This week's French Garden recipe

People who know me would tell you that it's hard to tell which I like more: gardening or cooking. I'd say it depends on which I'm doing at the moment. Anyway, French cooking and French gardening go hand in hand. For me, cooking is an on-going adventure. Join me here on my culinary explorations, where I share with you both my old favorites as well as new inspirations. It's my fondest wish that these recipes serve as a springboard for your own new creations.

09/11/2008
Lamb tagine with purslane and fava beans   Clay pot 

Ingredients:

To serve 4:

2.5-3 lb. lamb shoulder, boned and cut in 2" chunks
2 T butter
2 onions, grated
1 onion, peeled and cut in half crosswise, then sliced vertically
1-2 t. ground cumin
1 t ground ginger
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1 t turmeric
1 1/2 t. ground sweet red pepper or paprika
pinch to 1/4 t. ground hot pepper such as Turkish or Alep
2-3 t. seasalt
2 lbs. fresh fava beans, shelled, blanched and peeled (see recipe)
2-2 1/2 lbs purslane (see note below)
6 stems flat-leaf parsley and 6 stems cilantro tied with a string
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
Squeeze of fresh lemon

This recipe should be made in a fireproof earthenware pot with a lid.  The best is an Ourika unglazed tagine pot, but other earthenware pots will do.  If you don't have an earthenware pot, you can make this in an enameled castiron dutch oven over very low heat, but you will need to add water during the cooking process as the liquid boils away.  In a clay pot, no additional liquid is needed, except perhaps at the end to adjust sauce consistency.  The instructions are for cooking in a clay pot.

Melt the butter over low heat in your pot.  Add the grated onion, half the cumin, half the sweet red pepper, and all the other spices and salt, and the meat.  Turn the meat in the onion spice mixture to coat it thoroughly.  Nestle the herb bouquet among the meat chunks. Cover the pot, keeping the heat very low, and cook about 1.5 hours, until the meat is tender.  Add the onion slices, toss gently, cover and cook 20-30 more minutes.  The meat should be very tender.

Meanwhile, prepare the favas and the purslane.  Shell the favas and cook them in boiling water 1-2 minutes.  Drain, refresh with cold water, and peel the beans one by one by slitting their skins at the end of the bean with the "suture line" and using your thumb and forefinger to squeeze out the bean.  Reserve.

Wash the purslane in several changes of water and dry in a salad spinner.  Pick off the leaves and the tender growing tips with your fingers; discard the stems.

Remove the parsley-cilantro bouquet from the meat.  Add the purslane, the remaining sweet red pepper and cumin, and toss gently.  Cover and cook just until the purslane wilts and turns emerald green.  Add the favas, toss gently, correct the seasoning, cover and allow to heat through 1-2 minutes.  Brighten the flavors with the lemon juice, sprinkle with chopped cilantro, and serve.

Note\:  Purslane is a succulent plant that grows as a weed in waste areas and most gardens.  It  has a mild, slightly acidulous taste and is incredibly good for you--rich in oligoelements and in Omega-3 fatty acid.  If by some chance you don't have purslane growing as a weed, you can always grow some.  And you should.

This is a delicious tagine that is truly "beldi"--country-style.  The silky purslane leaves make a wonderful contrast to the toothsome favas.  If you can't find fresh favas, you can substitute 1 c. dried garbanzo beans, soaked and cooked until tender, then drained.

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Products of Interest:
Wild purslane
Elegant daubière

Fava 'de Seville'

Try some of our past French garden recipes:

Appetizers and small dishes

Basics

Beef, pork, lamb, and veal