Lamb and Apples with Pistachios

• Makes 6 servings
• Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1¾ pounds (860 g) boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1½-inch (4-cm) cubes
  • Fine sea salt
  • 1½ pounds (675 g) white onions, cut into eighths
  • 1 tablespoon Turkish pepper paste (biber salcasi)
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) tomato paste
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground allspice
  • 4 medium (about 3 ounces/90g each) firm, tart apples or quince, peeled, cored, and cut into 1½-inch (4-cm) cubes
  • 1/3 cup (55 g) pistachios, lightly toasted
  • 1 small, firm, moderately tart apple, preferably with very red skin, cored, skin on, very thinly sliced, for garnish
  • Fleur de sel (optional)
• Instructions:
  1. Place the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat and add the lamb. Season it lightly with salt and brown it on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove the lamb from the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and add the onions. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are golden and softened, about 10 minutes. If the onions are sticking, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water to the pan.
  2. While the onions are cooking, whisk together ½ cup (125 ml) filtered water, the pepper paste, and the tomato paste.
  3. Return the lamb to the pan with the onions and the tomato paste and pepper paste mixture. Add the allspice, some salt, and the apples and stir well, scraping up any browned juices from the bottom of the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat so it is simmering merrily, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lamb and apples are tender through, about 1½ hours. Check occasionally to be sure there is enough liquid in the pan that the meat and onions aren’t sticking and add a bit more if necessary.
  4. When the meat is tender, remove it from the heat. Taste for seasoning. At this point you may let this dish sit for several hours and then reheat it. It will just become more flavorful as it sits. If, once you are ready to serve it, it is soupy, increase the heat to medium-high and reduce the cooking juices until they are slightly thickened.
  5. About 5 minutes before serving, stir the pistachios into the dish. Set the apple slices for the garnish in the dish, laying them atop it, cover the dish, and let it sit for 5 minutes. The slices will steam just slightly in that time and absorb a bit of flavor from the sauce.
  6. To serve, carefully remove the apple slices and set them aside. Evenly divide the dish among six shallow soup bowls. Delicately arrange the apple slices atop each serving, so the colorful skin shows. Season with fleur de sel if desired and serve.

Note: This is traditionally made with quince, but because they are hard to find, I adapted the recipe for apples. By all means, use quince if you have them. If using apples, try a firm variety such as Cox Orange Pippin, Fuji, or Pink Lady. The garnish of apple slices may seem tricky or fussy, but the slices atop this dish are beautiful against the lamb and the green of the pistachios. The apple garnish fits just as well if you’ve used quince in the recipe.