Slow-cooked lamb with cannellini beans, tomatoes and rosemary
Bean stews make the perfect one-pot meal — comforting, filling and inexpensive. Gremolata is a fresh-tasting mix of chopped parsley, garlic and lemon zest. I use it to sprinkle over roast or braised meats, pastas or anything pan-grilled. Delicious If you’
SERVES
6
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
30
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
90
MINUTES
Ingredients
500g boned shoulder of lamb, trimmed of fat and cut into 3cm cubes
plain flour, for dusting
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
50g onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
225g carrots, finely diced
1 stick of celery, finely diced
2 bay leaves
a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 x 400g tins of Italian tomatoes, chopped
300ml white wine
300ml homemade lamb stock or water
2 400g tins of cannellini beans, rinsed in cold water and drained (*see note at end of recipe)
flaky sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
For the gremolata:
4 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 generous tsp grated or finely chopped organic lemon zest
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
flaky sea salt, to taste
Method
Dust the cubes of lamb with flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a casserole and fry the lamb in batches until brown. Remove the lamb to a plate and set aside.
Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery to the casserole and cook over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes until the onions are beginning to soften and are slightly golden. Add the lamb.
Reduce the heat to low and put in the bay leaves, rosemary, tomatoes, white wine and lamb stock or water. Bring slowly to the boil, cover the pan with a lid and simmer very gently for about one and a half hours, or until the lamb is tender. Add the cannellini beans 15 minutes before the end. Remove the rosemary sprigs and bay leaves from the lamb and check the seasoning.
To make the gremolata, mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl, season to taste with salt and serve soon.
Serve sprinkled with the gremolata and a big bowl of buttery scallion champ.
