Pot food is perfect for the atmosphere of November.
Dark and cool autumn begins the seasonal season of stews, or, frankly, the golden age. What is more delicious in the heat of November than a steaming and warming stew?
Lamb stew seasoned with harissa is colorful and rich in both taste and appearance.
Now it’s moose and deer hunting season, so game meat is of course the best for a stew (with domestic roots), but you can also put pig, beef, chicken or lamb in the stew, as is done this time.
– I wanted to highlight mutton, or rather lamb, says Pippuri.fi’s chef Risto Mikkola.
Mikkola states that there is a lot of talk about lamb during Easter, but it could be used in cooking more than just once a year.
In North Africa, a lot of lamb is eaten, so Mikkola searched there for flavors suitable for the stew.
Measure the same amount of dry couscous and boiling water into the pot. Mix, season with salt, cover with plastic wrap and wait 15 minutes. Stir with a spoon and the couscous is ready. When you use, for example, vegetable broth or tomato puree as liquid, you get more flavor.
– I wanted the food to be colorful and rich, both in terms of appearance and taste, so Harissa was a self-righteous choice. It is a nice pair with the lamb and balances the flavor of the lamb well.
Harissa also goes well with couscous. This time, Mikkola roasts the carrots in the oven whole and with the skin on. In the oven, the carrot’s flavor is concentrated and sweetened, so you can eat the carrots with the skin on. The same goes for all roots.
Mikkola reminds that the taste of lamb meat is not as strong as that of an adult sheep. He prefers cooking overnight, when the oven is only at 80 degrees. Then the food will definitely cook, but not dry out.
If you have an oven at home, slow cooking is definitely the best option.
Mikkola remembers how in her childhood, the whole house smelled of delicious food in the mornings if her mother had put a pot of meat in the oven in the evening. It’s a bit like waking up to the smell of ham on Christmas Eve, Mikkola enthuses.
You can, of course, also prepare the stew on a plate. Let it simmer slowly under the lid for about two hours. Casserole can also be cooked in the oven at a higher heat, which shortens the cooking time accordingly.
If you add cream to the pot, it should be added (at least when cooking in the oven) only at the end. And of course there must be enough liquid around the meat so it doesn’t burn.
– Pot food is really effortless but such delicious food.
Lamb stew seasoned with harissa
500 g of lamb (e.g. shoulder or roast)
2 tablespoons of harissa paste (you can add more or less according to your taste)
2 onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
0.5 dl olive oil
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tablespoon of salt
2 tsp black pepper
400 g of crushed tomatoes
5 dl chicken broth
fresh coriander or parsley for decoration
1. Cut the lamb into small cubes and season it with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic. Saute them for a few minutes until they soften and get a little color.
3. Add the harissa paste to the pot and fry for a while with the onion and garlic until it starts to smell.
4. Add the lamb to the pot and brown it on all sides.
5. Add spices such as cumin, coriander and paprika powder, tomato paste and chicken broth. Mix well.
6. Let the pot simmer on low heat under the lid for about 1.5-2 hours or until the lamb is soft and tender. If necessary, you can add chicken broth if the liquid evaporates too much.
7. Check the taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.
8. Serve the bream stew hot and garnished with fresh coriander or parsley.
Mint-lemon couscous
4 dl couscous flakes
4 dl of water
0.5 dl olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
Zest of 1 lemon, grated
10 mint leaves, chopped
1. Put the couscous crumbs in a bowl. Add salt and olive oil. Mix well.
2. Pour boiling water on top, mix and put the film over the bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature.
3. Mix and add mint and lemon.
Lemon yogurt
250 g of Turkish yogurt
juice of half a lemon
1. Mix yogurt and lemon juice together. Check the taste and serve.
Roasted carrots
4 carrots
8 sprigs of thyme
0.25 dl olive oil
salt
pepper
1. Wash the carrots well and put them on a baking sheet.
2. Sprinkle olive oil, thyme sprigs and spices on top.
3. Roast at 220 degrees in the oven for 20 minutes.
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