Recipe of the month
Navarin d'agneau - French Spring Lamb stew
Serves 6| Lamb stock: | |
| 500g | lamb bones |
| 1 tbsp | rice oil or other neutral-tasting oil |
| 1.5l | water |
| 1 | onion, peeled and quartered |
| 2 | cloves garlic |
| 2 | sprigs thyme |
| 5 | black peppercorns |
| salt |
| Navarin: | |
| 1 | lamb shoulder, deboned and cut into large cubes, about 5cm |
| salt and pepper | |
| 1 tbsp | rice oil or other neutral-tasting oil |
| 2 cloves | garlic |
| 120ml | white wine |
| 1 can | chopped tomatoes |
| 1 liter | lamb stock |
| Handful thyme sprigs | |
| 16 | new potatoes, scrubbed |
| 12 | young carrots, scrubbed and cut into diagonal chunks |
| 500g | fresh peas in their pods |
Method
Stock: Toss the lamb bones with the oil in a roasting tray and roast in the oven at 200C for about 20 minutes, until browned. Drain off the fat in a sieve, place the bones in a saucepan and cover with the water. Add the onion, crushed garlic with its skin, herbs, salt and peppercorns. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam and fat from the surface. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 1 hour, skimming occasionally. Strain into a bowl through a fine strainer.
Navarin: Season the lamb all over with salt and pepper. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy saucepan. Brown the lamb on all sides, in two batches if necessary. Slice the garlic thinly and, when the last batch of meat is nearly browned, add to the fat and let it cook gently for one minute. Drain the fat off the meat in a colander.
Leave the heat on medium, deglaze the pot with wine, scraping the juices from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine bubble for a minute, then add the tomato and let it cook for another minute or two. Add the lamb and stir to coat with the tomato, then add the stock and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer for 40 minutes (or in the oven at 150C).
After 40 minutes, add the potatoes and carrots to the liquid. Let these cook for 30 minutes until just tender. (The dish can be prepared ahead up to this point and reheated the next day.)
A few minutes before serving the stew, add the fresh peas and simmer until the peas are still bright green but cooked. If you like, you can remove the meat and vegetables to a warm serving dish and boil the sauce to reduce and thicken it.
This stew is delicious served with crusty bread to soak up all the delicious juices!
