Ethiopian-Spiced Lamb Stew and Red Lentils

One of the worst feelings in the world for me is to be three-quarters of the way through a shopping trip only to realize that you are not able to find one of your key ingredients. This doesn’t happen very often, as American interest in ethnic food has led to the widespread availability of many previously hard-to-find ingredients. Then again, I don’t know that Ethiopian food has enjoyed such popularity. In my quest (and it DID end up being a quest) to make these dishes–a rich lamb stew and a warmly spiced red lentil dish–I ended up going to four different stores looking for the African spice blend known as berbere. Upon realizing that obtaining it was not going to be possible (except maybe through an online order) I decided to do the next best thing and, as the resourceful cook I like to think of myself as, I sought to not buy berbere, but to make it. The recipe I used comes from Chef Marcus Samuelsson, an Ethiopian raised in Sweden. I had to pull out half the spice cabinet to do it, but I had my berbere, floral with cardamom and coriander, warm with ginger and cinnamon and clove, savory with dried onion and paprika, fiery with chiles de arbol. It lent flavor to both the lamb and the lentils, and I even had enough left over to save for next time, hopefully preventing future grocery shopping-induced panic attacks…

Ethiopian-Spiced Lamb Stew and Red Lentils

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons red wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon berbere (recipe below)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 1/2 pounds trimmed boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 red onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped thyme
• 2 plum tomatoes, cut into 3/4-inch dice
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced

Method

• In a small bowl, whisk the wine with the lemon juice, berbere, paprika and mustard
• Season the lamb with salt and pepper. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add half of the lamb to the casserole and cook over moderately high heat, turning, until browned all over, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lamb to a medium bowl. Repeat with the remaining lamb
• Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, thyme and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper to the casserole and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened, about 8 minutes
• Add the lamb and any accumulated juices to the casserole along with the wine mixture, tomatoes, bell pepper and shallot. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the tomatoes and bell pepper have softened and the lamb is just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve

Spiced Red Lentils

Total Time:

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 medium red onions, finely chopped (2 cups)
• 10 garlic cloves, minced
• One 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 3 tablespoons berbere, plus more for sprinkling (recipe below)
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 3 cups red lentils (1 1/4 pounds)

Method

• In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until they are softened and just starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, berbere, cardamom and a generous pinch each of salt and black pepper and cook until fragrant and deeply colored, about 10 minutes
• Add the red lentils with 8 cups of water to the casserole and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the lentils have cooked downand thickened, 25 minutes. Season the lentils with salt and pepper. Ladle the lentils into bowls, sprinkle with berbere and serve

Marcus Samuelsson’s Berbere

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 1⁄2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1⁄4 tsp. whole allspice
• 6 white cardamom pods
• 4 whole cloves
• 1⁄2 cup dried onion flakes
• 5 dried chiles de árbol, stemmed, seeded,
• and broken into small pieces
• 3 tbsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1⁄2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1⁄2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Method

• In a small skillet, combine coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, black peppercorns, allspice, cardamom pods, and cloves. Toast spices over medium heat, swirling skillet constantly, until fragrant, about 4 minutes.
• Let cool slightly; transfer to a spice grinder along with onion flakes and grind until fine. Add chilies, and grind with the other spices until fine.
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in paprika, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months