Lamb stew with spring vegetables

NAVARIN D'AGNEAU PRINTANIER

Lamb stew with spring vegetables

THIS WAS ONE OF THE ROTHSCHILD FAMILY's favourite recipes. It is highly prized by Parisians and is served in many restaurants of the region as well as at home. We prefer to cook the delicate-flavoured lamb without lardons, but if we use mutton for the dish, then we do add them.
Any leftovers can be reheated very successfully, so do not stint on quantities.

PREPARATION

The lamb: If necessary, trim off any excess fat and sinews. Do not bone the neck or breast. Cut each piece into 60g/2oz cubes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.

COOKING

Heat the clarified butter in a sauté pan over very high heat, put in the lamb and seal on all sides. Sprinkle over the sugar and let the pieces of meat caramelize slightly. Lift the pieces of lamb out of the pan and place in a bowl.

Put the diced carrots and onions in the sauté pan and sweat until soft, then stir in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes until pale golden, stirring with a wooden spatula. Pour in the white wine and chicken stock, add the chopped tomatoes,
garlic and bouquet garni and bring to the boil, still stirring with the spatula.

Return the lamb to the sauté pan, put on the lid and cook in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Take out the pieces of shoulder and return the neck and breast to the oven for another 20 minutes. Lift the pieces of neck and breast out of the cooking liquid, put them with the
shoulder, cover with a damp cloth and keep warm.

The sauce: Spoon the fat off the surface of the cooking liquid and reduce the liquid until it lightly coats the back of a spoon. Pass the sauce through a conical
sieve into a sauté dish, season to taste, then add the lamb, cover and keep warm. The vegetables: Peel, wash and cook the root vegetables separately in a little
lightly salted boiling water until tender. Shell the peas and blanch them for 2 minutes.

SERVING
Drain all the vegetables, put them in the dish with the lamb, simmer for 5
minutes, then pour everything into a deep serving dish. Sprinkle with parsley
and serve at once.

Ingredients

SERVES 4
PREPARATION TIME:
35 MINUTES
COOKING TIME:
1 HOUR 10 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
1 boned shoulder of lamb
500g/11b 2oz middle neck of lamb
500g/1lb 2oz breast of lamb
50g/2oz clarified butter
a pinch of sugar
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 large onion, finely diced
30g/1oz flour
200ml/7fl oz dry white wine
1 litre/13/4pt Chicken stock
(recipe page 15)
3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled,
deseeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bouquet garni
12 small new carrots
12 small new turnips
12 baby onions
12 small new potatoes.
300g/11oz peas in the pod
1 tablespoon flat-leaved parsley
leaves
salt and freshly ground pepper