Turkish Spiced Cabbage and Minced Lamb Stew with Tomatoes

Turkish Spiced Cabbage and Minced Lamb Stew with Tomatoes

This recipe comes from Rick Stein's new book "Venice to Istanbul".  It's a recipe you might not consider making as it contains cabbage, the much maligned vegetable, but give it a go because it is really delicious and resulted in clean plates all round.  Definitely one to make again.

The ingredients for 4 as per the recipe

45ml olive oil  (I didn't use this)
250g minced lamb
2 medium onions, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp red pepper paste (recipe below but I used Harissa)
½ tsp chilli flakes
4 tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped (I didn't peel)
1 tsp salt
6 turns black pepper mill
375ml water
1 medium Savoy or white cabbage, coarsely chopped.

What I did

First off I bought the minced lamb in the supermarket and there was 475g in the pack.  Quandry..... do I use 250g per the recipe and freeze the rest for some as yet unidentified recipe, probably finding it in the freezer some months later or do I just use the whole pack?  Answer..... I use the whole pack.

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over high heat and fry the minced lamb until brown all over.  (I didn't use the olive oil because I think minced lamb is fatty enough as it is, in fact, I drained some fat off once the meat was browned).

Turn the heat down and add the rest of the olive oil, onions and garlic and stir until softened.  (Again, I didn't use any additional oil here)

Add tomato paste, red pepper paste ( I used Harissa here), chilli flakes, chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes start to break down. Add 250ml water and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 mins.

Add cabbage and the rest of the water (I didn't add any more water as it still seemed quite liquid) Simmer for another 30 mins.  Sprinkle with chilli flakes and serve.

If you want to make the Red Pepper Paste:

660g red peppers
50g tomato paste
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
30 ml olive oil

Roast the peppers for 20-30 mins at 220ºC/Gas 7 until dark and softened. Transfer to a bowl and cover with cling film, leave until cool enough to handle.

Remove the charred skins, stalks and seeds and blitz in a blender with the remaining ingredients.

Store this in a jar, in the fridge for around a week.