Group items tagged

Lamb and Orange Khoresh - 4 organic oranges, about 700 grams (1 1/2 pounds) total - 30g (2 tablespoons) butter - 2 tablespoons sugar - 1 tablespoon olive oil - 1.8 kilos (4 pounds) lamb, half from the shoulder and half from the neck (bone-in), cut into 4-cm (1 1/2-inch) cubes - 400 grams (14 ounces) yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon - 4 pods green cardamom, smashed with the blade of a knife - a pinch saffron threads (optional) - 1 lime - 600 grams (1 1/3 pounds) carrots, peeled and thinly sliced - 2 tablespoons orange flower water - 40 grams (1/3 cup) unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped - a handful of fresh mint leaves - salt, pepper Serves 6.

Prepare the candied orange peel. Wash 3 of the oranges well and use a vegetable peeler to peel off the very surface of their peel: the goal is to get the orange part and as little of the white as possible. Cut the peel in matchstick-size strips (I use kitchen shears). Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan, add the orange peel and boil for 3 minutes. Drain and return to the pan. Add the butter, sugar, and a good pinch of salt. Melt over medium heat and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the pan smells like salted butter caramel and the strips are lightly browned. Don't overcook or they will be bitter. Lift the peels from the pan with tongs or a slotted spoon, letting the melted butter drip down, and transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to cool. Reserve the butter that remains at the bottom of the pan. (This can be made a day ahead.)

Cook the stew. Heat the oil and reserved butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot (I use my cast-iron cocotte) over medium heat. Add the meat without crowding (you may have to work in two batches) and cook for a few minutes on each side until browned. Set aside on a plate. Pour in a little water to deglaze the bottom of the pot, add the onions, sprinkle with a little salt, and cook for a few minutes, until soft. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, and saffron, and cook for a minute to toast the spices. In the meantime, squeeze the juice from the lime and 2 of the oranges (one of them now naked). Return the meat to the pot and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour in the citrus juices, and add a little water so the liquids almost cover the meat but not quite. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every once in a while. Add the carrots 30 minutes before the end of the cooking. Segment the 2 remaining oranges and add the segments to the pot 10 minutes before the end of the cooking. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Stir in the orange flower water at the last minute, and serve with basmati rice (I opted for brown basmati rice) and a sprinkle of candied orange peel, pistachios, and mint cut into strips -- I just passed these toppings around in small bowls for each guest to help himself.

50g/2oz plain flour25g/1oz buckwheat flour1 level tsp ground cinnamon2 eggs1x200ml tub crème fraîche1 large Granny Smith apple2 tbsp calvadosTo make the pancakes:50g/2oz melted butterTo serve:caster sugar2 tbsp calvadosdouble cream, well chilledYou will also need a small, solid frying pan.

Begin by peeling and coring the apple then cut it into quarters and grate it on the coarse side of the grater into a bowl. Then toss the grated apple around in 2 tbsp calvados and leave it aside for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, sift the flour, buckwheat flour and cinnamon into a bowl. Then in a separate bowl or jug, whisk the eggs and crème fraîche together, then gradually whisk this into the flour mixture using an electric hand whisk until you have a smooth, lump-free batter. Then stir in the apple and calvados.Before you make the pancakes put a large plate in a warm oven or a warming-drawer so that as you make them they can be kept warm, covered with some foil.To make the pancakes, melt the butter in the frying pan, then tip it into a cup. To make your first pancake, heat the pan over a medium heat until it is really hot then use 1 tbsp of the batter to make each pancake, cook until it becomes crisp at the edges and is a lovely golden colour underneath, then, using a palette knife or spatula, turn the crêpe over and cook the other side until crisp and golden (this should take about 45 seconds on each side.)Remove the crêpe to a warm plate. Use a wodge of kitchen paper to lubricate the pan again with melted butter, then continue cooking the pancakes until the batter is all used up. When you are ready to serve the pancakes, transfer them to warmed serving plates, giving each person three or four, lightly dusted with caster sugar. Then combine the cream and calvados, put a little on each serving and hand the rest round separately. For a special occasion you could flame these by leaving them piled on a large plate, dusting with caster sugar, then warming 3 tbsp of calvados in a small pan - light it with a match and pour the flaming calvados over the pancakes. When the flame has died down serve each person three or four pancakes with pouring cream, served separately.