Slow Cooker Persian Inspired Lamb and Herb Stew with Roasted Spaghetti Squash

I always miss the opportunity to post something around holidays that celebrate food.  But, not this time! Happy Persian New Year!   Honestly, until I married a Persian man, I didn’t really know very much about Persian cuisine.  OK, I really didn’t know anything.  All I can say is, if you haven’t tried this type of cuisine, you’re seriously missing out.

This month’s Recipe Redux challenge had us post about a dish that reminds us of Spring time.  Nowruz always falls on the exact moment of the Spring equinox, so you can’t get more officially Spring than that!  Translated to “new day”,  Nowruz celebrates new beginnings that come with a new year and the renewal of nature.

So what is the flavor profile of Persian cuisine?  Flavorful ingredients include saffron, rose water, pistachios, flatbreads, yogurt, fresh herbs, shallot, pomegranate, spices such as cinnamon, turmeric and cardamom, roasted and stewed meats, and don’t even get me started on the basmati rice. Persian rice is cooked with butter and forms the most delicious crunchy crust called tahdig.  Add a handful of  tiny sweet and sour dried fruits called barbarries and you have zereshk polo.  Delicious!!!  I’m also going on record to say that Persian ice cream is better than Italian gelato.  

Gormeh sabzi is a very popular dish in Iran and often eaten during  Persian New Year, or Nowruz. Translated in English to mean “fried herbs”, this dish is delicious.  Let me just say , my recipe is NOT a 100% authentic and traditional gormeh sabzi.  My intention is not 100% authenticity, but rather, to take the flavors of a beautiful dish and make it more accessible for those not familiar with Persian cooking.  Of course, since this recipe is for The Recipe Redux, I added a healthy twist which you’ll find out about soon if you keep reading.  I’m giving you this disclaimer paragraph because my husband seems to think that I’ve gone insane by trying to make anything other than what would come from his mama’s kitchen.

Traditionally, one of the ingredients in gormeh sabzi is a dried lime called limoo amani.  Unless you live in Los Angeles where I’m from, or in a city with Middle Eastern markets, this ingredient is going to be hard to find.  Therefore, I’m breaking from tradition and using lemon juice instead so you don’t have to stress out over finding the dried citrus.  I also omitted the fenugreek because I couldn’t find it at Ralphs, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s or Sprouts and if I can’t get all of my ingredients from one market, then it’s just not happening! 

There is a very large quantity of herbs in this dish, so if chopping isn’t your thang, don’t be ashamed to use the food processor.  Be sure to pulse the herbs until chopped rather than pureeing them.

I wanted to use meat as more as a condiment rather than the focal point of the dish.  When I was doing research, I saw that many recipes had 2 lbs of meat for 4 people.  That’s a ½ pound  (8 ounces) of meat per person which is totally unnecessary for the average person.  1 portion of meat is considered to be about 3-4 ounces.  Plus, there’s beans in the dish, so don’t worry. You’re not going to miss out on protein.

Even in Iran, there are multiple versions of this dish.  The type of beans can differ, beef or lamb may be used, tomato and fenugreek may or may not be added, and herbs may be minced or more roughly chopped. So even with the “authentic” version of this dish, there’s still a number of different ways the stew can be made.

Big disclaimer here: I’m going to break with tradition a couple more times. 

Rather than simmer the stew on the stove for hours, I decided to use the slow cooker.  The next way I’m getting a little cray cray is by not serving the dish with rice.  Say what???  As I type this, I can just imagine the look of horror and disgust on my husband’s face. I will never forget the conversation I had with him when I told him that I wasn’t serving rice with this dish.  Let’s just say that it wasn’t pretty and he told me “don’t even think of doing this.”  Well, I’m a typical stubborn Taurus and when people say don’t do something, I usually do the opposite!    I adore Persian style rice, but I want to make this dish my own and healthify  it by serving it on top of roasted spaghetti squash.  There are lot of folks out there who want to lessen the number of carbs they eat, whether voluntarily or because they medically need to due to a disease state such as diabetes or even food allergies and sensitivities. 

Our conversation really got me thinking about authenticity.  The universe then decided to add to my musings the very next day via the Netflix series Ugly Delicious. In the very first episode, Chef David Chang talks about pizza and authenticity. At one point he asks Wolfgang Puck if authenticity is overrated. Puck explains that America is a melting pot of cultures and that there’s nothing wrong with melding cuisines together.  I completely agree.  Why does a dish have to be 100% authentic to be good? If the owners of the Kogi Korean BBQ food truck in Los Angeles hadn’t lent Korean flavors to traditional Mexican food, we wouldn’t have Korean short rib tacos and quesadillas with kimchi.   The combo is amazing.  It makes people upset when you challenge tradition, but a food becomes special when it becomes your own.  By making it your best with the ingredients you have, I believe you pay homage to a culture rather than insulting it.  

So, dear husband, I have stated my case in favor of good food that is my own.   Not of total authenticity, but of good food.  Now, try my stew so I don’t have to keep eating it by myself! 🙂

Slow Cooker Persian Inspired Lamb and Herb Stew with Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Print Recipe

This is my Americanized version of the popular Persian dish gormeh sabzi. This lamb and herb stew is traditionally served with Persian style white basmati rice, but I created a healthier, yet still delicious, version paired with roasted spaghetti squash.

• Author: TastyBalance Nutrition
• Yield: About 6 Cups of stew; 4-6 Servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3/4 cup dried kidney beans, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 bunches of parsley (about 6 packed cups of leaves)
• 1 large bunch cilantro ( about 1–1/2 packed cups of leaves)
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced (both white and green parts) (about 1–1/4 cups)
• 1 lb leg of lamb steak, cut into 1″ pieces, fat trimmed (beef can also be used)
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1–1/2 cups)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped (about 2 tsp)
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2–1/2 cups chicken stock, divided (low or reduced sodium if possible)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Roasted spaghetti squash – To get 4 cups of cooked squash, you’ll want to use about a 2-1/2 lb squash (Recipe Here)

Instructions

1. Finely chop the parsley leaves, cilantro leaves and green onions with a knife, or pulse in the food processor until finely chopped, but not pureed. With this amount of herbs, you’ll want to pulse in 2 batches.
2. Heat a large skillet (12 inches) over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Add the chopped parsley, cilantro, and green onions. Saute for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Transfer herbs to a slow cooker.
3. Pat the lamb cubes with a paper towel. Heat the same skillet on high heat. Add 1 Tablespoon oil to the skillet. Once oil is hot, add the meat and allow to brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer meat to the slow cooker.
4. Turn heat down to medium and add the last 1 Tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Once oil is hot add the onions and garlic and saute until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the turmeric and tomato paste and continue to cook for 3 more minutes, stirring frequently . Transfer the onions to the slow cooker.
5. Turn the heat back on high and add 1 cup of chicken stock to the skillet and scrape the caramelized bits off the bottom of the pan. Add this liquid to the crockpot plus 1-1/2 more cups of stock.
6. Add the soaked beans, salt and lemon juice to the slow cooker and stir to combine everything.
7. Cook on low setting for 8 hours.
8. Serve over roasted spaghetti squash and add more lemon if desired.

Notes

This stew freezes very well.

Keywords: stew, slow cooker, crockpot, lamb, nut free, dairy free, gluten free