Spring lamb stew

Categories: April

Ingredients

• 1kg lamb shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into cubes
• 8 lamb cutlets
• 1 bay leaf
• sprig of thyme
• 1 onion, studded with 2 cloves
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 1 leek, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 200g baby carrots, scraped and halved if large
• 200g baby turnips, scraped and halved if large
• 200g baby onions, halved if large
• 200g young thin leeks, halved
• 100ml white wine
• 200ml chicken or lamb stock
• 200g French beans, trimmed
• 200g peas
• handful of chopped flatleaf parsley

Directions

1. Put the meat cubes and the cutlets into a casserole dish with the bay leaf, thyme, onion studded with cloves, the chopped carrot, leek and garlic and add enough water to just cover. Bring to a simmer over a low heat and cook very gently for 1 hour. Skim off any scum that may rise to the surface.

2. Allow the casserole to cool completely and lift off the solidified fat. Transfer the pieces of lamb to a clean casserole dish, then strain the liquid over the lamb, discarding the herbs and vegetables.

3. Add the baby carrots, turnips, onions, leeks, white wine and chicken or lamb stock and bring to a simmer over a medium heat, allowing it to cook for 15 minutes.

4. Add the French beans and cook for a further 10 minutes, then add the peas and cook over a medium heat for 5 more minutes or until all the vegetables are tender. Adjust the seasoning (at this point you can cool it and keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours).

5. To serve, reheat gently to just boiling point, add chopped flatleaf parsley and serve on very hot plates with lots of crusty bread.

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