Vegetable Curry with Lamb

  After being MIA for all of 2015, I decided to take up blogging again.  Alas, I don't think I am going to be able to blog as much; a forty-hour work week on top of a three hour round trip commute really eats away at your cooking time!  However, I'd like to record at least some of the yummy things that I make!  Together, my husband and I made a New Year's resolution to eat more of a plant-based diet.  We have been trying to cook more at home to save our budget and our health!  I've been looking through my healthy cookbooks, especially The VB6 cookbook by Mark Bittman and came across this recipe.  I've always loved curries and I think you'll love it too!

Vegetable curry with lamb

Cooking in the pot.  Yum!

Vegetable Curry with Lamb from The VB6 Cookbook by Mark Bittman

Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Time: 1 to 2 hours, mostly unattended

Note: A classic curry- with lots of vegetables- is far simpler to make than you might think.  Just brown the meat; add the vegetables, stock, and aromatics; and let it simmer on the stove- it does its thing while you do yours.  This reheats beautifully too, making it the ideal meal for weeknight entertaining or freezing for ready-to-eat suppers on hectic nights.  Serve it with the bread on page 249 or brow rice (basmati is best here).

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 large onion, halved and sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 small head cauliflower (about 1 pound), chopped
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger, or 1 tsp ground dried
2 tbsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp cayenne (optional)
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water, or more as needed
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Procedure:

1) Put the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  When it's hot, add some of the lamb and sprinkle with some of the salt and pepper.  Cook, adjusting the heat and turning the pieces as needed so the meat doesn't burn, until it's well browned on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes.  As the meat browns, transfer it to a plate and continue adding more meat, seasoning it, and cooking the pieces until all the meat is browned.

2) Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat and turn the heat down to medium.  Add the onion, bell pepper, zucchini, cauliflower, garlic, and ginger, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables being to soften, 5 to 10 minutes.  Add the curry powder and cayenne, if you're using it, and cooking, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1 or 2 minutes.

3) Stir in the stock, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, then add the browned lamb.  The meat and vegetables should be about halfway submerged in braising liquid, if not, add more liquid.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the mixture barely bubbles.  Cover and cook, stirring every 30 minutes and adding small amounts of liquid if the stew ever looks dry, until the meat is tender enough to cut with a fork, another 15 to 30 minutes.

4) If the curry looks too watery, remove the lid, raise the heat a bit, and cook, stirring frequently, until it thickens.  If it looks too dry, add a little more stock or water and raise the heat until bubbly.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in the yogurt.  Taste and adjust the seasoning, then garnish with the cilantro and serve.

  Talk about eating the rainbow!  The vegetables alone are a colorful addition to this curry.  It was quite yummy and the lamb was delicious, but I would've wanted it maybe a tiny bit more creamy.  It is also a bit hard to tell from the recipe how long you should cook it; I ended up cooking it for about ninety minutes.  It was definitely worth it; yummy, healthy, spicy and went wonderfully with brown rice!