Bowl of Lamb Stew with Pasta
(click to enlarge)

Lamb Stew with Pasta


Italy
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4 main
***
3 hrs
Yes		 An excellent light main dish or substantial soup course, and made from one of the most inexpensive cuts of lamb. There are a lot of ingredients but its not difficult to make.




3
2
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4
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25
1/2
3
1
14
2
1
ar
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Lamb Necks (1)
Olive Oil
Butter
Onion
Celery
Carrot
Fennel Bulb
Fennel Seeds
Pepper, black
Red Pepper flake
Cinnamon
Orange Peel (2)
Salt
Almonds, raw
Chocolate dark (3)
Stock (4)
Red Wine, dry
can Diced Tomatoes
Bay Leaves
Pasta
Olive Oil
-- Serve with
Parsley leaves
Romano Cheese

Color and flavor depend on careful and thorough browning of the lamb necks. This stew reheats very well if the pasta hasn't been added.

Make:   -   (3 hrs - 1-1/4 hrs work)
  1. Trim LAMB NECKS of excess fat. In a 5 quart Dutch oven or similar heavy pot (see Note-6) heat Olive Oil and Butter. Over very moderate heat fry lamb necks, turning frequently, until nicely browned all over.
  2. Chop ONION and CELERY coarse. Cut CARROTS into rounds, half rounds or quarter rounds (depending on size) between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. Quarter FENNEL BULB lengthwise leaving the root end on to hold it together. Mix all.
  3. Grind Fennel Seeds, Pepper and Cinnamon. Crush Orange Peel. Mix all with Red Pepper Flakes.
  4. Toast ALMONDS, cool thoroughly and grind to a fine powder along with Chocolate.
  5. When the Lamb Necks are thoroughly browned, add Stock and Red Wine. Bring to a boil and skim off any scum that rises.
  6. Stir in Fennel Seed mix, Diced Tomatoes (including juice) and Bay Leaves. Simmer covered for 1-1/4 hour.
  7. Stir in Vegetable mix, bring back to a boil and simmer another 3/4 hour.
  8. Fish out Bay Leaves and Fennel Bulb. Discard.
  9. Fish out Lamb Necks and remove meat from the bones. Tear meat into pieces and add back to the pot. Discard bones.
  10. Skim all fat from the stew. (See Note-5).
  11. Stir in Almond mix. Bring back to a boil and simmer for a few minutes stirring occasionally. Taste for Salt and adjust if needed.
  12. Bring plenty of salted water to a boil and cook PASTA the usual way. Drain and stir in a little Olive Oil to keep it from sticking together.
  13. When ready to serve. add Pasta only to the amount of stew you intend to serve right away. Alternatively, you can spoon some pasta into individual bowls and then ladle stew over.
  14. Serve hot, garnished with Parsley Leaves and accompanied with grated Romano Cheese.
NOTES:

  1. Lamb Necks:

      These are generally available in markets serving Turkish, Armenian, Middle Eastern and other sheep eating ethnic communities. For details see our Lamb Necks page. Other lean lamb meat could be used - you want about 1-3/4 pounds of raw meat.

  2. Orange Peel:

      1/8 inch wide strips of dried orange peel are used in the Mediterranean region. If you have none, use fresh orange peel but about twice as much.

  3. Chocolate:

      I use Mexican Chocolate which works well in recipes and sauces. For details ee our Mexican Chocolate page.

  4. Stock:

      Beef, Lamb or even Chicken stock can be used, but should be quite strong.

  5. Fat:

      I often pour a stew through a strainer, catch the liquid and defat it using my gravy separator, but you could also turn the heat low and skim the fat off. A few drops left won't hurt.

  6. Browning:

      If you don't have a Dutch oven this large, you can brown the lamb in a heavy iron skillet. When you remove the lamb to your stew pot you can deglaze the skillet with the red wine.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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