Best Basque Lamb And Bean Soup Recipes

BASQUE LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Marinate lamb with garlic, rosemary, white wine: Combine the lamb, half of the garlic cloves, rosemary, and white wine in a medium bowl. Let marinate for 2 to 3 hours. Drain the meat, discard the marinade, and pat dry with paper towels. Mince the remaining garlic cloves and set aside.
• Brown the lamb: Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan with lid, over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the meat on all sides, about 10 minutes per batch. Salt the meat as it browns.
• Sauté onions and garlic: Remove the meat from the pan and add the chopped onion to the pan. Cook, scraping browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
• Return meat to pan, add paprika, roasted peppers, tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf, red wine, bring to simmer: Return the meat to the pan with the onions and garlic. Stir in paprika, roasted peppers, tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf, and red wine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, allowing the liquids to reduce a bit.
• Add chicken stock, simmer: Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until meat is very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Add freshly ground black pepper and more salt to taste. Serve with rustic bread. If you want, try garnishing with fresh mint leaves (though I have no idea how "Basque" that is, it just tastes good.) Links: Basque Chicken - from Not Quite Nigella Chilindron, Spanish Venison Stew with Paprika - from Hunter Angler Gardener Cook

WHITE BEAN AND LAMB SOUP

Steps:

• Soak the dried beans in water overnight. After soaking, drain off remaining water, and rinse.
• In a large stockpot, cook the onion in oil over low heat until just beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium, and add lamb; cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in carrots and celery, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, and season with parsley, thyme, oregano, and with freshly ground pepper and salt to taste. Add beans and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, boil for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for 1/1/2 hours, or until beans are tender.
• Rinse spinach, and then place in a saucepan. Place over medium heat, and cook until wilted. This will only take a short time, and you will not need to add more liquid to the pan.
• Top each serving of soup with wilted spinach and crumbled feta cheese.

LAMB BONE SOUP

Steps:

• Follow the link for the recipe. Add one meaty lamb bone at the beginning. Simmer it in the stock for 2 hours, take it out and remove the meat. Set the meat aside and return the meatless bone to the stock. Continue simmering for 4 hours for a more concentrated stock.
• If your lamb stock is already cooked, pour it into a pot, add the meaty bones and simmer them in the stock for about 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat from the bone and set it aside. Use the stock and the shredded meat to make the soup. You can cook the meat in water as well, but use good quality stock to make the soup.
• Once the stock and the meat are cooked, make the soup.
• Chop the onions and the bacon (if necessary).
• Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Fry the bacon cubes and the chopped onion on medium-low heat for about 4 minutes.
• Add the chopped carrots, and garlic, stir well and cook for about 4 minutes. Add the peeled and cubed potatoes, caraway seeds, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, chili. Stir well.
• Add the stock. Cook for about 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, chop the cabbage. Add cabbage and drained white beans to the pot. Cook for another 10 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked to your liking, it should not get mushy.
• Add the shredded meat and heat through for a few minutes.
• Adjust the taste with vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.
• Serve sprinkled with fresh parsley if desired.

TUSCAN BEAN SOUP WITH LAMB AND SHAVED FENNEL

Steps:

• Heat a 2-count of oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and herbs and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato and cook until the vegetables cook down to a pulp, about 5 more minutes. Stir in the lamb and then the chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the lamb is very tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Add the beans and simmer until warmed through. Then mash some of the beans against the side of the pot to break them down and thicken the soup. Season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with fennel, and serve hot.

BASQUE LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Combine the flour and salt in a resealable plastic bag. One at a time, add the lamb shanks and shake until evenly coated.
• Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the lamb and cook, turning, for 15 to 20 minutes, until browned on all sides.
• Transfer the lamb to the slow cooker. Add the beans, garlic, water, wine, and tomatoes. Cover and cook on low for about 5 hours. Add the squash and cook on low for another 3 hours, until the lamb and squash are very tender. (In a pinch, the squash can be added at the beginning of cooking and left in the entire time.)
• Just before serving, stir in the olives and thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper.

LAMB AND WHITE BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except salt and pepper in a slow cooker; cover and cook on low until beans are tender, 7-8 hours.
• Remove lamb shanks; cut meat into bite sized pieces and return to soup.
• Discard bones and bay leaves; season to taste with salt and pepper.

LAMB AND WHITE-BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Soak the beans or not according to package recommendations.
• Heat the butter in a kettle and add the onion, garlic and lamb shanks. Cook, stirring the onion and turning the shanks, about five minutes.
• Drain the beans and add them to the kettle. Add the water, tomatoes, bay leaf, parsley sprigs, thyme, cloves, peppercorns and salt to taste. Bring to the boil and let simmer two hours.
• Remove the shanks, bay leaf, parsley and thyme sprigs.
• Remove the skin from the shanks. Remove the meat from the bones and shred it or cut it into small bite-size pieces. Return the meat to the soup. Reheat and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.