Lamb Stew

After trying a variety of lamb stew recipes, this is the recipe that we’ve settled on. It’s traditional in many ways but the orange peel and cloves give this hearty dish a nice twist. It has been adapted from the “Nourishing Traditions” cookbook by Sally Fallon.

INGREDIENTS

1 leg of lamb, cut into 2” pieces, or about 2 lbs. of stew meat pre-cut

1 cup of red wine

3 Tbs. butter

3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

3-4 cups beef or lamb stock

2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. peppercorns, crushed

1/2 tsp. whole cloves

several small pieces of orange peel

4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

2 Tbs. tomato paste

2 Tbs. arrowroot powder mixed with 2 Tbs. water

sea salt and pepper

1 lb. turnips, peeled and diced

1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

1 lb. small pearl onions or regular onions cut in chunks, sauté in butter

DIRECTIONS:

Marinate the lamb in wine for several hours or overnight. Reserving the wine, remove the meat and dry off well with paper towels so the meat will properly brown. In a heavy casserole with a lid, brown the meat in batches in butter and olive oil then remove to a plate. Pour out browning oil and add stock, wine used in the marinade and tomato paste. Bring to a boil and skim. Add peppercorns, cloves, orange peel and garlic. Return meat to casserole along with the lamb bone if you have it, cover and bake at 300 degrees for several hours or until meat is tender. Forty minutes before serving, add turnips and carrots to the casserole. Just before serving, add arrowroot mixture, spoonful by spoonful, until desired thickness of sauce is obtained. Remove bone and season to taste. Add the sautéed onions and enjoy!