Recipe #240: Exotic Lamb Stew

I found this recipe in one of my neglected cookbooks and was intrigued by the odd ingredients.  I can't come up with a better name for it than the one provided by the book, but after eating this, I think it's closer to a tagine than a regular stew.  It was DELICIOUS.  The varied textures provided by the soft lamb cubes and the crunchy cashews and the basmati rice made me wind up eating way too much of this.  The flavor of the sauce is hard to describe- warm, citrus-y, exotic...  It reminds me of this recipe for beef tagine somewhat.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup peanut oil (I don't think you need quite this much- maybe two turns around the pot)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 lbs boneless lamb shoulder, finely chopped (I found some already-cubed lamb stew meat)
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup walnuts, very finely chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or stock (I added about 1/4 more during cooking to prevent any sticking)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup pomegranate juice
3 tablespoons lemon juice
8 oz canned chestnuts
Basmati rice

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened, 5 minutes.

Add the lam and turmeric and saute over high heat until the lamb is browned all over, 7-8 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in the saffron, cinnamon, and walnuts.  Pour in the broth and add the tomato paste.  Mix well and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer over low heat, 1- 1 1/2 hours, until lamb is tender.

Add the pomegranate juice, lemon juice, and chestnuts.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes more.  Serve hot over the basmati rice.