Recipe
October 22, 2014
Lamb Stew with Rosemary Dumplings
Tender chunks of slow-cooked lamb get topped with steamed dumplings in this comforting meal.
Directions
Yield: Serves 6
- To make the stew, trim any fat or gristle off lamb cubes. Mix flour with salt, pepper and cayenne, toss with lamb, and pat off excess.
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over high heat, then toss in cubes of meat, turning them every so often so that they are well browned. Make sure not to crowd the pot. You’ll likely have to sear the cubes in a couple of batches. Once all the meat is browned, return all meat to pot, reduce heat to medium and add chopped onions and shallots, and let sweat with the meat for several minutes. Add tomato paste and sugar, and stir in the water, scraping off the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, then add wine, stir, and bring to a boil. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper and sugar if needed.
- Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover the pot and let stew cook for 2 hours, stirring about every 20 minutes. After 2 hours, toss in carrots and frozen peas, and cook for 10 minutes. If the stew gets a little dry at any point, add a bit more water.
- Meanwhile, make the dumplings. In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and rosemary. Add the shortening, mixing it in with a fork so it breaks down and the mixture looks grainy. Slowly add the water until dough is light but solid and can be easily dropped from a soup spoon.
- Remove the pot lid and stir. Wet a soup spoon and scoop up mounds of dumpling dough, and drop into stew. Space dumplings out around the perimeter first, then working your way in. Do not stir! Cover pot allow dumplings to cook for 20 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Photographer:
Michael Graydon
Source:
House & Home October 2010