Welcome the New Year with this rich and lively lamb stew. It’s earthy and full of deep, delicate flavors from herbs and spices – with a light, creamy richness balanced with a touch of fresh lemon. The aroma drifting through your kitchen lets everyone know something uniquely special is simmering on the stove.
Most people tend to think of lamb chops when they think of lamb, but if you’ve never tried it in a stew you’re about to be pleasantly surprised. This stew is made using a boneless leg of lamb. The meat is tender and cooks far more quickly than beef used in a traditional stew.
The lamb is cooked with a bounty of aromatics – sweet onions, scallions, stalks of celery, and carrots. Then it’s simmered along with tomatoes in a chicken stock giving the stew a lighter base than a traditional stew. An unexpected blend of the herbs, spices, and savory notes from Italian parsley, thyme, bay leaf, garlic, and whole cloves are bundled together in a bouquet garni and dropped in the stew.
I used home roasted tomatoes – juices and all – in this lamb stew, but you can also used canned stewed tomatoes.
A roux is blended with a portion of the rich stock to deliver a creaminess followed by fresh lemon juice and lemon zest to bring an undertone of brightness to the dish.
Then sautéed mushrooms are added to finish stew and round things out with their wonderful woodsy notes.
As with any good stew, season the meat first before you sear it to create that delectable first layer of flavor. Sear the lamb in batches. This allows the meat to truly brown and develop that delicious fond, those tasty caramelized bits left in the bottom of your pan. If you crowd the pan you’ll end up steaming the meat. It takes a few extra minutes but it’s worth your time.
Adding the essence of herbs and spices come through a bouquet garni and making one is really quite simple. Double a large piece of cheesecloth then bundle your herbs and spices together in the middle of the cloth. Fold the cloth over top and bottom, then side-to-side to keep everything tucked neatly inside. Then tie it up securely, leaving a long piece of string to hang outside the pan making it easy to remove when you’re finished cooking.
Lamb makes a beautiful stew. And though the weather here in the South can change dramatically from day to day, this hearty soup is just right for any day of the year!
Lamb Stew with Lemon and Herbs
3 pounds boneless leg of lamb, most of the fat trimmed and cut into 1” to 1-½” cubes
2-¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
¾ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, divided
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large sweet onion, quartered and sliced – about 4 to 5 cups
1 bunch of scallions, sliced – about 1 cup
3 to 4 stalks of celery, sliced – about 2 cups
4 carrots, sliced – about 3 cups
5 sprigs of Italian parsley
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
3 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
3 whole cloves
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups roasted or stewed tomatoes
6 tablespoons butter, divided
1 pound mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
¼ cup flour
Spread the lamb out in a single layer and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt and ½ teaspoon of the black pepper. Let the meat rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a large stockpot and warm over medium heat. When the oil is hot add the lamb in small batches and cook until browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Don’t crowd the meat or it will steam instead of brown. Transfer the browned lamb to a bowl while you finish cooking the meat. Set the lamb aside while you cook the vegetables.
Add the onions, scallions, celery, and carrots to the stockpot, adding more olive oil if needed. Sauté until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
While the vegetables cook make the bouquet garni by wrapping the Italian parsley, thyme, bay leaf, garlic cloves, and whole cloves in a large piece of cheesecloth. If you don’t have cheesecloth you can also use a large diffuser used for mulling spices. Fold the cheesecloth over the herbs and spices the tie the bundle with kitchen twine to keep everything secure leaving a long piece of twine to keep outside the stockpot. This makes it easy for you to remove the bundle when you’re ready.
Return the lamb along with any juices to the stockpot. Pour in the chicken stock along with the tomatoes and tuck the bouquet garni down into the stew.
Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for one hour until the meat is tender.
While the stew simmers, cook the mushrooms. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms, stirring occasionally until they have released their moisture and are browned. Add ¼ of the kosher salt and ¼ of the pepper.
To finish the stew, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 3 minutes, whisking while the roux cooks. Add about 2 cups of the broth from the stew, whisking until smooth.
Remove the bouquet garni then add the roux along with the lemon juice and zest to the stew, stirring to blend together.
Add the sautéed mushrooms to the stew and serve.
Makes 6 servings.
Lamb Stew with Lemon and Herbs
Equipment
- Large stockpot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless leg of lamb, most of the fat trimmed and cut into 1” to 1-½” cubes
- 2-¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- ¾ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, divided
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large sweet onion, quartered and sliced – about 4 to 5 cups
- 1 bunch scallions, sliced – about 1 cup
- 3 to 4 stalks celery, sliced – about 2 cups
- 4 carrots, sliced – about 3 cups
- 5 sprigs Italian parsley
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 3 whole cloves
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups roasted or stewed tomatoes
- 6 tablespoons 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 pound mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- ¼ cup flour
Instructions
- Spread the lamb out in a single layer and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt and ½ teaspoon of the black pepper. Let the meat rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
- Pour the olive oil into a large stockpot and warm over medium heat. When the oil is hot add the lamb in small batches and cook until browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Don’t crowd the meat or it will steam instead of brown. Transfer the browned lamb to a bowl while you finish cooking the meat. Set the lamb aside while you cook the vegetables.
- Add the onions, scallions, celery, and carrots to the stockpot, adding more olive oil if needed. Sauté until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
- While the vegetables cook make the bouquet garni by wrapping the Italian parsley, thyme, bay leaf, garlic cloves, and whole cloves in a large piece of cheesecloth. If you don’t have cheesecloth you can also use a large diffuser. Fold the cheesecloth over the herbs and spices the tie the bundle with kitchen twine to keep everything secure leaving a long piece of twine to keep outside the stockpot. This makes it easy for you to remove the bundle when you’re ready.
- Return the lamb along with any juices to the stockpot. Pour in the chicken stock along with the tomatoes and tuck the bouquet garni down into the stew.
- Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for one hour until the meat is tender.
- While the stew simmers, cook the mushrooms. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms, stirring occasionally until they have released their moisture and are browned. Add ¼ of the kosher salt and ¼ of the pepper.
- To finish the stew, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 3 minutes, whisking while the roux cooks. Add about 2 cups of the broth from the stew, whisking until smooth.
- Remove the bouquet garni then add the roux along with the lemon juice and zest to the stew, stirring to blend together.
- Add the sautéed mushrooms to the stew and serve.
