Summer Lamb Stew Recipes

SPRING LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Generously sprinkle the leg of lamb with salt and pepper.
• Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over a medium-high heat. In two batches, brown the lamb all over and remove to a plate, 4 to 6 minutes per batch.
• Add the onions, carrots and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then cook for a minute or two. Add the tomato paste and stir. Deglaze with the red wine and beef stock, scraping the bottom of the pot. Stir in the rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Return the lamb to the pot and bring to a simmer.
• Place the lid on the pot and roast until the meat is very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Sprinkle over the parsley and serve.

GREEK LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Into the largest saucepan or casserole you have that will go into the oven, pour 3 tablespoons of the oil. Brown the meat in batches over high heat and remove with a slotted spoon to a plate nearby. You may need more oil as you do this. The onions will certainly need it, so pour the remaining oil or add more, add the onions, sprinkling a little salt over them and cook then until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, celery, thyme, and oregano. After a couple of minutes or so, when the smell of garlic wafts up, remove half the mixture. Add the meat to the mixture in the pan, cover with the remaining half, add the bay leaves, carrots, tomatoes, stock and wine. I use a big but flattish casserole and this amount of liquid covers the meat, but if you find you need more liquid, add water- you want a lot of liquid, because you will, eventually, be cooking some pasta in it. Bring to a boil, remove scum, and let bubble for about 3 minutes. Then cover, transfer to the oven, and bake for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or cook on a very low heat. The meat should be tender and yielding. Remove the carrots (and eat, cook's treat) and bay leaves, too, if you want, and season, to taste, with the salt and pepper.
• Of course you can proceed to the final stage now, but I am presuming you're not going to. In which case, let the stew cool and keep it in the refrigerator until you want it. Skim the fat off the top, and do remember to take it out of the refrigerator a good 1 to 2 hours before you cook it again. You can reheat this in the oven, but because the pasta will be put in on the stove, I tend to heat it there. Make sure the stew is piping hot. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. When it boils, add the salt and then pasta. Cook this until it's nearly but not quite cooked; it should have a couple of minutes still to go.
• Then drain the pasta and add it quickly to the bubbling juices in the casserole, making sure first that there are enough bubbling juices. You don't want the meat to be drowned, but you want enough for the pasta to be covered. The pasta will absorb some of the liquid as it finishes cooking, of course.
• In a couple of minutes, the pasta should be cooked. Crumble some feta and put in a bowl with the chopped parsley, oregano, or basil. Stir to combine and then leave the spoon with it, so that people can sprinkle the herb-spiked cheese over the stew as they wish. Ladle the stew into shallow soup bowls.

LAMB STEW WITH LEMON AND THYME

Steps:

• Cut the lamb into one-and-a-half-inch cubes and trim off the fat. Pat the cubes dry with paper towels and sprinkle with flour.
• Heat the oil in a heavy casserole and brown the lamb cubes on all sides.
• Remove and add the shallots, leeks, garlic and thyme. Brown lightly and return the lamb cubes to the casserole.
• Add the stock, white wine, lemon juice, salt, pepper, herb bouquet and lemon peel. Scrape up the cooking juices, bring them to a boil and turn the heat down to medium low. Place the cover on the pan slightly askew.
• Cook for 45 minutes to an hour, until the lamb is tender. Correct seasoning and serve.

TRADITIONAL LAMB STEW

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, brown meat in 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Remove with a slotted spoon; set aside. Add the onions, carrots and remaining oil to pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until onions are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes, broth, salt, pepper and lamb; bring to a boil. , Remove from the heat. Cover and bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until meat and vegetables are tender., With a slotted spoon, remove meat and vegetables to a large bowl; set aside and keep warm. Pour pan juices into another bowl; set aside. , In the Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in pan juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the parsley, chives, thyme, and meat and vegetables; heat through.

SAVORY LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Heat two tablespoons oil in a heavy casserole. Add the lamb, a little at a time, and brown pieces on both sides, removing as they brown.
• Add remaining oil to the casserole and add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic and saute over medium heat until vegetables are lightly browned. Stir in flour and cook a minute or so, then stir in wine.
• Return the meat to the pan, stir, then add the remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cover and simmer until the lamb is tender, about two hours. Check seasonings before serving.

GREEK LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 150°C, gas mark 2. Cut the meat into 6cm pieces.
• Heat a large lidded flameproof casserole dish and add a tablespoon of oil. Brown the meat all over in batches, then remove and set aside.
• Add the remaining oil to the dish, stir in the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until beginning to soften. Leaving the top intact, split the chilli along its length, this adds flavour to the stew without too much heat. Stir in the chilli, sliced garlic and rosemary, and increase the heat. Pour in the wine and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and reduce the heat.
• Return the lamb and juices to the dish, stir through the black olives and bring to a simmer. Season, then cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the lamb is really tender.
• Remove the chilli and rosemary, and discard. Set the stew aside to cool.
• To Serve, bring the stew to a simmer on the hob. Add the pasta (make sure its broken into small pieces otherwise it will stick together in lumps) and cook for 3-5 minutes until tender, and the lamb is thoroughly heated. Ladle the stew onto plates and serve scattered with the feta and mint sprigs.
• Delicious with a fennel and orange salad