Lamb stew with butternut squash and saffron
Try Gennaro Contaldo's warming Italian stew. Cooking the lamb slowly keeps the meat tender with a richness of flavour.
Ingredients
For the vegetable stock
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 courgette, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 celery stalk with leaves, chopped
- 1 leek, chopped
- 1 potato, peeled and chopped
- 2 cherry tomatoes, left whole
- handful fresh parsley, including stalks, left whole
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
For the stew
- 700g/1lb 9oz stewing lamb, cut into chunks
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 red chilli, halved lengthways
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
- 4 small fresh sage leaves, chopped
- pinch of saffron, diluted in 1 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp tinned chopped tomatoes
- 4 tbsp dry white wine
- 200ml/â…“ pint vegetable stock (made above or use a stock cube)
- 200g/7oz potato, cut into large chunks
- 400g/14oz butternut squash, peeled and cut into large chunks
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the cime di rapa
Method
To make the vegetable stock, put all the ingredients in a large saucepan, add 1.5 litres/2â…” pints of water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer gently for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Remove from the heat and strain the broth through a fine sieve, pressing down well on the vegetables with the back of a spoon. The stock can now be used for the stew, eaten as a soup or frozen.
To make the stew, rub the lamb all over with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the meat and brown on all sides, then remove and set aside. This might need to be done in batches so not to over crowd the pan.
Reduce to heat and add the onion, garlic and chilli to the pan and sweat for a couple of minutes. Return the lamb to the pan, then add the herbs, saffron and tomato.
Add the wine and allow to evaporate before adding the stock, then cover with a lid and cook on a very low heat for 1 hour.
Add the potato and butternut squash and continue to cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for a couple of minutes before serving.
Meanwhile, to make the cime di rapa, use the shoots and leaves of the cime di rapa and place in a pot of boiling salted water and blanch for a couple of minutes.
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil then sauté the garlic, chilli, olives and capers for a minute or so. Add the blanched cime di rapa and sauté everything together for about 3 minutes. Remove and serve with a squeeze of lemon.
Serve the stew with the cime di rapa alongside.
Recipe Tips
If using a slow cooker, brown the meat in a large saucepan as above, then sweat the vegetables and add the herbs, saffron and tomato; add the wine and allow to evaporate. Add 350ml/12fl oz stock and bring to the boil, stirring. Put the potatoes into a large slow cooker pot, pour over the lamb mixture, press the lamb beneath the liquid and scatter the squash over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8–9 hours.