Kuzu Güveç - Turkish Lamb Casserole
Kuzu Güveç is a Turkish lamb casserole made with lamb shoulder, vegetables, tomatoes, and red pepper paste. It cooks slowly in the oven until the lamb is tender and the sauce is rich enough to serve with rice, bulgur pilaf, or bread.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 304kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lbs diced shoulder of lamb (800 grams)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 10 button onions (or 2 large onions cut in chunks)
- 1 large eggplant
- 2 Turkish green peppers (or 1 bell pepper or 1 red Romano pepper)
- 1 cup trimmed and cut green beans (150 grams)
- 1 cup tomatoes (grated or blitzed) (200 grams)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon red pepper paste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon flaked chilli (pul biber)
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional, use it if your meat is lean)
- ⅔ cup vegetable stock or chicken stock (150 ml)
Instructions
Prepare Your Vegetables
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
- Peel the button onions (or small shallots) and garlic, and leave them whole.
- Remove the stalks and seeds from the peppers and slice them roughly.
- Peel the aubergines in a zebra pattern and cut them into two-centimetre cubes, similar in size to your lamb.
- Grate the tomatoes or finely blitz them.
Layer the Clay Pot or Dutch Oven
- Place the lamb at the bottom of the dish and sprinkle on ⅓ of the seasoning and spices.
- Mix the vegetables and arrange them on top of the lamb, sprinkle on ⅓ of the spices and seasoning.
- Combine the rest of the seasoning with grated tomatoes, tomato paste, red pepper paste, stock or water, and olive oil in a bowl.
- Pour the sauce over the lamb and vegetables.
Cook the Lamb Guvec
- Cover the dish with a lid. If it doesn't have a lid, cover it first with silicone paper and then tin foil.
- Place the dish in the oven and cook for an hour.
- Remove the lid and cook for another hour, until the meat is soft and tender. Do not stir the dish while cooking.
- Take the Güveç out of the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes before serving. Check the seasoning and adjust it to your taste.
Video
Notes
- Lamb shoulder is the best cut for this recipe. It becomes soft with slow cooking and has good flavor.
- Use less stock than you might expect. The vegetables release liquid as they cook.
- A clay pot is traditional, but a Dutch oven or covered casserole dish works well.
- Keep the dish covered for the first hour, then uncover it so the sauce can reduce.
- Do not stir the dish while it cooks.
- Let the güveç rest before serving so the sauce settles.
- Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
- For the slow cooker, cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Use less stock, as the sauce will not reduce as much.
Nutrition
Calories: 304kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 1154mg | Potassium: 1109mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1074IU | Vitamin C: 70mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 4mg