Summac powder is avaialbe at Mid-Eastern grocers as a spice. It is essential - no substitutions -as nothing else tastes like it and it gives the stew a distinctive flavor . This dish requires about 1 hour of stove top time to prepare and one hour cooking time but no preparation time before you are ready to start cooking.
Ingredients:
1 1/4 lbs lamb stew - shoulder or neck with bones
2 Large Onions - peeled and coarsely sliced
1 Large Eggplant - peeled some ( perhaps 1/4 to skin removed) - ends trimmed and cut into large chungs
2 lbs. potatoes - washed, cleaned and cut into big section - small potatoes just cut in half
4 Medium carrots - peeled, trimmed and cut into chunks
2 stalks celery - cleaned and discarded just before serving
1/8 Cup Summac powder, 3/4 t. sea salt, 1/2 t. ground black pepper, 1/8 t. (1/4 for spicy) Hot Pepper Flakes, 3 medium bay leaves
350 degree Oven needs to be hot for covered cast iron pot approximately one hour after starting the stew.
 | 1. Wash lamb and add to a large cast iron pot with some olive oil on the bottom. Turn heat to high and cook, turning frequently until browned and pink is gone from the meat. |
 | 2. Add onions and cook until tender and translucent. |
 | 3. Add eggplant chunks, cover and cook still at high heat. After 5 minutes or so pot might start browning along edge. In this photo the food has been pushed a bit to the side to show that just enough water has been added so bottom is not scorching food. Cover and cook an additional 5 minutes until eggplant has become half its original size/ |
 | 4. Add chunks of carrots and continue cooking with just enough water to cover the bottom of the pot. |
 | 5. Add celery and spices. Add water approximately 1/2 the height of the food and bring to a boil. Put in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. |
 | 6. Finished stew with almost all liquid absobed by the food. Note potatoes are intact and meat is browned. Celery and bay leaves have been discarded. This is not the most visually exciting stew. However. the taste is unforgettable and this dish has turned into a requested and frequently repeated recipe. |
