Lamb Braised in Yogurt with Onions and Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds boneless lamb stew meat
• cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• plus more for rubbing
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 large unpeeled cloves garlic
• 5 large ripe tomatoes
• 2 poblano or large jalapeno chiles
• 1 pound white onions
• shredded (4 cups)
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• Splash of red wine vinegar
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 5 cups whole-milk yogurt
• drained overnight through a fine-mesh sieve
• 5 teaspoons cornstarch
• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• for garnish

Instructions

1. Put the lamb in a large self-sealing plastic bag.
2. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade and add to the bag.
3. Marinate the lamb for 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
4. If refrigerated, let come to room temperature for 30 minutes before proceeding.
5. Prepare a medium heat fire (325F) in a wood-fired oven or cooker.
6. Drain the meat and pat dry.
7. Rub it with olive oil and dust with salt and pepper.
8. Roast the garlic, tomatoes, and poblano chiles in a dry cast-iron skillet over high heat until the skins are toasted and blistered.
9. Transfer to a plate and let cool to the touch.
10. Peel and seed the tomatoes and chiles.
11. Finely chop all.
12. Heat the olive oil in a nonreactive skillet over medium heat until it shimmers.
13. Add the onions, cumin, red pepper flakes, allspice, and ginger and saute for 5 minutes.
14. Add the chopped vegetables and vinegar, then place the lamb on top of the mixture.
15. Add 1 1/2 cups of the stock.
16. Spoon some of the onion mixture over the lamb.
17. Cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil and place in the oven to cook for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables have melted slightly.
18. In a separate bowl, combine the drained yogurt and cornstarch.
19. Stir the remaining stock and the drained yogurt mixture into the lamb.
20. Cover and return to the oven to cook for another 30 minutes, or until the lamb is fork-tender.
21. The sauce will look curdled at this point.
22. Transfer the lamb to a plate and use a hand blender to smooth the sauce, then return to medium heat, uncovered, to thicken, about 15 minutes.
23. Add the braised lamb, cover with some of the sauce and return to the oven, uncovered, to heat through.
24. Serve the lamb hot over couscous, topped with the sauce and garnished with parsley.