lamb stew

this is a veal recipe, but I'd like to try it with lamb.

Spring Veal Stew

Yield 4 servings

Time 1 hour

Mark Bittman

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pound veal cubes, no side larger than 1 1/2 inches
• 1 sprig fresh tarragon, or 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 pound spring onions or shallots, peeled (if large, trimmed and halved), or scallions, each cut in 2 or 3 pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup white wine or water
• 1 1/2 cups fresh shelled peas, snow peas or frozen peas.

Method

• 1. Put a 12-inch skillet over high heat, and a minute later, add oil and butter. Add the meat, in one layer (if you use the larger amount of meat you may have to cook in batches). Cook, undisturbed, until the meat is nicely browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes.
• 2. Add tarragon, onions and some salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and any meat stuck to bottom of pan is released, about 5 minutes. Add liquid, stir, reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until the veal is tender.
• 3. Uncover, add peas and raise the heat to medium. Cook about 5 minutes, until the peas are done. Adjust seasoning, garnish if you like and serve.

Variations

• VEAL STEW, PROVENCAL STYLE: Use all olive oil. Omit tarragon, onions and wine or water. Instead add 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed; 20 basil leaves, washed and roughly chopped; 2 cups seeded and chopped tomatoes, and 1 cup good black olives. Omit the peas as well. If necessary, uncover to reduce the liquid until the stew is thick. Garnish with more chopped basil. Serve with bread.
• VEAL STEW WITH BACON AND MUSHROOMS: In Step 1, render 1/4-pound chopped slab bacon in 1 tablespoon olive oil until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, then brown the veal in the fat (pour some off first if it seems excessive). In Step 2, omit tarragon; cook onions with a few sprigs of thyme and 1 cup trimmed and chopped mushrooms; after onions soften, add liquid as above. In Step 3, return bacon to pan, and cook about 5 minutes more. Serve over buttered noodles or with bread.