Turkish Lamb Stew

    

Sometimes, our view of a country is through the lens of history.  Events that occurred in the distant past can shape our current attitudes toward a place.  As a boy, I enjoyed reading stories about the Crusades.  Too young to appreciate the religious or geopolitical consequences of the Crusades, I nevertheless enjoyed tales of knights marching off on quests to exotic lands.  Part of their journey to the Holy Land took them through Turkey.  There, under the blazing sun, many weighed down by their chain mail wilted in the heat of parched plains.  Although, this curse turned into a blessing when the arrows of circling archers on horseback failed to penetrate western armor and the Crusaders were able to continue on to Jerusalem.  Such stories left me with the impression of Turkey as a hot and dry place, full of rocks and dust, a place to pass through on the way to somewhere else: Palestine in the case of the Crusaders or Persia in the time of Alexander and the Greeks. 

      

Our western view of Turkish cuisine may be similarly limited and outdated.  Just as the Crusaders no doubt spent little time lingering and taking in the nuances of local cuisine, modern western food connoisseurs have yet to tap the hidden treasures of Turkey.  Take Maras and Urfa peppers.  I had not even heard of these peppers until reading an article from our dearly departed Gourmet Magazine.  Apparently, Maras chiles come from the town of the same name in southeastern Turkey (not far from the path of the Crusaders).  Locals dry the chiles until they are shriveled, but not yet crispy.  The chiles retain a modest heat that is also sweet with a level of acidity.  While the Maras chile is deep red, the Urfa chile is purply-black with a smokier flavor.  Turks sprinkle both onto dishes such as eggs or pilaf, mix it into their kofte and meatballs, and even provide small dishes of it on Istanbul tables for whatever other seasoning uses you desire. 

    

The two peppers are an ingredient of this lamb stew, which actually reminded me of a Moroccan tagine with its cumin, coriander, cinnamon, broth, chickpeas and apricots.  One diversion was the simmering off of red wine vinegar, something I’ve never seen in Moroccan cuisine.  And then, of course, the Maras and Urfa peppers both mixed in during cooking and sprinkled on top when serving.  I encourage you to go on line and order some for yourself, or if you must, substitute paprika to get you through.  The delicate broth of these spices, lamb and apricots is delightful.  The Maras and Urfa will make it positively exotic.  Serves 4.

   

Ingredients:

1 lb lamb, cut into ¾” chunks

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

4 cups chicken stock

½ can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp dried apricots, chopped

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp Maras pepper

½ tsp Uras pepper

2 potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” chunks

2 tbsp oregano, chopped

2 tsp lemon juice

Rice

   

Directions:

Season the lamb with salt and pepper.  Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat.  Add the lamb and brown on all sides.  Remove to a bowl.  Turn down the heat to medium and add the onions, cooking until soft.  Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.  Add the vinegar and deglaze the bottom of the pot, scraping up the lamb bits.  Cook down the vinegar until evaporated.  Return the lamb to the pot and add the stock, chickpeas, apricot and spices.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook uncovered for 1 hour.  Add the potatoes to the stew and cook until tender, about 30 minutes more.  Remove from the heat and stir in the oregano and lemon juice.  Season with salt.  Serve with rice, sprinkling some more pepper flakes over the dish.