Lamb Stew

Danny Meyer is one of the best chefs and his iconic restaurants have been favorites for years.  His hospitality is legendary and every time I have asked for a recipe for something that I really liked, his team would be sure to email it a few days later.  

I was at the bar at the old Union Square Cafe to have lunch on a raw cold day and ordered their lamb stew. It was amazing, filled with flavors with an Italian take on cooking lamb, which is usually with white wine, anchovies and lots of garlic. Well sure enough, I asked for the recipe, which came that same day.  I love cooking this for stand-up Christmas and winter parties because it fills the house with an amazing aroma during cooking and is also perfect for the occasion.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 3 pounds trimmed lamb shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
• Kosher salt
• Freshly-ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon of Aleppo pepper. or 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup lamb or chicken stock
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of anchovy paste
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• I add the following to finish it off but was not on the recipe from Danny Meyer
  • 4 cups of frozen pearl onions

Making It

• Set the oven to 325 degrees
• Spread the lamb cubes over a large baking sheet, dry them with a paper towel and sprinkle liberally with both the salt and pepper on both sides.
• Heat the oil in the dutch oven over high heat.  Working in batches, brown the meat and set aside on a platter.
• Leave tablespoons of the fat in the dutch oven and cook the onions for 10 minutes, lightly browning them.
• Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the garlic, Aleppo pepper, rosemary and cook for 4 minutes longer.
• Add the lamb and the juices from the platter and stir well. Add the wine, stock and vinegar over the lamb and bring to a boil.  Cover the pot and put in the oven for 90 minutes.
• Take the pot out of the oven and stir in the anchovies paste, perl onions and chopped carrots.  Return the uncovered pot to the oven and continues to cook for 30 minutes.
• Taste and adjust with salt and pepper.
• You can serve over egg noodles.