Lamb Stew

The first day of school did not present with beautiful weather, instead it was pouring rain :( I only had a morning class, and so I decided to head to the grocery store and pick up some necessities for my dinner. With such miserable weather, I thought that a stew would be nice... and since I would only be cooking for myself, I decided to buy one of my favorite meats... Lamb!! My mom doesn't like the smell, look, texture or taste of lamb; I'm not sure why? In my opinion, it's absolutely delicious. It has a very earthy and rustic flavor, and makes one mean stew.

I'd never made stew before, my dad usually makes a really quick beef stew in a crock-pot, but since I didn't have a crock pot I opted to simply cook it in a large stove-top pot. I kind of just eye-balled the ingredients, and tweaked the dish as I cooked and it turned out fantastic!

Lamb Stew

Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb of lamb meat (I used the shoulder blade)
- 6 yukon gold potatoes, cut into chunks
- 3 medium carrots, cut into chunks
- 1 large onion, cut into chunks
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tsp each dried rosemary, parsley, oregano
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup of red cooking wine, or more to taste
- 3 cups water
- salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Prepare the lamb meat ahead of time. Rub the meat with olive oil and season with rosemary, parsley and oregano. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and let rest for at least 1 hour.
2. After marinating, separate the meat from the bones and fat. Cut the meat into bite-sized chunks.
3. Heat 1 tbsp canola oil in a large stove-top pot on high, allow oil to reach very high temperature by letting it sit for 45 seconds.
4. Add the seasoned lamb meat to the pot, searing both sides for about 2 minutes each. Place seared meat in a dish and set aside. Now add the bones and fat to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes allowing the fat to drain out.
5. Add in the minced garlic and additional spices (rosemary, parsley, oregano). Add more oil if necessary to prevent burning, and add in the onions.
6. Pour in the cooking wine to deglaze the pan. Once deglazed, add in the potatoes and carrots, stir mixture to thoroughly coat the vegetables with the herbs and oil. Add salt and pepper.
7. Make a well in the center of the pot, and add in the flour. Mix the flour with all the drippings in the pan until fully incorporated.
8. Pour in the water and continue cooking stew on high until it comes to a boil. Once boiled, add in the reserved lamb meat pieces and the bay leaves. Lower the temperature until the mixture reaches only a simmer.
9. Cover pot with lid and allow stew to simmer for 1 hour, or until the meat pieces are cooked and tender.
10. Serve with steamed rice.


This stew was very tasty. If you find that the consistency is too watery, you can always remove the lid and boil out some of the liquid for about 15-20 minutes. Also, the stew may begin to thicken as the mixture cools.

I really enjoyed this stew for my dinner, it was the perfect compliment to a cold and wet day. It really is a comfort food. The stew sauce was amazing over top of freshly steamed rice, and I seriously had to control myself otherwise I might have finished it on the first day. This recipe makes enough stew for about 4 people... or if you're like me, it makes enough for 4 meals for one person :P I should have my mom try some of the stew, and see if she still feels the same way about lamb... maybe it'll convince her that lamb isn't so bad.