BRAISED LAMB WITH HONEY AND ALMONDS

Braised Lamb With Honey And Almonds image

Provided by Mark Bittman

Time 1h30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 pounds boneless lamb, from shoulder or leg, cut into 1- to 2-inch chunks
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, optional
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground caraway
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel, optional
1 cup chicken or beef stock
1 cup whole blanched almonds
Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish
Fresh lemon juice to taste

Steps:

Put oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until quite soft, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and raise heat to medium-high. Add lamb chunks and adjust heat so pieces brown rapidly without burning. Season meat with salt and pepper as it browns.
Turn off heat and wait for pan to cool a bit; pour off excess fat. Turn heat back to medium and add honey; cook, stirring, until honey has thinned and coated lamb. Stir in garlic, then add spices, reserved onions and the stock. Cover and simmer until meat is tender, an hour or more.
Meanwhile, put almonds in a skillet, in one layer. Cook over medium heat, shaking skillet, until lightly browned and fragrant.
Taste meat mixture and adjust seasoning as necessary. Stir in almonds and serve, sprinkled with a few drops of lemon juice and garnished with the parsley