A hearty lamb stew with cime di rapa is a comforting dish perfect for chilly evenings. It combines tender chunks of lamb with vibrant vegetables and herbs, simmered to perfection in a flavourful vegetable stock. The rich flavours and wholesome ingredients make it well worth the effort.
Preparation time
30 mins to 1 hour
Cooking time
over 2 hours
Serves
Serves 4
By Gennaro Contaldo
From Saturday Kitchen
This dish has a well-balanced nutritional profile, offering lean protein from lamb and a variety of vitamins and minerals from the vegetables. The use of olive oil adds healthy fats, while the overall ingredient composition supports a nutritious meal. (nutri-score)
Ingredients
For the vegetable stock:
- Onion: 1, chopped
- Courgette: 1, chopped
- Carrot: 1, peeled and chopped
- Celery stalk with leaves: 1, chopped
- Leek: 1, chopped
- Potato: 1, peeled and chopped
- Cherry tomatoes: 2, left whole
- Fresh parsley: handful, including stalks, left whole
- Extra virgin olive oil: 2 tbsp
- Sea salt: 1 tsp
For the stew:
- Stewing lamb: 700g/1lb 9oz, cut into chunks
- Extra virgin olive oil: 3 tbsp
- Onion: 1, finely chopped
- Garlic cloves: 2, finely chopped
- Red chilli: 1, halved lengthways
- Fresh rosemary: 2 sprigs, leaves removed and chopped
- Sage leaves: 4 small, chopped
- Saffron: pinch, diluted in 1 tbsp water
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: 2 tbsp
- Dry white wine: 4 tbsp
- Vegetable stock: 200ml/⅓ pint (made above or use a stock cube)
- Potato: 200g/7oz, cut into large chunks
- Butternut squash: 400g/14oz, peeled and cut into large chunks
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper: to taste
For the cime di rapa:
- Cime di rapa: bunch
- Olive oil: 2 tbsp
- Garlic cloves: 2
- Red chilli: ½, chopped
- Black olives: 5–10, chopped
- Capers: 2 tbsp
- Lemon juice: squeeze
- Pinch salt:
Method
Create the vegetable stock
- Add all stock ingredients to a large saucepan with 1.5 litres/2⅔ pints of water.
- Brought to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.
- Sieve the broth through a fine sieve, pressing down on the vegetables to extract maximum flavor.
The stock can be used immediately or frozen for later use.
Cook the stew
- Toss lamb chunks with salt and pepper.
- Add olive oil to a large saucepan over medium heat; brown lamb on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- Add onion, garlic, and chilli to the pan; sweat for a couple of minutes.
- Add browned lamb back to the pan along with rosemary, sage, saffron mixture, and tomatoes.
- Pour in white wine; allow to evaporate before adding vegetable stock. Cover and simmer on low heat for 1 hour.
- Add potato and butternut squash; continue cooking for another 30 minutes. Let rest before serving.
Sauté the cime di rapa
- Add cime di rapa shoots and leaves to boiling salted water; blanch for a couple of minutes.
- Sauté garlic, chilli, olives, and capers in olive oil in a large frying pan for about a minute.
- Add blanched cime di rapa; sauté everything together for about 3 minutes. Finish with lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
Serve the dish
- Spoon the lamb stew into bowls alongside the sautéed cime di rapa.
Slow Cooker method
You can make this recipe using a slow cooker.
- Start by browning the meat in a large pan as previously described.
- Next, sweat the vegetables and add the herbs, saffron, and tomato.
- Pour in the wine and let it evaporate.
- Add 350ml/12fl oz of stock, bring to a boil, and stir well.
- Place the potatoes in the bottom of a large slow cooker pot, pour the lamb mixture over them, pressing the lamb below the liquid level.
- Scatter the squash on top
- Cover, and cook on low for 8–9 hours.
Nutritional Health Check: Nutri-score Health Check
This recipe receives a Nutri-score of B, indicating it is well-balanced. Here’s how it breaks down nutritionally:
- The dish is rich in protein from lamb and packed with vitamins from various vegetables. Olive oil provides healthy fats.
- The overall fat content may be higher due to the cooking methods used (sautéing). However, it remains within reasonable limits due to healthy fat sources.
The combination of lean protein from lamb along with nutrient-dense vegetables makes this stew a wholesome option. To enhance its healthiness further, consider using less oil or opting for leaner cuts of meat while maintaining flavor through herbs and spices.
