“Spring is come home with her world-wandering feet.” – Francis Thompson “Ode to Easter”
I find that spring, clever season that it is, always seems to turn up at just about the right time. The wood pile’s days are numbered, I’m longing for breakfast on the deck and to get back into shorts and jandals. Meanwhile on the kitchen front, comfort food has changed focus from warming and hearty fare to lighter things like a plate of fresh asparagus with homemade hollandaise or globe artichokes, with each leaf carefully dipped in a dish of melted butter, steamed spring vegetables with aioli or, joy of joys, navarin of lamb with baby vegetables, a dish that would make Persephone smile.
The recipe below may seem long and involved but it isn’t and even if it was, it would be worth it.
Navarin of Lamb with Spring Vegetables
12 baby carrots
12 baby turnips
12 baby onions
12 baby leeks
1kg boned shoulder of lamb trimmed of fat or equivalent of neck fillets
50g clarified butter
A generous pinch of brown sugar
1 large carrot – peeled and diced
1 large onion – peeled and diced
20g plain flour
250ml dry white wine or light red if preferred
750ml good chicken stock – use lamb stock if you wish
3 large or 4 medium tomatoes – peeled, seeded and finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic – peeled and crushed
A bouquet of herbs – thyme, parsley, mint, bay and rosemary
100g green peas – frozen are probably best
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley for garnish
Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
Peel, wash and trim the baby vegetables. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil then, working in batches, boil the vegetables until just cooked then remove them to a colander and run under cold water to stop further cooking. Set aside to drain.
Cut the lamb into 4cm pieces and season well with salt and pepper. Melt the clarified butter over a high heat in a large oven proof sauté pan with a lid (or a casserole that may be used on an element) then brown the meat on all sides.
Sprinkle the meat with the sugar and cook to caramelize. Remove the meat and set aside. Lower the heat and in the pan sweat the chopped carrot and onion until they are soft then stir in the flour and stirring, continue to cook until lightly brown.
Add the wine and the stock together with the tomatoes, garlic and herbs and bring to a boil while continuing to stir. Return the meat to the pan, cover and cook in the oven for about 45 minutes (10 minutes or so longer if you are using neck) or until cooked.
When cooked remove the meat from the pan and keep warm. Skim as much fat as you can from the top of the liquid then continue to cook it on top of the stove until reduced to a coating consistency. Strain the liquid then return it to the pan and add the peas, baby vegetables and meat and cook until all are hot.
Spoon the meat and vegetables into a serving dish and pour over the sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve, perhaps with new season potatoes and steamed asparagus.
Serves 4.
It is a French bistro classic but if it all seems too much then why not just roast a tender leg of spring lamb until it is still pink and serve that with the new potatoes, asparagus and baby vegetables and if you think a sauce made with mint from the spring garden is not special enough for it then try a homemade aioli.
…and we still have broad beans, strawberries, and all the other joys of spring to look forward to… Winter? I am so over it!