Promised Persian lamb stew

Following on from the preserved lemon post, I have a beautiful recipe from BBC good food for a Persian lamb 'tagine.' Seeing as it's not cooked in a tagine pot I'm not sure if it can really be called that but it's delicious all the same. It has the magical preserved lemons along with dried fruit, pistachios, rose water and saffron. An exotic treat and something different to do with stewing lamb. You could even make the base and then stir through your leftover roast lamb. 

I cooked it for a surprisingly wet and dreary summer lunch and it hit the spot perfectly. I served it with some couscous cooked in veg stock on the side and a sprinkling of pistachios and coriander. 

Persian lamb stew

Serves 4-6 

1kg lamb neck or a mix of lean and normal casserole meat. 

2 onions, cut in thin wedges

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1level tsp hot chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric 

1 pinch saffron 

2 cinnamon sticks

750ml water

2 preserved lemons, cut in thin wedges 

150g apricots, chopped roughly

125g dates (I actually used prunes as I prefer them) 

50g pistachio, chopped plus some for sprinkling

1-2 tsp rose water (to taste) 

15g cornflour 

Chopped coriander to serve 

Start by setting the oven to 180 degrees c and getting a cast iron or oven proof pan on the heat.Take the meat in small batches and brown off in a little oil, transferring on to a plate when nicely coloured. 

In the same pan with all the lamb juices fry off the onions for a few minutes then add the garlic and spices minus the saffron. Sauté for 2-3 mins until fragrant but not burnt.

Next add the water saffron, cinnamon, pistachios and lemons. 

Bring to the boil and then put in the oven for about an hour, covered with a lid or tinfoil. 

After an hour, take out and give a good stir, add the chopped dried fruit and return to the oven for a further 30 mins. Remove from the oven and place back on the hob. In a small bowl mix the cornflour with the rosewater and 1 or 2 tbsp water to make a runny paste. Pour in to the stew and boil until thickened slightly. It's now ready to serve with couscous or rice. 

N.B. Adding cornflour isn't traditional but makes the stew a little thicker and helps if you plan to freeze it as I did. I made it mid week, popped in the freezer and then took it out the day before the dinner party. Just put in a 170 degree oven for 40 mins to reheat, making sure it's piping hot.