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Azerbaijani-style lamb with apricots & chestnuts

Azerbaijani-style lamb with apricots and chestnuts served with pilau rice

Azerbaijani-style lamb with apricots & chestnuts

Name: Azerbaijani-style lamb with apricots & chestnuts
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Total time: 2 h 5 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Azerbaijan
Ingredients: pinch of saffron; 2 tbsp sunflower or groundnut oil; 800g braising lamb (such as shoulder), trimmed of excess fat; 2 large onions roughly chopped; 4 plum tomatoes roughly chopped; 2 garlic cloves chopped; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; ½ tsp allspice; 250ml lamb or chicken stock; 100g dried apricots; 125g cooked chestnuts (canned or vacuum-packed); ½ lemon juiced; ½ tsp sumac; 15g coriander leaves picked and roughly chopped

Diana Henry

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Serves 4

More effort

Prep: 25 mins

Cook: 1 hr and 40 mins

plus 30 mins infusing

A star rating of 4.4 out of 5.10 ratingsRate

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Make this lamb stew ahead and freeze for busy days, or for when you're entertaining. With apricots, chestnuts and spices, it's beautifully aromatic

Freezable

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

pinch of saffron
2 tbsp sunflower or groundnut oil
800g braising lamb

(such as shoulder), trimmed of excess fat
2 large onions

roughly chopped
4 plum tomatoes

roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves

chopped
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
250ml lamb or chicken stock
100g dried apricots
125g cooked chestnuts

(canned or vacuum-packed)
½ lemon

juiced
½ tsp sumac
15g coriander

leaves picked and roughly chopped

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Nutrition: Per serving

kcal568
fat28g
saturates10g
carbs38g
sugars20g
fibre7g

high
protein44g
salt0.5g

Method

step 1

Put the saffron in a heatproof cup and pour over 75ml boiling water. Leave for 30 mins, or until the water is a deep yellow colour.
step 2

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, and brown the lamb all over – you’ll need to do this in batches. Transfer the browned lamb to a bowl using a slotted spoon as you continue cooking the rest.
step 3

Fry the onions in the residual fat in the pan over a medium-low heat for 10-12 mins until golden and soft. Add the tomatoes and garlic, and continue to fry until the tomatoes have softened. Stir in the spices and cook for a few minutes, then return the lamb to the pan with some seasoning. Pour in the stock and infused saffron water. Bring to just under the boil, then add the apricots, chestnuts, and a little more seasoning. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook over a very low heat for 1 hr-1 hr 15 mins until the lamb is tender. At this stage, the lamb can be frozen. Leave to cool completely first, then transfer to a freezer proof airtight container. Will keep in the freezer for up to three months.
step 4

To serve straightaway, stir in the lemon juice, sumac and coriander. Alternatively, if you have frozen the lamb, defrost in the fridge overnight, then transfer to a saucepan and heat gently. When it is piping hot, add the lemon juice, sumac and coriander. Taste to check for seasoning, then serve.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, Christmas 2020

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A star rating of 4.4 out of 5.10 ratings

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