Bowl of Lamb & Chickpea Stew
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Lamb & Chickpea Stew


Palestine, Gaza   -   Sumagiyya
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4 main
***
2 hrs
Yes		 This popular stew closely follows a recipe attributed to An'am Dalloul, killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza (2023).




1-1/2
1/2
3
6
1
5
2
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1
1
1/2
1/2
2
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14
2
3
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ar
ar
#
c
T
oz
#
cl

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T
t
T
T
T
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oz
T
T
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Lamb Meat (1)
Sumac Berries (2)
Flour, all purp.
Onions
Chard (3)
Garlic
Chili, green (5)
-- Spices
Dill Seeds
Coriander Seed
Chili Flake (4)
Salt
Sumac, Ground (2)
-------
can Chickpeas
Olive Oil ExtV
Tahini (6)
-- Garnish
Aleppo, ground (7)  
Sumac, ground
Do Ahead   -   ( 2-3/4 hrs - 3/4 hrs work - good to do it a day in advance)
  1. Cut LAMB MEAT into about 1 inch chunks. Weight is boneless and excess fat removed.
  2. Make BROTH and cook Lamb per our recipe Spicy Broth except skip frying and use 8 cups water.
Prep   -   ( 1-1/4 hrs)
  1. Place SUMAC BERRIES (see Sumac Berries) in a sauce pan with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and boil until it is down to about 1-1/2 cups. Drain, reserving liquid and discarding Berries. Whisk in 3 T Flour until smooth.
  2. Chop ONIONS small.
  3. Float wash CHARD. Remove thick stems and slice leaves into strips about 1/4 inch wide and 1-1/2 inches long. Use stems for some other recipe.
  4. Chop CHILIS fine. Crush GARLIC (I use a Garlic Press, makes pounding easier). Mix in a mortar.
  5. Grind all SPICES items in your Spice Grinder. Add to the Mortar and pound all to a coarse paste.
  6. Drain CHICKPEAS.
Run   -   (40 min)
  1. In a spacious sauté pan or sauce pan (3-1/2 quart minimum), heat Olive Oil. Stir in, Onions and fry stirring until you see a trace of color, then stir in Chard leaves. Continue to fry stirring until Chard is fairly wilted.
  2. Stir in Chickpeas, 4 cups of Lamb Broth, and Lamb. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in Garlic Paste, and Sumac-Flour Liquid. Return Stew to a simmer.
  4. Place Tahini in a bowl. Take 4 oz of the Stew Liquid and whisk into the tahini until smooth. Stir back into the Stew and simmer another 4 minutes or so. Adjust liquid if needed with remaining broth.
  5. Serve hot. The pattern recipe says to accompany with Pita bread and Pickles. I like to have a bowl of rice on the table, to be spooned into the stew as desired. The stew should be fairly liquid for this.
NOTES:

  1. Lamb:

      Weight is boneless with excess fat removed. Cuts of lamb generally yield 39% to 45% meat, so you will need more than twice the weight of lamb cuts to yield 1-1/2 pound. A boneless or semi-boneless leg is a good choice. For details and yields see our Lamb / Sheep Cuts by Chart page.

  2. Sumac:

      Ground Sumac is available from the spice section of any market serving a significant eastern Mediterranean or Middle Eastern community. Berries are available on-line. IF you don't have berries, mix 1/3 cup ground sumac with 1-1/2 cups of water. Bring just to a simmer and set aside to steep. Do not drain, but do whisk in the flour.For details see our Sumac page.

  3. Chard:

      The pattern recipe prefers "Rainbow Chard", but Red or White Stem chard are fine. I usually use White Stem.

  4. Chili, Green:

      Serranos are preferred, but if you are chili adverse, seed them before chopping. If even more adverse, use Jalapeños and seed them.

  5. Tahini:

      The pattern recipe prefers Roasted Tahini (available on-line) which has a somewhat more intense flavor than the regular, but the regular is much more available and not a lot different. If you really want to fake it, add a couple drops of Dark Sesame Oil.

  6. Aleppo Pepper:

      This Chili Flake is reasonably available now in North America. Use regular Aleppo Pepper for mild, or Aleppo Extra Hot for a little more bite.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
mmm_lmbcp1 190609 inet ref Laila El-Haddad   -   www.clovegarden.com
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