You know which recipes are the best? The ones that have been tried, tested, modified and include personal comments. Here's a recipe complete with all those items from one of our happy customers!
This recipe combines some elements from Madame Benoit and Julia Child and what I have on hand in the pantry. I am not a fan of turnips so I leave them out. The amounts are more guidelines and the whole thing is pretty flexible. It is lamb stew with spring vegetables, but the French call it Navarin so that makes it special! I make it in a slow cooker.
Ingredients:
1 – 2 lbs lamb stewing meat (from Wootton Farms)
2 Tbs. oil
1 large onion minced.
1 1/2 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg ( optional )
1 1/2 cups of beef or lamb broth or water
1/3 cup carrots (cut in batons or just chop them up however you like. Same for the rest of the veggies.)
1/3 cup turnips
1/3 cup potatoes.
1/2 cup peas or green beans. These can be canned, frozen or fresh from the garden.
Method:
Pat the meat dry so that it will brown.
Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan add the meat and brown on all sides.
Add the minced onion and continue to cook until the onion is translucent.
Add the sugar and toss to coat the meat and onions and caramelize.
Sprinkle the flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg and toss to coat the meat and cook the flour.
Dump all of this to the slow cooker.
Deglaze the fry pan with a bit of beef/lamb broth or water and pour that over the meat along with the rest of the broth or water.
Add the carrots, turnips and potatoes.
Start slow cooker on high until the liquid starts to boil then turn to low for 4 to 6 hours. But this may vary and I never time my slow cooker.
Just before serving add the peas or green beans and cook 5 –7 minutes.
Enjoy!