My family loves to ooh and this is no secret to those who know us well. The fact is that we even have pages where we share ideas and place our own recipes on for each to explore… the family that cooks together.. So a discussion came up on stews and the particular Swedish Lamb Stew that I have enjoyed and here is how I make it:
Vegetables are more than extenders… They add something wonderful to the party.
Basic Veggies
1 Red potato , 5 baby turnips (under 2″ in diameter), 2 bunches green onions, 2 largest sweet onions, 4 tablespoons crushed garlic, 1 bunch Kale, 1 leak, 1/2 cup Chives, 5 sliced carrots, 4 or 5 celery , 1 large Rudabaga and a very large Red potato. I will throw in about 1.4 cup of chopped parsley.
Seasonings
Salt, Black pepper, garlic powder, Thyme and Rosemary …. And towards the end, Fenugreek ( Spice of the Greeks).
Meat: 4 pounds of lamb in one to one and a half inch cubes
Thickening the sauce: various commercial powdered gravies will do
Liquids: 4-6 cups chicken broth and one bottle of Pinot Noir
The secret of life? Bacon!
In a very hot dry pan, sear the cubes of lamb and then crisp the bacon. Save some of the bacon fat to add to butter for sautéing the veggies.
Slow cooking is the secret of making a great stew. This results in all the veggies being tender (even the Rudabagas!) and the lamb chunks fall apart !
The Process:
I start off adding liquid the the crock pot and then the seared lamb!
In a large pan (17″), I sauté the onion then garlic and add the rest of the vegetables ( after microwaving them for about 10 minutes).
Add the Veggies to the crockpot and cook on high for 3 or more hours until everything is tender).
Add the diced potato in the last hour or so.
Thicken the sauce.
Bon Appetite!
