When I was a little girl, I loved St. Patrick’s Day.
I drew shamrocks, pots of gold and leprechauns and sang, “How are things in Glocca Mora?” endlessly. The song was Perry Como’s fault (but he was Italian, too). As a young mother, I once made dozens of little shamrock cookies by rolling little balls of cookie dough into leaves and stems. They took an entire afternoon to make and no one ate them. They had no taste.
And, like many others, every March I bought a slab of artificially died red meat, pared it with cabbage wedges, potatoes and carrots, boiled it forever, and served my family an “authentic” Irish corned beef and cabbage dinner. This never was a hit either.
So, what to serve to celebrate on this festive little holiday? The winds can blow bitterly this month as winter hangs on. A warming stew seems just right, but my challenge has always been avoiding my husband’s assertion that I am cooking “mystery meat.” This accusation usually comes when he is served anything from a crockpot, as well.
Nevertheless, a good stew can be satisfying and delicious on St. Patrick’s Day or any cold day in March. The following recipe is for an Italian lamb stew, a wonderful spring dish from one of my favorite cooking bibles, “How to Cook Italian.”
It takes a little time to cook, but can be made a day or two ahead of time and re-heated when ready to serve. I make some changes to the ingredient list by substituting red wine for the white and peas for the olives. If you don’t like lamb, the stew can be made with beef or veal. If you’ve never tackled a dish like this before, give it a try. The leftovers are even better the next day.
Ingredients
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes (or veal or beef cubes)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/3 cup white or red wine
- 1 ½ cups good quality, crushed tomatoes (like POMI)
- 6-8 sprigs Italian parsley, chopped
- 1 cup of frozen baby peas or 12 kalamata olives, flesh sliced away from the pits
Recipe
- Peel and finely chop the garlic and chop enough of the rosemary to measure 1 teaspoon.
- Put the olive oil into a heavy pot, like a Dutch oven or Le Creuset casserole. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and, when the oil is hot, begin browning the lamb cubes. (I like to sprinkle the meat with a little Wondra flour, which serves to thicken the juices.) Brown half the meat at a time so as not to crowd the cubes.
- When all the lamb is browned, season it with salt and pepper.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic and rosemary. Stir briefly with a wooden spoon.
- Add the wine and let it bubble for about 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes, salt them gently, and, when they begin to boil, add the meat cubes back into the pan.
- Put a lid (slightly askew) on the pot and simmer gently for about 90 minutes. (Good “slow food” takes a little time.) Stir every 20 minutes or so.
- When the meat is tender, add the peas or olives. If there is too much liquid remaining in the pot, remove the lid and let it evaporate as you finish cooking.
This stew only needs a loaf of crusty bread, perhaps sourdough or even Irish soda bread. A tossed salad such as arugula (we need some green) and some nice cold beer (maybe Harp?) will round out the meal.
I think this Italian stew would satisfy my Irish friends. Enjoy. And “may the road rise with you.”
