navarin d’agneau
There is nothing I love more than fresh baby carrots and leeks. This recipe has both. The combination of lamb with these wonderful vegetables makes a soul warming dish which can be served over mashed potatoes, noodles, or just by itself with a big piece of crusty bread.
I first tasted this dish in a French bistro and got a vague summary of what it contained from a hurried waiter. So, this is my own variation which I hope you will enjoy.
Remember, you can experiment and substitute as you wish.
Ingredients
4-5 tablespoons olive oil
1 boneless leg of lamb, cut up into 2″ cubes
3 tablespoons of plain flour
å_ stick butter
5-6 whole canned tomatoes, skinless
1 bay leaf
2-3 sprigs of thyme
1-2 bunches of baby carrots
(yellow or red varieties if available)
1 cup fresh or frozen baby peas
å_ pound turnips, peeled and diced into chunks
å_ pounds baby leeks or small regular leeks
lamb or chicken stock, sufficient to fill pot to 2/3
1-1/2 cups rose or white wine
parsley, salt and pepper to taste
2-3 garlic cloves crushed
Heat the oil in the bottom of a stockpot, dutch oven or soup pot. Add lamb and brown on all sides. Lower the heat, add one tablespoon of flour, coat the lamb, add a pinch of salt, and some pepper.
Crush tomatoes with your hands allowing the seeds and liquid to drip out before adding tomato pieces into the pot. Add garlic, stir in the stock, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil and skim the top of the cooking liquid. Simmer gently for 40 minutes. Add the wine. Add more stock if desired.
Add the remaining vegetables and simmer another 45 minutes. Add salt and pepper as needed. Just 10 minutes before serving add one cup of petit pois or baby peas. Mix the now softened butter with the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour and mash together with a fork. Stir this mixture into the stew and the sauce will thicken nicely.
Garnish with a thyme sprig bouquet and serve!
This recipe can be kept in the refrigerator for several days and seems to improve the next day. It can easily serve 6-8 people as a main course and can always be extended by adding more stock.
And there you have it!