Janjeca Kalja (Lamb and Vegetable Stew)
Ksenija Hotic, Food Photographer, Toronto
“Our family grew up amongst nature, rivers, hills, and mountains. My grandparents and parents owned different parcels of land surrounding our town, and every spring when the land needed a refresh to get ready for the vegetables and grains and so on, my grandparents would hire workers to help with the labour. Upon finishing work, everyone would gather around and grandma would make a stew to help replenish everyone’s strength and to give them energy. This is the dish that was most memorable and one that my father still loves to cook over an open fire. My mom still makes a fluffy bread called maslenica to go along with it. The story goes that the workers always looked forward to working with my grandpa, mostly because of my grandma’s cooking. Go figure.
This stew is a wholesome and filling meal, made with spring lamb back home. Having a good amount of fat on the meat is essential, as that truly distinguishes its flavour. Kalja is known as a peasant or farmer’s meal and it’s the perfect ode to the land and working it in unison with the season and its needs. Enjoy the process and give value and gratitude to all the ingredients in this dish - where they came from, who planted, grew and picked them.
It is in the connection to our food that we find healing and are nurtured properly.”
INGREDIENTS
1.5 lbs lamb (shank/leg/belly/ribs & cut into medium-sized chunks)
100 g lamb fat (cut from the meat above or separately for more flavour)
2 onions (diced)
4 garlic cloves (minced)
2 carrots (coarsely chopped)
20 pieces okra (cut lengthwise, then into small slices)
1 cabbage (cut into half and then quartered into large slices, without core)
1.5 cup diced tomatoes with sauce
4 potatoes (cut into medium-sized chunks)
1 cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
2 tsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp flour (whole wheat/white/spelt)
Salt & pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
METHOD
In a large cooking dish warm up the vegetable oil and add the pieces of lamb fat pieces for 2 minutes, then add the onions for another 5 minutes. Add the carrots and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes.
To this, add the chunks of the lamb meat and cook until the water evaporates from the meat. At that point, add the flour and stir it for another 5 minutes or so, until it is well combined and starts to brown slightly.
Add the smoked paprika, thyme, half the parsley, diced okra and tomatoes in tomato sauce, as well as the salt and pepper. Let everything come to a good boil and add a cup or more of water or vegetable broth (there should be liquid visible towards the top to allow for everything to melt together and cook fully).
Once this reaches a boil, lower to a medium temperature and place the slices of cabbage on top, making a nest for each piece so that it is submerged in the rest of the pot. Ensure the cabbage is submerged in liquid (push down gently if needed) and add a bit more water if needed (you can also use vegetable or beef broth instead if you’d like). Cover and let cook for another 20 minutes.
The last items to add are the cubes of potatoes and the green peas. The same process we used for the cabbage applied to the potatoes - ensure they are submerged in the liquid (stir/move down into place gently and preferably with a thin, wooden spoon). Once they are, taste the broth and adjust the seasoning as needed. You may want to add some heat by adding some chilli oil or flakes.
Let the potatoes combine and cover the pot again and let simmer on low for about 30 minutes, test the potatoes and cabbage to check they’re soft - if so, the dish is ready to eat.
Once the desired taste is reached, top the dish with the remaining chopped parsley and serve over rice or with a side of fluffy bread.
Note: this dish tastes even better the following day. Re-heat and dig in!