Sara Ryan

Last year at this time, I invented a new measurement to express how far one’s Thanksgiving diverges from the media ideal. This year, our holiday is also nontraditional. The menu: lamb stew and tabbouleh. The tabbouleh is from the Nile Spice box, with some fresh mint added. I found a lamb stew recipe on the Internet and messed with it some:

Lamb Stew with Chickpeas, Golden Raisins and Figs

* 1  teaspoon olive oil
* 1 1/2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cubed
* 4 cups onion
* 1/4 cup water
* 5 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon ground coriander
* 1 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
* 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
* 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 32 ounces chicken broth
* 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
* 2 cups baby carrots
* 1 cup golden raisins
* 1/2 cup dried figs, halved
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
* Salt to taste

Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat; coat pan with cooking spray. Sauté lamb until browned. Add onion, 1/4 cup water, and garlic; cook until the onions are softened, scraping the pan to loosen browned bits. Add cumin, coriander, ginger, saffron, allspice, pepper, and cinnamon; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Stir in chickpeas, carrots, raisins, and figs; cover and simmer until carrots are tender. Stir in mint and salt.

We had the stew over couscous, and it was delicious.

For dessert, the one traditional element of the meal: Laurie Colwin’s gingerbread. Over at Paper Fort, that’s one of the things I said I was thankful for. Click that link above to read what else, and what some other Oregon authors had to say.

How were/are your Thanksgivings?