Tava

Name: Tava
Ingredients: 2 red onions cut half and then each half into four half moons; 2 1/4 pounds potatoes cut into large chunks; 2 1/4 pounds lamb cut into chunks, or about 12 lamb loin chops; 4 tablespoons flat leaf parsley chopped, plus extra for garnish; 3 teaspoons cumin seeds heaped; salt; pepper; 1/2 cup olive oil; 5 tomatoes ripe, cut into thick slices; 3 1/2 tablespoons butter; 1/2 cup water

11 ingredients

11 steps

Ingredients

2 red onions cut half and then each half into four half moons
2 1/4 pounds potatoes cut into large chunks
2 1/4 pounds lamb cut into chunks, or about 12 lamb loin chops
4 tablespoons flat leaf parsley chopped, plus extra for garnish
3 teaspoons cumin seeds heaped
salt
pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
5 tomatoes ripe, cut into thick slices
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup water

Directions

1

Preheat the oven to 180C.
2

Toss together the onions, potatoes, lamb, parsley, cumin seeds, salt, pepper and olive oil in a large baking dish (about 2.5 litre capacity).
3

Put the sliced tomatoes, in a single layer over the top of the meat and vegetables.
4

Pour the water down the side of the dish and dob the butter here and there over the tomatoes.
5

Sprinkle the tomatoes with a little more salt.
6

Cover the dish with foil, and, if you are like me, you will first use a layer of baking paper.
7

Put this in the oven and forget about it for 2 hours.
8

Uncover the dish, and tip the dish to one side and spoon some of the juices over the tomatoes and vegetables.
9

Bump up the oven temperature to 200C.
10

Put the dish back in the oven, and bake for about 20 minutes, check it, and turn it about to help brown the meat and potatoes - the tomatoes will have shrunk down and intensified in flavour somewhat. Put it back in the oven for another 20 minutes or so.
11

Remove from oven, sprinkle over some parsley and serve warm with a light salad (I just dressed it with lemon juice) and bread if desired.