Falme-Style Lamb Stew
Our next food adventure brings us to Falme, a city along the western coast on Toman Head in the Westlands. I suspect we will see a lot of action in Falme soon (Wheel of Time Season 2 coming September 1st!) so let’s enjoy the good food before it gets too hectic around here. Something about a prophecy… but today we are here for the lamb stew.
Upon arrival in the city, we spend the afternoon wandering before selecting an inn to settle down at. The stone buildings all have smoke curling from the chimneys. We stop at a shop or two and maybe try on a heavy sheepskin coat or a warm woolen dress to keep the chill off (and fit in better with the locals during our visit). We find a perfect spot near the harbor, with a picture of a large roosting sea-bird on the hanging sign. The scent of baking bread entices us to go in and get set up to stay a night or three. From our second-story rooms we can see the large ships with crew bustling about, unloading goods before loading more to continue their coastal trading routes.
We listen to the birds and the general hustle and bustle of the docks. The sun slips into the water of the harbor and we realize that it is time to go back down to the common room for dinner. The pots of lamb stew have been baking for a couple hours, and the whole inn smells wonderful. We sit in the crowded room, sharing a table with other travelers, all humming along to the tunes sung by the evening’s gleeman. The words are different from what we know, but the tunes are familiar and make us feel at home. The stew arrives, served with fresh bread and hot mulled wine or spiced cider. Cheers!
(This is based on a Croatian recipe for Lamb Peka; thanks to Flawless Food for the inspiration. The beautiful mug is from Hughes Pottery – and I’ll show off the rest of it in a future post!)
Falme-Style Lamb Stew
Equipment
- 6+ qt Dutch Oven with lid or other baking dish with oven-safe lid
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb waxy potatoes Yukon Gold or similar, cut into large chunks
- 1 medium zucchini chopped large
- 2 medium carrots chopped large
- 1 medium bell pepper (any color) chopped large
- 1 small eggplant chopped large
- 2-3 cloves fresh garlic chopped finely
- 1 Tbsp tomato puree see note
- ⅓ cup oil + extra 2 Tbsp for the last step
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 ¾ lb shoulder or leg of lamb deboned and cut into nice size chunks or buy already diced
- 1-2 stalks each of fresh thyme, rosemary, and savory (or other fresh herbs you like)
- 1 cup dry white wine (or replace with additional water or broth)
- 1 cup water or broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Place potatoes into a large lidded Dutch Oven or casserole dish.
- Add the zucchini, carrot, bell pepper, eggplant, and onion on top of the potatoes.
- Place diced lamb on top of the vegetables.
- Pour wine and water over lamb and veggies.
- Make marinade: Mix 1/3 cup oil in a bowl with garlic, tomato paste, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the marinade over the top of the lamb and veggies.
- Add the fresh herbs, keeping them on top so you can easily remove the stalks once cooked.
- Place lid on the casserole dish and cook for 90 minutes.
- Take the lid off, remove any thick herb stems. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
- Cook uncovered for an additional 20-30 mins.
