Curried Lamb with Parsnips and Cilantro

Dry lamb with paper towels; generously salt and pepper it. Heat a deep, heavy pot over medium-high flame several minutes. Add a little olive oil and swirl to coat pot bottom. Working in batches (don’t crowd the pot), brown lamb well on all sides, transferring browned pieces to a plate and adding additional oil to the pot as needed.

When all the meat is browned, pour off or add oil to the pot to get a total of about 2 tablespoons. Reduce heat to medium, add onions and sauté them until golden, about 10 minutes.

Add garlic, ginger, curry, cumin, garam masala and cayenne; stir mixture over the heat a minute or two.

Return lamb to pot. Stir in ketchup or tomato sauce and enough stock to barely cover the ingredients. Bring to simmer, skimming off froth that rises to the surface.

Cover pot; reduce heat to very low. Slowly simmer the stew, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender, 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Raise heat to medium, add parsnips and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Make a slurry by mixing the flour with 2 tablespoons water. Stir this into the simmering stew to thicken it. Cook a few more minutes, then add salt and pepper to taste. (The stew is most delicious if you let it come to room temperature at this point and reheat it later, but you can also finish and serve it right away.)

To serve, add peas to the stew and heat through. Stir in lime juice and most of the cilantro. Serve immediately over rice, garnishing each portion with yogurt and more cilantro.