Cloudy with a Chance of Sun Breaks

This is Heather, the savory half of the dynamic sister duo! Don't get me wrong, I love to bake and will choose to eat chocolate over most things any day of the week. But, when it comes to experimenting in the kitchen, I tend to play around with savory foods. I can spend hours perusing cookbooks and food magazines, collecting recipe ideas and savoring the glossy photos of artfully prepared foods. And I like to try small twists on recipes that I already love, just to see if I can improve them or make them a little more memorable.

Today was a typical cloudy January day in the Northwest, but on a hike this morning, my boyfriend and I spotted some sun breaks. What's a sun break, you say? Well, those who live in the Pacific Northwest know the term well. For the rest of you, that's what we call a hole in the never ending cloud layer that might, just might, let a ray of sunshine through. It sounds better than "mostly cloudy", doesn't it? The weather man thinks so, too, and is always thrilled to inform us when we might get even a spot of sun. So, today we cherished a few sun breaks amidst an otherwise gray day. It was the perfect day for one of my favorite winter recipes- Citrus-Scented Lamb Stew. It's not a heavy, stick-to-your-ribs kind of stew. It has body to it, for sure, but is also has a lightness from the citrus, and a comforting warmth from the mixture of spices. It's just like a cloudy day with a spot of sunshine.

I've slightly modified the original recipe from Food & Wine- adding a few more spices and making the stew a bit "soupier", because I love a good broth. Feel free to adjust any of the spices or herbs to your liking- that's what I did.

Citrus-Scented Lamb Stew

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 1/4 pounds lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 1 med. onion, chopped
• 3 medium carrots, sliced
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme (or 1/2 tsp fresh)
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and lightly smashed with the side of a knife
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 3" strip lemon zest (I prefer Meyer lemons), plus 1 Tbsp juice
• 3" strip orange zest, plus 2 Tbsp juice
• One 28-oz can dices tomatoes, drained (If Italian seasoned, you can modify above herbs)
• 3+ cups low sodium beef or chicken broth, plus more as needed during cooking (If your stock is strong, consider cutting it 50/50 with water)
• 1 10-oz. pkg frozen sweet peas (about 2 cups)

Melt the butter in a large pot- I prefer my enameled cast iron pot. Dry the lamb pieces, season liberally with salt and pepper, and add to the pot with melted butter. Try to get a good sear on all sides of the meat, which will take about 10 minutes. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon, leaving juices in the pot.

Add the onions, carrots, and thyme through bay leaf to the juices in the pot. Saute over medium heat until onions are translucent and carrots are just starting to become tender, about 10 minutes. Add meat back to the pot, and add the cinnamon, allspice, citrus zests and juice, plus additional pinch pepper. Stir the mixture until the spices are well distributed and you can smell the spices- about 3 minutes.

Add the drained tomatoes and stock. If you like a heartier, less brothy stew, start with just two cups of stock. If you like it soupier, start with three cups. Bring the stew to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, for at least 45 minutes. If your lamb meat is on the tough side, feel free to simmer longer, until the lamb becomes tender. (After bringing your stew to a boil, you can also put your pot, covered, in a 300 degree oven for 60 minutes or more. This can help particularly tough meat get very tender). Check your liquid levels periodically and add stock as necessary to keep meat covered. Once the meat is tender, you can remove the lid and simmer the stew to desired thickness or brothy-ness. About 10 minutes prior to serving, add frozen peas and simmer to heat through. Also, remove zest, garlic clove, cloves (if you can find them, otherwise, keep an eye out for them while you eat), and bay leaf.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!




This stew will keep well in the refrigerator for 4 days.

Also in the photo is my favorite compliment to this stew- Crusty Irish Soda Muffins. I used to make these when I was a kid, and I still love them to sop up the final juices of a tasty stew. As the name implies, they are a crumbly, not overly-moist, muffin. They are meant to be sliced in half and bathed in a pat of butter! (The recipe makes about 18 muffins. I usually halve the recipe).

Crusty Irish Soda Muffins

• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup sugar, to taste*
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon or 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 4 Tbsp butter, cold
• 1 egg
• 1 3/4 cup buttermilk**
  

*sugar is optional- I like to add about 1/8 cup for a whole recipe. The sweetness is a nice counterbalance to the salty, soda flavor. If I'm making these muffins for breakfast, I may add up to 1/4 cup sugar for the whole recipe, and add about 1 cup of raisins. Some people prefer this sweeter muffin.

** I never have buttermilk on hand, and don't like to buy it for one recipe. You can make your own "buttermilk" or sour milk, using about 1 Tbsp of mild vinegar (cider vinegar or rice vinegar) per 1 cup of milk.

In a large bowl, combine flour through spice. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture forms even crumbs. (If making a sweet version of this muffin with the raisins, as mention above, add the raisins after the butter, being sure to coat well with the flour mixture).

Beat egg lightly and add to buttermilk. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until well blended. Batter will be very thick and lumpy.

Spoon into 18 well-greased 2" muffin cups. Each cup will be pretty full. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden. An inserted toothpick should come out clean.

Serve hot from the oven, and don't forget to serve with butter... Yum!

-H