Lamb and Vegetable Stew

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Heat the oil in a wide pot and brown the lamb cubes about 5 minutes on all sides. Remove to a plate.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveWide, shallow pot

   💡Brown the meat in batches, without crowding: in a crowded pot it stews in its own juices instead of searing.

   💡What you brown (meat, patties, schnitzel) goes into hot oil: in lukewarm oil it soaks it up and comes out greasy. For onion and garlic that you soften, oil heated over medium or low heat is enough; do not wait for it to smoke.
2. 2
   Add the onion to the oil left in the wide pot and fry 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStoveWide, shallow pot

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 3
   Add the garlic and fry 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
4. 4
   Add the paprika, smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric and cinnamon and fry 30 seconds, until fragrant.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Paprika burns quickly and turns bitter: half a minute in the oil is enough, then move straight on to the next step.
5. 5
   Add the tomato paste and fry 2 minutes, stirring.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove
6. 6
   Add the tomatoes and water and bring to a boil.

   Stove
7. 7
   Return the lamb cubes to the pot and season with salt and black pepper.
8. 8
   Turn down to low, cover and simmer about 45 minutes, until the lamb cubes soften.

   ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
9. 9
   Add the carrot, zucchini, eggplant and red pepper and cook another 25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the meat is softening.

   Stove
10. 10
    Serve with the cilantro and preserved lemon.