Info
- Course: Main Course
- Skill Level: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Favorited: 46 Times
Can be made ahead of time.
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Lamb with White Beans and Tomatoes
Cookbook
A Caucasian Armenian dish, pastiner is made from cubed lamb, tomatoes, and one other vegetable, and finished in the oven. The recipe with white beans is an Armenian equivalent of chili – one of these dishes in which a little meat and some beans will stretch a long way to satisfy a hungry crowd, or feed a family for a few days. It produces a cassoulet-like dish with very little effort and a fraction of the expense. Its taste only improves with time, so you can refrigerate or freeze it. Serve with rice or bulgur and a salad.
Yield : Serves 6 to 8 over rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried white beans (white kidney, Great Northern, or baby limas), soaked overnight in water to cover and drained
- Salt, to taste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless lean lamb shoulder, cut into ½-inch dice
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 medium-size onions, chopped
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika
- ¾ cup beef stock
- 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 can (14½ ounces) Italian plum tomatoes, drained but juices reserved, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
- 1 small green chili pepper, cored, seeded, and diced (wear rubber gloves)
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika, plus additional for garnish
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus additional for garnish
- Hot cooked rice or bulgur
Directions
1. In a large pot, bring the beans and 6 cups water to a boil over high heat, periodically skimming off the foam as it rises to the top. Add salt, reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot. Simmer until the beans are almost tender, about 40 minutes or more, depending on the beans.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large heatproof casserole over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and brown on all sides. Transfer the lamb to a plate and pour off the oil.
3. Add the butter to the casserole and melt over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté, stirring frequently, until softened and lightly colored, about 10 minutes. Return the lamb to the casserole and add salt, ½ teaspoon hot paprika, and the stock. Simmer the lamb, covered, over low heat until tender, about 1 hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
5. Drain off the liquid from the lamb and degrease, if it seems fatty. Dilute the tomato paste in the liquid and return the mixture to the lamb.
6. Add the beans, tomatoes and their liquid, the green bell pepper, chili pepper, garlic, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, remaining hot paprika to taste,1 tablespoon lemon juice, pepper, and more salt if needed. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and place in the oven for 40 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat, add more lemon juice, if desired, and stir in the 1/3 cup parsley. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
8. Transfer the mixture to a serving dish and sprinkle with sweet paprika and additional parsley. Serve over rice or bulgur.
Notes
The Armenians are very casual about what they put into their lamb stews. In winter it might be dried beans, such as in this recipe; spring would bring tender spinach. In summer it might be a medley of tomatoes, eggplants, and green beans, while the fall is the season for pumpkin and squash: To the meat add 1 pound cubed pumpkin or butternut squash, lightly sautéed in butter, instead of the beans. Omit the peppers and use a dash of cinnamon and ground cumin for seasoning.
© 1990 Anya von Bremzan and John Welchman
Nutritional Information
Nutrients per serving
Nutritional information is based on 8 servings and does not include rice or bulgur to serve over.
555 kcal
10 % daily value
68 % daily value
2 % daily value
1200 mg
105 mg
32 g
5 g
9 g
37 g
92 mg
493 mg
13 g
32 g
33 % daily value
