Lamb Stew with Spinach and Garbanzo Beans

Before I left on my trip, I decided that I should try and cook my way through some of the dried goods I have sitting in my pantry. Specifically, I wanted to make sure I used up all of the split peas I have before they're past their prime. As an added side bonus, it's always nice to only need to buy one or two things when you're cooking a recipe.

I adapted this recipe a lot based on reviews and prior experience. I also substituted veal for lamb because Maison du Roti didn't have any lamb stew meat pre-cut (and I'm still feeling exceedingly lazy after my trip), but the Metro always has veal stew meat. A brief summary of the other changes: less meat, fresh garlic in place of powder, all of the spices are my addition, 2 cups of dried chickpeas (I'm not sure what that comes out to after they soaked), more broth and sauce, less spinach (the baby spinach I bought was much lighter). I served it all over couscous (recipe to follow).

One year ago: Cornbread Dressing that I wish I had been given the chance to make again this year instead of being forced to eat Morrison's ...

Lamb Stew with Spinach and Garbanzo Beans (liberally adapted from epicurious.com)

Ingredients
570g lamb shoulder or stew meat, cut into 1" pieces (I used 375g veal meat)
salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup 1/2" pieces peeled carrots
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 can chickpeas, drained (I used 2 cups dried, then pre-soaked them)
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup tomato sauce (I used strained tomatoes)
1 tbsp lemon juice
275g spinach leaves (I used a package of baby spinach that was less than that)
cooked couscous

1. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add lamb and sauté until brown, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
3. Add onion, carrots, garlic, and spices and sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Return lamb to dish.
4. Add garbanzo beans, broth, tomato sauce, and lemon juice and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer gently until lamb is tender, about 1 hour.
5. Add spinach to stew. Cover and cook until spinach wilts, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Season stew with salt and pepper. Serve over couscous.