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Basque Lamb Stew

Basque Lamb Stew

My father's been going through 20 years of old cooking magazines, looking for interesting things to cook and hoping to clear up some space on his bookshelf. Last night we enjoyed this delicious stew, pulled from a back issue of Saveur magazine.

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Basque Lamb Stew Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 lbs. lamb shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 6 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 3 canned roasted red bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch strips
  • 1 large ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
  • 4-6 sprigs parsley, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 cup dry, full-bodied red wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock*

* If cooking gluten-free, use homemade chicken stock or gluten-free packaged stock.

Method

1 Combine the lamb, 3 of the garlic cloves, rosemary, and white wine in a medium bowl. Let marinate for 2-3 hours. Drain the meat, discard the marinade, and pat dry with paper towels. Mince the remaining 3 garlic cloves and set aside.

2 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. Return all meat to the pot. Add onions, minced garlic, and salt and pepper to taste, and cook, scraping browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in paprika, add roasted peppers, tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf, and red wine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until juices in pot reduce and thicken slightly, about 10-15 minutes.

3 Add chicken stock, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Adjust seasonings.

Optional: garnish with fresh mint leaves (though I have no idea how "Basque" that is, it just tastes good.)

Serves 4 to 6.

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10 Comments

I tried this last week and my wife and I couldn't believe how tasty it was! Followed the recipe to a "t" and the results were outstanding.
In fact, we're having company over the house tomorrow and plan on serving this.

Posted by: Anonymous on November 15, 2005 1:15 PM

I have had a similar recipe to this for some time but have never gotten around to trying it.
After reading your remarks and that of the comment left you can guess whats on the menu tonight.

Posted by: Rosie on April 19, 2006 8:18 AM

I made this tonight for tomorrow's dinner. It only simmered an hour, I'll set it to simmer for the last hour tomorrow around 4.

OMG, so yummy. Thank you!

Posted by: Nicole Jackson on July 17, 2006 11:33 PM

Hi, I made this last night, and I wanted to let you know I followed the recipe through step 2, then added mixture and chicken broth to slow cooker, cooked on low for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Came out great and was very convenient!

Posted by: Julie Murdeshwar on September 25, 2006 7:19 AM

If I wanted to use my own roasted red bell peppers, how many bell peppers is this? Thanks!

3 bell peppers. ~Elise

Posted by: ~M on January 17, 2008 7:07 AM

Hubby made these for me for Valentine's Day but without the red wine though. Still tasted good to me!

Posted by: haslina on February 24, 2008 11:46 PM

Made this as is except added a clove of garlic, one more tomato, and a little extra red wine. Excellent! I made it another night with beef and used beef broth instead of chicken broth and added a bay leaf, omitted the mint. Very good.

Posted by: Shea on January 11, 2009 4:01 PM

Loved it! I spooned off a good bit of grease before serving, but the dish was still very flavorful. I served it over quinoa and it was a big hit. Looking forward to tasting it again in a couple of days to see how it sets up.

Thanks for posting this!

Posted by: Michael on January 14, 2009 7:17 PM

Looks perfect, my family is not keen on red bell pepper - may substitute with what?

There is no substitute for roasted red bell pepper in this recipe. ~Elise

Posted by: CourtneyLeigh on May 30, 2009 9:37 AM

I made this for my husband last year! It was awesome! He has been away for a month on a training mission and this was his request for when he returns!

This is by far the best recipe we have found!!!

Posted by: TE on November 10, 2009 6:01 PM

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