Navarin of Lamb
French bistro classics from Martha Stewart’s Cooking School… Join Martha as she re-creates four French bistro recipes you can make at home, including lamb navarin, Niçoise salad, croque monsieur, and celery-root remoulade.
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 ½ pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 medium onions, diced (3 cups)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups Homemade Beef Stock (recipes follows)
- 1 cup canned whole tomatoes with juice, seeded and crushed
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 8-ounce package pearl onions (about 24)
- 16 baby carrots or 4 large carrots
- ½ pound baby turnips or 2 large turnips or 5 small turnips
- 1 ½ cups peas
- 1/2 pound young string beans or haricot verts, stems trimmed
- For the Beefstock:
- MAKES 6 QUARTS
- 8 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 pound beef-stew meat, cubed
- 5 pounds veal bones, sawed into smaller pieces
- 1 large onion, peel on, quartered
- 2 large carrots, cut into thirds
- 2 stalks celery, cut into thirds
- 2 cups dry red wine
Method
- In a large Dutch-oven, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook lamb in a single layer until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch.
- Return all of the lamb to Dutch-oven, add garlic and diced onions, and cook until onions are soft, 6 minutes. Add flour, and cook until it is well browned, 2 minutes.
- Add wine, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping browned bits from the bottom and sides of pan. Add stock, tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low; cover, and cook until meat is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Remove meat; place in a large bowl, and set aside. Reduce sauce over high heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Skim off any fat. Strain sauce over meat, discarding solids; return meat and sauce to casserole. (The navarin can be made ahead up to this point. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat and continue as directed.)
- Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, and add pearl onions. Boil 2 minutes, and drain. When cool enough to handle, peel and set aside. Peel baby carrots; trim tops to 1/4 inch. Repeat with baby turnips. If using large carrots and turnips, peel and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Add onions, turnips and carrots to casserole and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add peas, and simmer 10 minutes more, or until vegetables are tender.
- Blanch beans until bright green and still crisp about 5 minutes, then drain. Serve and scatter beans atop each serving.
- FOR THE BEEFSTOCK:
- Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Make a bouquet garni by wrapping parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth. Tie with kitchen twine, and set aside. Arrange meat, veal bones, onion, carrots, and celery in an even layer in a heavy roasting pan. Roast, turning every 20 minutes, until the vegetables and the bones are deep brown, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the meat, bones, and vegetables to a large stockpot, and set aside. Pour off the fat from the roasting pan, and discard. Place the pan over high heat on the stove. Add wine, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits; boil until the wine has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Pour all of the liquid into the stockpot.
- Add 6 quarts of cold water to the stockpot, or more if needed to cover bones. Do not add less water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a very gentle simmer. Add the reserved bouquet garni. Liquid should just bubble up to surface. Skim the foam from the surface, and discard. Simmer over the lowest possible heat for 3 hours; a skin will form on the surface of the liquid; skim off with a slotted spoon, and discard. Repeat as needed. Add water if at any time the level drops below the bones.
- Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a large bowl. Discard the solids. Transfer the bowl to an ice bath, and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to airtight containers. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight. Stock may be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 4 months. If storing, leave fat layer intact to seal the stock. Before using, remove the fat that has collected on the surface.