2 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds boneless lamb shoulder or stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
2 cups vegetable broth
8 ounces pitted dates, quartered
2 tablespoons honey
1 3/4 cups canned chick-peas, rinsed and drained
2 oranges, peeled and cut into sections
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 1/2 cups couscous, prepared according to package directions


Heat the olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the
lamb with salt and pepper. In batches, add the lamb to the Dutch oven,
searing until just brown about 4 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon,
transfer each batch of lamb to a bowl. Add the onion to the Dutch oven and
sauté until tender about 4 minutes. Mix in the parsley, cilantro, cinnamon,
ginger, saffron and vegetable broth. Return all of the lamb with its juices
to the Dutch oven and bring to a rolling simmer. Cover and reduce the heat
to low, simmer until lamb is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Add the dates, honey and chickpeas to the lamb mixture, stir to
incorporate. Simmer until heated through, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a
deep platter and garnish with orange sections and almonds. Serve atop the
couscous.



--
Wayne Boatwright
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Monday, 05(V)/12(XII)/08(MMVIII)
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Countdown till Memorial Day
1wks 6dys 1hrs 45mins
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I've had a pefectly wonderful evening.
But this wasn't it. --Groucho Marx
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