Persian Sauce with Herbs and Lamb

This scrumptious dish uses healthy ingredients in a new and exotic way, making it a favorite with guests. In addition, the use of dried limes infuses a tangy blast into this already savory and rich taste of Iran.

The sauce is a beautiful mixture of nutritious herbs, meat, vegetables and legumes. Though at three hours, the cooking time seems relatively long, it is essential for a full melding of flavors to be achieved. Once all the ingredients are combined, the stewing process begins and the end result is well worth the wait.

Gormeh Sabzi should be served over Persian steamed rice with potato crust. This dish can be a colorful and immensely satisfying addition to any summer feast.

Gormeh Sabzi (lamb sauce with potatoes, beans, herbs and dried limes)

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon (freshly squeezed)
• 3 bunches parsley (washed and chopped)
• 3 bunches coriander (washed and chopped)
• 1 or 2 bunches of spinach
• 5 potatoes (washed and chopped)
• 5 dried limes
• 1 cup leg or shoulder of lamb (with fat removed and cut into cubes)
• 2 pinches ground fenugreek (or handful of seeds)
• 1 cup black eyed peas
• 3 onions (Spanish cooking)
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 3-4 tbsp vegetable cooking oil

Cooking Method:

1. Pre-soak black eyed peas in 3 to 4 cups of water for 8 hours or more uncovered.
2. Place prepared parsley, coriander, and spinach in pot with a little water over low heat to wilt a bit. Remove from pot and set aside.
3. On medium heat brown the onions in oil and a dash of salt. Add pepper and turmeric. Push onions to side of pot and lightly brown the outside of the lamb chunks in the centre of the pot. (Don’t over-cook since the meat will be stewed later after all the ingredients are added.) Mix the lamb with the onions.
4. Add the wilted greens to the onion mixture.
5. Mix in pre-soaked black eyed peas and chopped potatoes.
6. Add water so that it reaches just below the level of the entire mixture.
7. Stir in fenugreek, dried limes and a bit more salt.
8. Bring to boil then reduce heat to low and allow mixture to simmer for 3 hours.
9. Add lemon to sauce for taste.
10. One hour before the sauce is finished cooking, start preparing Persian steamed rice.

This dish adds a splash of gorgeous green color to any table. It is best served over steamed rice along with a freshly prepared garden salad. However, if one is not able to eat rice, the sauce may always be eaten as it is alongside the salad.

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