A navarin of spring lamb is good for the soul.
New season spring lamb has started to arrive, and the weather is still cold enough to enjoy light casseroles or stews. Both recipes use the delectable sweet meat of the shoulder, so ask your butcher to bone them out for you, and to chop the meat as well. If you can, avoid those mysterious black trays in the supermarket that say “stewing lamb”, because who knows what’s in there.
Both these stews are good for the soul, and great restoratives when you’re under the weather.
The French have some wonderful names for stews. A veal stew is a blanquette, a beef stew can be a daube, chicken is fricassée, and a stew of lamb is a navarin.
Made with meat stock, a navarin looks quite beige, so to avoid this I use a little cream to lighten it, then add the vegetables at the last minute to provide more colour. Do not bone the neck chops and do not worry if not all the vegetables are available, as they are only a guide to what is possible.
The addition of sugar is unusual, but I use it to help caramelise the meat, giving it a touch of sweetness.
Navarin of Lamb with Globe Artichokes and Young Vegetables
50g unsalted butter
1 boned shoulder of lamb, cut into 5cm
pieces
500g lamb neck chops
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a pinch of sugar
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 large onion, finely sliced
30g flour
200ml dry white wine
1 litre chicken stock
3 garlic cloves, smashed
200ml cream
3 globe artichoke hearts, either fresh
or canned
12 young carrots
12 young turnips
12 baby onions
12 small new potatoes
12 asparagus spears
4 young leeks, trimmed and cut into thirds
Preheat the oven to 180?C. Melt the butter in a frying pan over a high heat, then add the lamb pieces and brown on all sides, seasoning with salt and pepper as you do so. Sprinkle the sugar over and let it caramelise to a golden brown. Remove the lamb from the pan and put it into a sieve over a bowl to allow the juices to drain off.
Put the prepared carrot and onion into the pan and cook until soft, then stir in the flour. Cook for 3-5 minutes until it turns pale gold, then pour in the wine and stock. Return the lamb to the pan, cover with a lid and place in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the pieces of meat and keep them warm. Use a spoon to scoop any fat off the surface of the stock, and reduce the liquid until it becomes syrupy. Add the cream, bring the sauce to a gentle simmer for 3 minutes, then strain through a sieve into a clean frying pan or bowl. Add the lamb pieces, pour into a serving dish, cover and keep warm.
Cook the artichokes, young vegetables, baby onions, potatoes and asparagus in aggressively boiling salted water for 5 minutes until tender. (If you are using canned artichokes, drain and rinse them first then add to the drained vegetables to warm through.) Drain the vegetables, season with salt and pepper and add to the lamb. Serve with crusty bread.
Serves 6.
THIS DISH IS SERIOUSLY good. Imagine meltingly soft meat, full of fragrant aromatic spices and dried fruits. Tagine pots can either be expensive or cheap. I own two: one cost $18, the other $90. Both work equally well, with no difference in the eventual taste, and both look great on the dining table. The tagine’s conical-shaped lid allows the steam to rise to the top, then condense and drip back into the stew, keeping it moist with no loss of flavour. Serve with couscous or mashed potatoes.
Tagine of Lamb
1 tsp ground black pepper
1½ tbsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1½ tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp turmeric
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 boned shoulder of lamb, cut into 5cm
pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, sliced finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
500ml tomato juice
400g chopped tinned tomatoes
120g dried apricots, chopped
6 dates, chopped
2 tbsp sultanas
½ cup almond flakes
1 tsp saffron threads
600ml chicken stock
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
Preheat the oven to 150?C. Combine all the spices in a bowl. Divide the spice mixture in half and toss the lamb pieces in half of it. Cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a tagine or deep casserole dish and add the onion, cooking until it has softened. Add the remaining spice mix and cook until fragrant, then add the garlic. In a separate frying pan heat the remaining oil and sauté the lamb pieces, browning on all sides. Add the lamb to the tagine. Pour 1 cup of tomato juice into the pan that held the lamb, and bring to a simmer. Pour these juices onto the lamb. Add the remaining tomato juice, chopped tomatoes, apricots, dates, sultanas, almond flakes, saffron and stock. Bring to a lazy simmer, cover with a tight-fitting lid and bake in the oven for 2-2½ hours. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the parsley over the top.
Serves 4.