Ragout of Lamb and Spring Vegetables with Farro
I love the balance of the lamb and spring vegetables. It's a lighter take on a lamb stew, but still pretty hearty. It's a great dinner with just some crusty bread - perfect for those weeks when you can see spring coming, but it's still dark and cold at dinner time.
Servings: 12
Equipment
- Braiser or dutch oven
Ingredients
- 4 sprigs fresh oregano or 2 tsp dried
- 4 sprigs thyme or 2 tsp dried
- 2 sprigs rosemary or 1 tsp dried
- 2 bay leaves fresh or dried
- 1/4 cup olive oil plus more
- 3 lbs lamb shoulder or stew meat cut in 1" cubes
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 14 oz frozen pearl onions thawed (1 bag)
- 6 cloves garlic sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 ½ cup dry red wine
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1¼ cup farro
- 1 cup hot water (optional)
- 2 lbs baby turnips scrubbed, trimmed, and halved if large
- 1 bunch rainbow carrots peeled, cut into 1" chunks
- 1 bunch asparagus cut into 1" lengths
- 1 lb frozen or fresh peas
- 1 bunch dandelion or other greens chopped coarsely
Instructions
- Tie herbs together if using fresh, or if using dried, combine in a small bowl and set aside.
- Season lamb cubes with kosher salt and pepper. Heat oil in braiser or dutch oven and brown lamb in batches, transferring to a bowl as each batch is done.
- After all lamb is browned and removed, add onions to empty pot and stir occasionally until starting to brown - about 5 minutes. Add about a tablespoon of oil if needed to prevent sticking. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add vinegar and cook, scraping up any browned bits for about a minute or until syrupy.
- Add wine, bring to a boil and reduce by about 1/4th (3-5 minutes). Add broth, lamb and herbs (dried or fresh bundle). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer covered until lamb is tender, about 75-90 minutes.
- Stir in farro and cook about 15 minutes. If the stew looks like it's getting dry, add a cup of hot water. Remove herb bundle (dried will blend into sauce) and add turnips and carrots to pot. Cook until farro is cooked through and turnips are tender another 30-40 minutes. Add asparagus and peas and cook another 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in greens and continue cooking just until wilted. Serve.
Notes
I love making this stew when asparagus first appears in the market. The mix of textures and sweetness from the vegetables works really well with the lamb and slightly bitter greens. It's a welcome dinner when the market is starting to turn into a spring market, but it's still dark and chilly at dinner time. All it needs for serving is some nice crusty bread and butter.