Lamb Stew with Winter Vegetables and Mushroom Pappardelle

I love Lamp! I mean Lamb.  I really, really do.  When it is on a menu along with Duck – my brain gets all knotted and I go with the pork.  It’s an odd program I have to keep from overloading.

So I was checking out the Stiles Farmers Market in Hells Kitchen, which is right next to the Big Apple Meat market (40th/9th Ave).  This is a great new spot close to my digs!  I will be returning.  The meat is fresh and very inexpensive (they do a lot of volume) and the produce market is wonderful – except for the leafy greens. They are hit or miss.

I was walking through the meat aisle when I saw a bunch of lamb cuts of varying quality, and thought, if I want to make a stock, I need bones.  If I am stewing, I can use cheaper cuts.  The cheaper cuts come with bones!  I thought I had everything figured out.  Note:  I do a lot of recipes by the seat of my pants, which means there are technical mistakes I am sure.  That said, anything that makes BCC is delicious so if it wasn’t meant to be you wouldnt know about it.  I picked up Lamb shanks (2) and a large rack of lamb ribs.

In Stiles, I grabbed many pieces of winter produce (see ingredients).  For a stew, it kind of just matters what hits you, and give it at least a modecum of thought and sense as to whether they’ll stand up in a hearty and long cooked dish.  For instance, maybe dont use broccoli for something like this.

Off back home for a weekend of cooking.  The following takes a lot of time – but the result was fabulous.  I decided as well to cook some mushroom pappardelle to go with it – a great choice if I say so myself.

Ingredients

– Lamb Shank and Lamb Ribs, roasted through.  Remove the meat in chunks, throw away excess fat, reserve bones

– 1lb or 3-4 Large Carrots, whichever is more, sliced into rounds

– 1lb or 20 Stewing Onions, whichever is less

– 3 cloves Garlic chopped

– 2 Large Parsnips, peeled and sliced

– 2 large potatoes, cubed

– 8 Mushrooms, quartered

– 8 Brussell Sprouts, quartered

– 3 fresh bay leaves, Sprigs of Thyme, Oregano

Fresh (ish) Pappardelle Pasta.

I’m going to be frank per usual here, I don’t read up on  a lot of technique, but the following stock/sauce recipe worked out well.  The sauce was thick and savory and a great consistency for the pasta.

I put half of the onions and all the carrots  and garlic into a large stock pot with the meat chunks.

I put the fresh garden herbs and meat bones into some cheese cloth then tied it closed.  I wanted the herb flavor, not the fibers.

I put the bag ‘o’stuff into the pot and covered it in water.  I brought it to a boil then simmered it on low for awhile slowly reducing the broth.  I stirred it plenty.  You add a touch of salt if needed at this point but remember as it reduces the salt density will rise so you can easily over do it.  When the broth is too your liking, it should have a thick somewhat starchy quality from the potatoes and (maybe) carrots.  Remove the bone bag and let it cool down.  Once cool, the excessive fat may rise to the top.  Feel free to scrape off.  Also, if the liquid became flavorful but still very thin.  If that’s the case, before heating it, throw a tablespoon or two of corn starch into a bowl, and add some stock.  Whisk it into a slurry.  When reheating, add a quarter at a time until you get the desired thickness.  Finish seasoning if needed.

I cooked the pasta separately al dente then added it to a pan of sauce and simmered it for a couple minutes.

Enjoy!

Double BS Soup

Admittedly at first glance this is a terrible name for a recipe.  However, it is a handy short cut as this soup has both roasted Butternut Squash and Brussel Sprouts….and it maaaay be a little BS that I keep making butternut squash soups.  However, winter is the down time  in real estate (relatively) so I have more time to cook!

More importantly, it is imperative I start showcasing brussel sprouts.  These delectable little green buggers were kept out of my life for 26 years as I always thought they were no good.  I imagine steamed they still would be terrible, but roasted in olive oil is quite another story.  I paired this soup with a stuffed brussel sprout beignet where the BS were roasted and stuffed with goat cheese before frying….Magnifique!

So enjoy this hearty, healthy and wintry recipe.  There are even instructions for making your own stock!  This recipe takes awhile to make with all roasting of the veggies beforehand so make sure you’ve got time on your hands.

Ingredients

Stock (store bought is optional too)

– Bag of chicken necks.  Your butcher may even give these to you.  You could also ask for other carcass remnants, just don’t pay much for it.

– Celery – 4-5 stalks

– Carrots – 5-6 rods

– Onions 2-3 medium size

Soup

– 2 large Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded

– Fresh Sage leaves (3-4)

– Salt, Pepper to taste

– Optional additions – Garlic, Cayenne, half a lemon (squeezed), Jalapeno (2-3 seeded, diced)

Accoutrements

– Mini Brussel Sprouts (to go in the soup)

– Olive Oil (2-3 TBLS)

– Creme Fraiche

– Sea Salt (with fennel pollen optional – and delicious!)

– Chives

– Lemon

Instructions

Toss the mini brussel sprouts with olive oil, cracked pepper and lemon. Spread out on a roasting pan and put in the oven until cooked al dente. 25 minutes at 375 should be about right. Don't let them get mushy!

 

After peeling and seeding the butternut squash, loosely cube it and drizzle olive oil on it. I used the chicken neck roasting griddle to soak up some of those tasty flavors. Roast until soft (mushy is OK). This is where you can roast a few jalapenos if you'd like the soup to have some kick. 2 per butternut squash gives a nice soft heat.

After about 45 minutes to an hour the stock should be about ready (taste it). When delicious, strain through a colander of course saving all the stock. Pick out the cooked onions and carrots and sage and put in the stock. Essentially you do not need the celery or chicken necks from here on out.

When the squash is soft, add to the stock and carrot mixture. If everything is cooked enough to blend, then let the pot cool down. Once the mixture has cooled, break out the blender and have at. Put back in the pot once well blended. If you have a sieve, feel free to strain the soup to make it smoother. Finish spicing the soup to taste and add lemon if you would like.

 

The brussel sprouts should be done when they look tasty like this.

 

To plate, put a few brussel sprouts in the bottom of a bowl.

 

Pour in the soup and top with a dollop of creme fraiche and chives. Alternatively this could be plated well in a mason jar, just don't add the beignet as it makes it impossible to eat! A pinch of fennel pollen laced salt into the creme fraiche is also delicious.

 Enjoy 🙂