Lamb Stew with Redpeppers and Tomatoes

Name: Lamb Stew with Redpeppers and Tomatoes
Ingredients: Red Pepper paste:; 4 large red peppers; 50 gm tomato paste; 2,5 ml (1/2 teaspoon) salt; 5 ml (1 teaspoon) crushed dried red chillies; 30 ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil; Lamb Stew:; 30 ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil; 1 kg boned shoulder of lamb, cut into 3 cm cubes; 1 large onion, chopped; 4 cloves garlic, chopped; 1 green chilli pepper, chopped; 1 green pepper, chopped; 4 tomatoes, skinned and chopped; 30 ml (2 tablespoons) red pepper paste; 5 ml (1 teaspoon) dried oregano; salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; 250 ml (1 cup) hot water; flat leaved Italian parsley, to serve

Here is a recipe for a delicious slow cooked lamb stew with red pepper and tomato. Serve it on a bed of aubergine puree (see previous recipe on my website). You can use a commercial red pepper paste or make your own. The red pepper paste keeps in the refrigerator for a week, but I freeze the left over paste and use it tossed through paste, added to a chicken stew etc.

Published 21 April 2023

Method

Make the red pepper paste. Roast the red peppers in a hot oven, 220°C, for about 30 minutes until the skin is charred. Transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave to cool until you can handle them and removed the skins, stalks and seeds.
Combine the red peppers with the remaining ingredients in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. Store in a glass jar until ready to use.
Make the lamb stew. Brown the lamb in the olive oil in batches in a heavy saucepan over high heat. Set the lamb aside. Add the onions, garlic, green chilli, green pepper and tomatoes to the saucepan. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for a few minutes and stir in the red pepper paste. Add the hot water and add the dried oregano.
Return the lamb to the saucepan and mix well with the sauce. Season with salt and black pepper. Put the lid on the saucepan and simmer the stew over low heat for 1 ½ hours. Check the sauce. It should be rich and thick. Correct the seasoning.
Serve the stew spooned over a bed of aubergine puree or with Parmesan mashed potatoes. Scatter with the chopped parsley.