Lamb Stew with Orange

This week we are asked to grab our biggest bowl and fill it up. And so I began searching for recipes. I came across this one - Lamb Stew with Orange. I was pretty intrigued by the addition of the orange juice. It should mellow the sourness of the tomatoes in it. I love it so I'm going to try it.

The recipe is from Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 pound 1kg lamb cubes, lean from leg and shoulder

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of ground black pepper

1 medium onion, diced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp low-sodium tomato paste

2 stalks celery, rinsed, trimmed and diced

2 large carrots, cut into coins (about 2 cups)

1 can chickpeas, drained

3/4 cup dry red wine I omitted this but feel free to add this

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water

1 can low-sodium tomato sauce (I used 1 cup of bottled instant tomato mix for pasta)
1 tsp orange zest
1 large orange, segmented, juice reserved
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp freshly chopped mint leaves

Method:

1. Heat oil in a dutch oven or large pot over high heat until hot but not smoking hot.
2. Season meat lightly with salt and pepper and sear in oil until browned on all sides for about 5 minutes or so.
3. Add onions and garlic and cook for additional 5 minutes.
4. Add tomato paste and stir to incorporate for about 2 to 3 minutes. I accidentally added the tomato mix in here instead and it seems to give the mixture some gravy to mix well.
5. Add celery, carrots, chickpeas, red wine, chicken broth, tomato sauce, orange zest, orange juice and segments and cumin.
6. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer until the lamb is tender, about 90 minutes.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Remove from heat, cool slightly and ladle into bowls.

I think Mr G was pretty impressed by this stew. The moment he stepped into the house, he said WOW!!! It smells very good!! But he was really patient and waited a good half hour before he could have it. He was busy slurping and eating away when he had the chance. I asked him, could you tell I put a very special ingredient in it? He was like what? I added orange juice. Immediately, he cringed and said Ewwwww why? Haha!! If I didn't tell him, he won't even realise it for the life of him.

But trust me, if you do, this is really very yummy. The sweetness of the orange juice totally balanced out the taste of the gamey lamb and the sourness of the tomatoes. Try it at least once ;)

I'm submitting this post to I Heart Cooking Clubs - Bowled Over.

I'm also submitting this post to Cooking with Herbs February 2016 organized by Karen of Lavender and Lovage.