SPANISH-STYLE LAMB STEW

Spanish-Style Lamb Stew image

John Willoughby fell in love with pimentón, a smoky Spanish paprika, after a trip to La Vera, a region west of Madrid, first encountering it in a lamb stew. "The stew, rich with the slight gaminess of lamb, the tang of sherry and the smooth comfort of white beans, was brought to greatness by the subtle heat and almost mysterious smokiness of the pimentón," he wrote. He drew inspiration from the stew, making his own version at home and bringing this recipe to The Times in 2010.

Provided by John Willoughby

Categories dinner, easy, one pot, main course

Time 2h30m

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds boneless lamb stew meat (preferably shoulder), cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
Salt
pepper
2 medium onions, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon pimentón de la Vera, preferably picante or agridulce
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juice
3/4 cup red wine, preferably Rioja
3 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
3 bay leaves
3 cups cooked white beans, rinsed and drained if canned
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Steps:

Warm oil in a large heavy-bottom pot with a lid or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, sprinkle lamb generously with salt and pepper and cook in batches to avoid overcrowding, turning once or twice, until each piece is well browned all over, about 15 minutes total. Transfer pieces to a plate as they brown.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat and add onions, bell pepper, garlic and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions and peppers are softened, about 5 minutes. Add pimentón and stir for a minute. Stir in tomatoes, breaking them into bite-size pieces and scraping browned bits from the pot. Add wine, chicken stock, vinegar and bay leaves and bring just to a boil.
Return lamb to pot and reduce heat so mixture is bubbling very gently. Partly cover pot and cook, stirring every 20 minutes or so, until lamb is very tender, about 2 hours. Discard bay leaves. Stir in beans and cook another 10 minutes to heat them through. Stir in parsley and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 952, UnsaturatedFat 33 grams, Carbohydrate 41 grams, Fat 63 grams, Fiber 14 grams, Protein 51 grams, SaturatedFat 25 grams, Sodium 1583 milligrams, Sugar 8 grams