Navarin is a French dish of lamb (or mutton if you can find it), stewed with a medley of vegetables until tender. It is a traditional springtime dish, when fresh peas are available to dot the dish with pops of green: a delight after months of grey winter.
Lamb Navarin
Serves 6
Ingredients
4 tbsp duck fat (or olive oil), divided
3 lbs lamb shoulder stew
1 lbs lamb bones
2 tsp sugar, divided
to taste salt and pepper
2 tbsp flour (all purpose)
1 liter chicken stock
2 small tomatoes, quartered
2 garlic cloves, crushed to break apart (not sliced)
2 bay leaves
6 thyme branches
12-15 pearl onions, peeled
4 turnips, peeled and cut into wedges
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1.5 inch lengths, then cut lengthwise into even wedges
1 cup green beans, tips removed and cut into 1.5 inch lengths
12-15 small “new” potatoes, peeled
1 cup green peas (fresh are best, but frozen will do the trick)
Method:
1) In a heavy bottom pan over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp of the duck fat. When hot, add the lamb stew. Season with 1 tsp of sugar, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until brown all over. Drain any fat, leaving about 2 tbsp in the pot. Add the flour and mix thoroughly so the flour mixes and cooks with the fat and meat. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, thyme, and bay leaf. There should be enough liquid to just cover the meat. If you need more liquid, add water until the meat is covered. Bring the stock to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot. Summer for one hour.
2) While the lamb is cooking, prepare your vegetables. In a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp of duck fat. When hot, add the peeled onions and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown all over. Remove from pan. Add the turnips to the same pan, and season with 1 tsp of sugar, salt, and pepper, and sauté until lightly caramelized. Remove from heat and set aside.
3) After an hour of cooking, remove the lamb stew pieces from the pot using a pair of tongs. Strain the braising liquid into a clean pot, and skim for any fat or impurities. Add the lamb back to the liquid and bring to a simmer again over a low heat for an hour.
4) Add the vegetables to the pot in stages, as they all cook at different times. After the first 20 minutes of the second lamb cook, add the onions, potatoes, carrots, and green beans. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the caramelized turnips.
5) Simmer for an additional 20 minutes, then add the green peas (if fresh – if using frozen peas add them after an additional 30 minutes). After the hour is done, remove the pot from the heat. Allow to cool for a few minutes and serve.
Note that this recipe can be made up to three days ahead of time in the refrigerator. Reheat gently before serving.