Ethiopian Spiced Lamb Stew
Made with tender, boneless leg of lamb, this quick-cooking staple of Ethiopian home cooking is called awaze tibs and is flavored with awaze sauce, a kicky blend of berbere spices, smoked paprika, lemon juice, and wine. Some cooks like it dry, but Hiyaw Gebreyohannes prefers it saucy—all the better for mopping up with Ethiopia’s crêpe-like bread, injera.
Yields:
8
8
Total Time:
0
hours
45
mins
Ingredients
2 tbsp.
red wine
red wine
1 tbsp.
lemon juice
lemon juice
1 tbsp.
berbere
berbere
1 tsp.
smoked paprika
smoked paprika
1 tsp.
Dijon mustard
Dijon mustard
3 1/2 lb.
boneless leg of lamb
boneless leg of lamb
kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 c.
extra-virgin olive oil
extra-virgin olive oil
2
red onions
red onions
6
clove garlic
clove garlic
2 tsp.
rosemary
rosemary
2 tsp.
thyme
thyme
2
plum tomatoes
plum tomatoes
1
yellow bell pepper
yellow bell pepper
1
large shallot
large shallot
Directions
- 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.
© John Kernick