I haven't bought lamb in quite awhile, so I was a little surprised at how expensive it was, but it wasn't as expensive as the duck that we made a few weeks ago. Since it was only going to be the two of us for dinner, I bought just under 2 lbs. and it ended up being more than enough meat.
The curry powder, ground cardamom, and cardamom pods smelled wonderful as they cooked in the olive oil with the garlic and onion. The addition of mint, honey, figs, some golden raisins, and a scattering of apples gives the lamb a wonderful sweetness that balances the curry and cardamom. Dorie's recipes adds potatoes with the stew, but I had some egg noodles that I wanted to use up, so I skipped the potatoes in the stew because I didn't want to have too much starch. I added some frozen petite peas at the last few minutes of cooking.
When I lifted the lid to put the peas in, I was surprised to see that the apples had melted away and when I tasted the stew, it was a wonderful blend of sweetness and spice. We both enjoyed this dish so much and it is one that I will look forward to cooking again.
Please visit French Fridays with Dorie to see how others fixed this recipe. From some of the comments I read on Twitter, there were some meat substitutions and some creative flavors added that I can't wait to read about.
Interesting that the apples melted away - I love egg noodles, that's a fun way to serve it!
ReplyDeleteWe forewent the potatoes for carrots & parsnips!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed & have a wonderful weekend.
My apples were gone to and they made a sweet sauce so I can relate to that. I think it also taste great with the pasta you used.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice weekend
I was surprised by the magically disappearing apples, too! Even the raisins seemed to disappear in mine.
ReplyDeleteI need a candle that smells like this stew. HA!
Very delicious sounding curry, and interesting to see curry on FFwD
ReplyDeleteyour dish looks delicious!! glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteMy apples melted into this stew as well, maybe that's why I found it to be a little too sweet, but still tasty. Peas sound like a great addition, I was eyeing an eggplant in my fridge while making this, so many options for add ins.
ReplyDeleteYou added peas too! Seems to be a popular addition with this dish. Must be the mint association? ;) I agree two pounds of meat is plenty....
ReplyDeleteFantastic looking, as always! I adore any lamb dish and this one sounds terrific!
ReplyDeleteYou made a beautiful stew. I'll have to catch up...great to see how your turned out, makes me want to have a kitchen day too.
ReplyDeleteThis looks really delicious. Unfortunately, my youngest daughter won't eat lamb. Too bad -- I'd love to try this!
ReplyDeleteThis dish does look promising. I'll have to try it when I'm over this cold!
ReplyDeleteI loved the addition of potatoes, but after seeing yours I wouldn't hesitate making it without and enjoying the egg noodles instead.
ReplyDeleteYour apples melted into the stew? I'm wishing mine did too now that I think of it! It must've been better than munching on those squishy apples like many of us did :). Serving the curry on a bed of egg noodles looks more tempting than on rice, love it.
ReplyDeleteYour curry looks lovely! Love the egg noodles.
ReplyDeleteI could not deal with the idea of lamb. I must be brave one of these days and actually try it. I did not think that this was the dish I should try it on. Yours looks quite tasty!
ReplyDeleteI love the look of the peas you added, Elaine! What a nice shot of color. I was interested to learn that the apples melted away. (Maybe I could have hid them from Howard after all). I liked this on egg noodles. I served them that way too. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteElaine...wow that was delicous enough :) and great with the egg noodles. I will this a try when I am much better. Had a sore throat so gave this a miss. Will be joining FFW next Friday :) Have a nice weekend!
ReplyDeletemy apples melted away too, along with the figs... whodda thunk-it? ... Your curry looks so purple compared to mine though, how did that happen??
ReplyDeleteYour description has made my mouth water...glad it was such a hit :) What are you making for next week???
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to put the peas IN the stew. You described the flavors so well - I wasn't able to put the complex flavors into words, but you did it perfectly. I'm glad you liked it so much!
ReplyDeleteYour stew looks beautiful and must have been wonderful with the egg noodles. Even though my apples didn't melt away, there was a hint of applesauce to the flavours in this stew, which I really enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteYour stew looks heavenly! I can imagine that it was divine!!
ReplyDeleteMy apples melted away too. I'm glad it wasn't just me! I couldn't find a small piece of lamb, so I ended up making it with beef instead. Still delicious!
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