From Maria Gueriera

One holiday, would you believe it? I had no planned menu and found myself expecting nine guests. I had just three hours to come up with a small feast. This is what became the main course. I know—it looks like a tajine in the photo, but no, this is my own Levantine receipe. 

Maria Gueriera's Lamb StewIngredients:
boneless lamb shoulder roast, preferably free-range, 2-2 ½ lbs.
1½ tablespoons butter
35-40 oz. organic diced tomatoes - fresh or canned
16-18 medium-sized fresh green olives - pitted
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 large onion - diced
3 cloves garlic- roughly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint
fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut lamb shoulder into bite sized pieces. Trim as much fat as possible. (Meat may appear marbled, but fat will cook off when stewing and is needed for flavor.)

In large stew pot, melt butter, and add lamb pieces. Brown lamb, then remove from pot and put on plate with paper towels.

Sauté onions in leftover fat and butter. After onions become translucent, add garlic pieces, diced tomatoes and browned lamb pieces. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

When simmering, add green olives and cinnamon. Simmer for approximately 1 ½ hours; stir occasionally, and add water if necessary.

Add mint and ground black pepper toward the end of simmering time.

Makes about 6 servings. Serve with brown or wild rice or black quinoa.

Maria Gueriera is a nutritional cooking consultant and chef in the San Francisco Bay Area specializing in healthy Mediterranean and Levantine cuisine. Her cooking is influenced by her Italian-Armenian heritage, and Hippocrates' sage advice, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."