
4 Tablespoons Cream Cheese
30 Cashew Nuts - soaked and ground to paste
2 Teaspoons Sugar
1½ Teaspoons Salt

Method
Grind together onion, green chilies, ginger garlic paste, mint, coriander leaves, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam Masala and green cardamom powder. Keep aside.

Heat ghee in a large handi (which we East Indians call it a treezal), on medium low heat, add browned onion with ginger strips sauté for a minute . Add in the ground masala paste and wash the blender with little water, add that water too, fry stirring it after 2 minutes till oil surfaces, will take about 10 minutes ( on medium low flame).

Now add in the mutton and stir continuously frying on medium high flame 5 minutes. Once the spices coat the mutton, add 4 cups water. Bring this to a rolling boil. Cover and cook on medium low flame, stirring after every two minute, till mutton is ¾ done. Once the mutton is ¾ done then add in the whisked yogurt mixture give this is good mix. Cover and cook and let this simmer on low flame the mutton is tender. Once the mutton is tender switch of the flame and let it rest for 5 minutes, as the handi is hot it will continue to cook.

Garnish with coriander leaves (optional) serve with paratha or chapatti.

My Notes
Use a wooden spoon for the handi.
Keep the flame low if cooking in a handi.
Keep stirring frequently since it tends to get burnt at the bottom.

Labels: Mutton, Lamb, Main course , Handi, Treezal, Curry, Mughlai Cuisine, Sunday Funday

For our event called Sunday Funday, wherein we share recipes our families will love to enjoy on a Sunday. Our host for this week's event is Stacy of Food Lust People Love.