Name: Persian-Style Lamb Stew
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: ¼ teaspoon saffron threads, dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water; 1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar; juice of 2 limes; 110 g (3¾ oz/½ cup) pitted prunes; 375 ml (13 fl oz/1½ cups) chicken stock; 2 teaspoons sea salt; 4 cardamom pods, split, seeds removed and crushed; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 80 ml (2½ fl oz/⅓ cup) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra; 700 g (1 lb 9 oz) lamb shoulder; 2 brown onions, cut into 1 cm (½ inch) dice; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; sea salt; 400 g (14 oz) butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into 3.5 cm (1½ inch) dice; 1 large handful mint, roughly chopped; roasted almonds or pistachios, to garnish (optional)

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Food I Love

By Neil Perry

Published 2005

About

I became interested in Persian cooking some years ago – I guess it was a natural follow on from my love of all things Moroccan. This braise is really a khoresht, the Persian word for sauce. Originally, Persian cooks saw the khoresht as a sauce that flavoured plain white rice. In reality it is much more than that. There are many combinations of fruit and meat, fowl and fish that make these stews irresistible. They usually contain dried or fresh fruits, lots of herbs and spices, and ar