Spring lamb and vegetable stew with mint gremolata recipe

By Debbie Major

Serves 6
Ready in just under 2 hours
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Spring lamb is succulent, delicate and tender, so is best accompanied by a hardy, yet healthy, stew.

Spring lamb and vegetable stew with mint gremolata

Ingredients

1.25-1.5kg boned shoulder of lamb
2 tbsp sunflower oil
50g butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
20g plain flour
600ml fresh lamb or chicken stock, hot
2 fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 pared strip of lemon zest
50g French green beans, trimmed
200g button onions or small shallots, peeled
150g small or baby carrots, tops trimmed, scraped or peeled, left whole or sliced
200g baby turnips, left whole or cut into wedges
200g fresh or frozen peas

For the mint gremolata

1 fat garlic clove
1 pared strip of lemon zest
8-10 fresh mint leaves
Small handful of fresh flatleaf parsley, leaves picked

Method

1. Trim away the excess fat from the lamb and cut the meat into bite-size pieces. Season lightly.
2. Heat the oil and a small knob of the butter in a large flameproof casserole, add half the lamb pieces and fry briskly over a medium-high heat until nicely browned. Lift onto a plate and repeat with the remaining lamb. Pour away any fat left in the pan, then add 25g of the butter. When it has melted, add the chopped onion, garlic, thinly sliced carrot and sugar and fry until the onions are golden brown.
3. Add the flour and cook gently for 1 minute, then gradually stir in the hot stock. Return the lamb to the casserole and add the thyme, bay leaves, lemon zest, and salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and leave to simmer gently for 50 minutes.
4. Uncover the casserole, add the beans and cook for a further 5 minutes, until they are tender.
5. Meanwhile, melt the rest of the butter in a saucepan. Add the button onions or shallots, cover and cook over a medium heat until lightly golden, shaking the pan now and then. Uncover the pan and add the carrots and turnips, 2 tablespoons of water and some salt and pepper. Cover and continue to cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes, shaking the pan now and then, until the vegetables are tender.
6. Remove the piece of lemon zest, the thyme sprigs and bay leaves from the stew. Stir in the peas and other vegetables and simmer for 2 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, make the mint gremolata. Finely chop the garlic, zest, mint and parsley, and mix together. Stir the gremolata into the stew and serve with boiled new potatoes.