Martha Stewart's Favorite Recipes

Navarin of Lamb

Yield: 8 Servings

French for "stew," Navarin is a hearty, vegetable-rich meal. A fruity Bordeaux blend is the perfect pairing to this tasty lamb dish.

INGREDIENTS

For The Navarin

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 1/2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 medium onions, diced (about 3 cups)
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups Homemade Beef Stock
  • 1 cup canned whole tomatoes with juice, seeded and crushed
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 package (8-ounce package) pearl onions (about 24)
  • 16 baby carrots or 4 large carrots
  • 1/2 pound baby turnips or 2 large turnips or 5 small turnips
  • 1 1/2 cups peas
  • 1/2 pound young string beans or haricots verts, stems trimmed

For The Homemade Beef Stock

  • 8 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 4 sprigs fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 1 pound beef-stew meat, cubed
  • 5 pounds veal bones, sawed into smaller pieces
  • 2 large carrots, cut into thirds
  • 1 large onion, peel on, quarted
  • 2 cups dry red wine
  • 2 stalks celery, cut into thirds

DIRECTIONS

Homemade Beef Stock

  1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Make a bouquet garni by wrapping parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth. Tie with kitchen twine, and set aside.
  2.  Arrange meat, veal bones, onion, carrots, and celery in an even layer in a heavy roasting pan. Roast, turning every 20 minutes, until vegetables and bones are a deep brown, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer meat, bones, and vegetables to a large stockpot, and set aside.
  3. Pour off fat from roasting pan, and discard. Place pan over high heat on stove. Add wine, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits; boil until the wine has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Pour all of the liquid into stockpot with meat and bones.
  4. Add 6 quarts cold water to stockpot, or more if needed to cover bones. Do not add less water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a very gentle simmer. Add reserved bouquet garni. Liquid should just bubble up to surface.
  5. Skim the foam from the surface, and discard. Simmer over the lowest possible heat for 3 hours; a skin will form on surface of liquid; skim off with slotted spoon, and discard. Repeat as needed. Add water if at any time level drops below bones.
  6. Strain stock through a fine sieve into a large bowl. Discard the solids. Transfer bowl to an ice bath, and let cool to room temperature.
  7. Transfer to airtight containers. Refrigerate at least 8 hours, or overnight. Stock may be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 4 months. If storing, leave fat layer intact to seal stock. Before using, remove fat that has collected on surface.

Navarin of Lamb

  1. In a large Dutch oven, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook lamb in a single layer until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch.
  2. Return all of the lamb to Dutch oven, add garlic and onions, and cook until onions are soft, 6 minutes. Add flour and cook until it is well browned, 2 minutes.
  3. Add wine, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping browned bits from the bottom and sides of pan. Add stock, tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low; cover and cook until meat is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
  4. Remove meat, place in a large bowl, and set aside. Reduce sauce over high heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Skim off any fat. Strain sauce over meat, discarding solids; return meat and sauce to Dutch oven. (The navarin can be made ahead up to this point. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat and continue as directed.)
  5. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, and add pearl onions. Boil 2 minutes, then drain. When onions are cool enough to handle, peel and set aside. Peel baby carrots; trim tops to 1/4 inch. Repeat with baby turnips. If using large carrots and turnips, peel and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Add onions, turnips, and carrots to dutch oven and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add peas and simmer 10 minutes more, or until vegetables are tender.
  6. Blanch beans until bright green and still crisp, about 5 minutes, then drain. Serve and scatter beans atop each serving.




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