Tag: stew

• 

  PK’s Moroccan Chickpea Stew With Lamb And Flatbread

  The inspiration for this North African style stew came from browsing Wikipedia for North African dishes. I pretty much started with their entry for Chakhchoukha (the picture of the dish captivated me) and worked backwards.

  Chakhchoukha is a stew of chickpeas, lamb and seasonal vegetables. It is beefed up with pieces of torn semolina flatbread. The flat bread pieces are added to the bowl and the stew ladled on top. They soak up the sauces in the most amazing way as you eat them during the meal. Then extra flat bread can be used to clean the bowl of every last bit of the amazing sauce.

  I have to mention the spices in the Moroccan spice blend. They alone have me wanting to eat my way across North Africa. The blend I used was a mixture of paprika, turmeric, cumin, salt, nutmeg, cloves and chili. It smells similar to garam masala.

  Dietary Note: Substitute the lamb with potatoes and or mushrooms to make a vegetarian version.

  

  Steps

  1. Cooking the ingredients
  2. Simmering the stew and making flatbread
  3. Serving

  Ingredients

  • 700g lamb shoulder cubed
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp chili powder (I used Kashmiri)
  • 1 tsp Moroccan spice mix
  • 1 large brown onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 1 zucchini, sliced
  • 400g tomatoes (canned)
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 800g chickpeas (canned)
  • Water, enough to cover the rest of the ingredients
  • Table salt to taste
  • Black peppercorns to taste, cracked
  • 1 -2 Semolina flatbread to line each individual’s bowl, roughly torn

  Equipment

  • 1 chef’s knife
  • 1 chopping board
  • 1 pan or oven proof dish
  • 1 wooden spoon

  Cooking the ingredients

  1. Soften the diced onion somewhat and then brown the 700g cubed lamb.
  2. Gently but thoroughly mix in the:
     • 1 tsp cumin seeds
     • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
     • 1 tsp chili powder (I used Kashmiri)
     • 1 tsp Moroccan spice mix
  3. Mix in the carrot, zucchini, 400g canned tomatoes and 1 Tbsp tomato paste.
  4. Add enough water to cover everything, mix gently and bring everything to a good boil for a minute or two.

  

  

  

  

  

  Simmering the stew and making flatbread

  1. Reduce the heat and simmer (uncovered) for about 30 minutes, stirring every now and again.
  2. Add the 800g canned chickpeas and gently mix everything.
  3. Start making your flatbread now – recipe here.
  4. Simmer for another hour (uncovered) or until the lamb is tender and the sauce has reduced somewhat.

  

  Serving

  1. Tear  1 – 2 Semolina flatbread pieces and line each of your guest’s serving bowls.
  2. Ladle the meat and vegetables into each bowl.
  3. Top up with the gravy and serve hot.
  4. Have some extra flatbread on hand.

  

  

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

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  YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

  MORE MOROCCAN DISHES

  MORE NORTH AFRICAN CUISINE

   SEMOLINA FLATBREAD

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  Written by

  PK

  ·

  August 8, 2018

• 

  What Are Soups, Stock, Broths And Stews?

  Is it just semantics or is there a real difference between soups, broths, stews and stocks? If you do a search online you will find a lot of conflicting definitions and see that the terms are used interchangeably.

  So I am going to throw in my two cents too. 🙂

  I believe it is all about the desired outcome.

  Stock

  For me, stock is an ingredient of broths, soups and stews.

  I keep my vegetable stock very simple. It is basically the holy trinity (celery, carrot and onion) in water cooked on low heat overnight. I make chicken, beef, lamb and rabbit stock by also adding their bones and scrap meat.

  Hot tips:

  • Always start with room temperature water as hot/boiling water traps the flavours in the vegetables, we want the opposite affect.
  • Make stock in large batches and freeze it for future use. For examples see my  Slow Cooker Chicken Stock or Rabbit Stock.

  Broth

  I might then take a stock and build flavours on top, generally by the use of additional vegetables, herbs and spices. If I am using a vegetable stock I might add bones too.

  I don’t cook it for long and it is for immediate use. After straining you could eat it right away.

  Soup

  I then take stock or broth and add ingredients (sometimes separately cooked) like meat, pasta, noodles, potato and then garnish with fresh vegetables. As a rule of thumb you need a bowl and a spoon.

  Stews and casseroles

  For me, a stew is something you can eat off a plate and generally has little sauce. It is as much about the method of cooking ie stewing the meat in juices, as any other characteristic.

  We generally use casserole and stew interchangeably in Australia.

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more cooking techniques:

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  March 6, 2018

• 

  PK’s Lazy Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

  This slow cooked dish isn’t going to win me points for authenticity but it is tasty, easy to make and kid friendly :).

  My youngsters insist on having the sour cream (that you would normally mix through) on the side and they are not mushroom fans. I feel however, that you need mushrooms for a richer flavour. My solution is to use whole ‘cup’ or button mushrooms and that seems to avoid turning dinner into a picking out bits of chopped mushroom exercise :).

  You will be:

  1. Preparing your ingredients.
  2. Browning the beef and softening the vegetables.
  3. Cooking low and slow.
  4. Serving.

  You will need:

  • Ingredients:
    • 1kg of beef (I used rump steak), cubed
    • A few slugs of olive oil
    • 1 large brown onion, sliced
    • 2 -3 garlic cloves, finely diced
    • 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
    • 1 Tbsp paprika, ground
    • 3 medium mushrooms (I used ‘cup’), whole or chopped
    • 2 Tbsp plain flour
    • Table salt to taste
    • Black peppercorns to taste, ground
    • 2 cups home-made stock (I only had chicken to hand)
    • A good slug of tomato paste
    • A good slug of Worcestershire sauce
    • A handful of small or chopped mushrooms (optional)
  •  Equipment:
    • 1 long sharp knife
    • 1 chopping board
    • 1 fry pan
    • 1 slow cooker
    • 1 mixing jug
    • 1 whisk or fork

  Prepare your ingredients

  1. Turn your slow cooker onto medium and add a slug of oil, lid on.
  2. Cube the 1kg of beef and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Slice the 1 brown onion.
  4. Peel and finely dice the 2 -3 garlic cloves.
  5. Peel and chop the 2 carrots.
  6. Rinse the 3 ‘cup’ mushrooms and rough chop them if you prefer.

  

  Browning the beef and softening the vegetables

  1. Heat a slug of olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat.
  2. Brown the beef and then add it to the slow cooker along with the whole or chopped mushrooms.
  3. Add a bit more oil to the fry pan if you need it (I didn’t).
  4. Throw into the fry pan the
     • onions
     • garlic
     • carrots
     • tomato paste
     • stock
     • 2 Tbsp plain flour
     • 1 Tbsp ground cumin
     • a good slug of Worcestershire sauce
  5. Give everything a gentle but thorough mix, cooking on medium heat until the onions have softened.
  6. Pour the contents of the fry pan into the slow cooker.

  

  

  

  Cooking low and slow

  1. Cover and cook on medium for 4  to 5 hours and the sauce is somewhat reduced.

  

  Serving

  My kids prefer that I take the mushrooms out before I serve the dish on a bed of rice and steamed greens. I then give everyone a very healthy dollop of sour cream.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  June 25, 2017