Dinner for a Rainy May Evening: Quick Spring Lamb & Vegetable Stew

Taste: ****
Difficulty: Easy
Cleanup: Quick

Last night I cooked in my new kitchen for the first time!  At a quick glance, you’d notice that our new kitchen has nicer cabinets and appliances than in our previous apartment but doesn’t appear any more spacious.  After preparing a meal, I can honestly say the extra inches of counter and cabinet space that I first noticed while unpacking the kitchen are a huge improvement!

There were two driving factors in selecting a recipe for last night – the weather and our broken dishwasher.  It’s been quite rainy in NYC and I wanted to make a spring time comfort meal.  And, I wanted to cook that meal using as few pots, pans, and dishes as possible because the dishwasher in our new place needs to be repaired.

I saw this lamb stew in the most recent issue of Real Simple and thought it looked delicious.  Plus, it fulfilled both my criteria for the evening.  What’s more comforting than stew and what’s easier to cleanup than a one-pot recipe.

I used lamb shoulder for the recipe.  Definitely buy either shoulder or top round because they cook quickly and are tender.

Tim and I both enjoyed the stew.  It was definitely lighter tasting than your typical winter beef stew but had great flavor as evidenced by how much crusty bread we dipped in the stew pot.

Quick Spring Lamb and Vegetable Stew
Real Simple, May 2009

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds lamb steaks (top round or shoulder), bones removed and meat cut into 2-inch pieces
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 carrots, cut into 3-inch sticks
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 4 ounces green beans, cut into small pieces (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Season the lamb with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, turning occasionally, until medium-rare, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a plate.

Add the carrots, onion, and the remaining oil to the pot. Cook until beginning to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and scrape up any brown bits.

Add the broth, tomatoes, and beans. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the lamb, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.