Devaki's Lamb Navarin with Spring Vegetables
Ever since reading Devaki’s post a couple of weeks ago, I knew I had to cook her Lamb Navarin with Spring Vegetables in my slow cooker. Although I needed to modify the preparation instructions for the crock pot, I followed Devaki’s ingredient list as closely as I could. My only substitutions were asparagus for the green beans, and shallots for the pearl onions. Also, since my turnips were so big I left out the potatoes, I didn’t want to overflow my slow cooker! Luckily, Best Baa Farms, a local Ontario Sheep Farm had lamb stewing meat available. Best Baa feeds their animals with non-genetically modified grains and grasses grown on their own land. I recently cooked a lamb tangine with this meat and I loved the taste and texture of the lamb so I didn’t hesitate to use it here.
I love the technique Devaki shares for making a bouquet garni without the cheese cloth (I’ve never been keen on putting cheese cloth in my food). Using fresh herbs in a slow cooker is helpful for maximizing flavour because the flavour from dried herbs just doesn’t survive hours of cooking. This is a technique I will use often. For this first time, I didn’t have kitchen twine, so I tried to improvise by tying the filled celery pieces together with green onion and slivers of leek — no luck. It looked pretty, but the ‘veggie twine’ snapped every time I tried to secure the knot. So instead, I placed my leaky bouquet garni inside the bottom of the slow cooker insert and hoped it would stay put :) Have you discovered an emergency alternative for kitchen twine?
My bouquet garni did stay in place and its' precious contents contributed to a very satisfying dish. Although the lamb and all the vegetables kept their unique flavours, the broth containing fresh tomato and garlic, infused the meat and bathed the vegetables making everything taste even better.
Devaki's Lamb Navarin with Spring Vegetables
Prep:
30-45 minutes
Cook:
6 hours (low)
Yield: 8-10 servings
- 2 lbs cubed lamb 1½ pieces (or stewing meat)
- 1 rib celery, cut in half
- 8 sprigs thyme
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp oil
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 1⁄4 cups finely chopped onion
- sliced leek, sliced lengthwise then into ¼-inch pieces
- 3 tbsp flour
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1⁄2 cup white wine
- 5 chopped Roma tomatoes
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 peeled and sliced carrots, 1-2 inch pieces
- 3 peeled and quartered turnips
- 18 shallots (or pearl onions)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1⁄2 cups sliced asparagus
- 1⁄2 cup green peas
Prepare bouquet garni by filling one hollow of celery with 4-5 sprigs of thyme and the other with 1 tbsp chopped parsley. Add the bay leaves and interlock the two pieces of celery. Tie closed with kitchen twine. See Devaki’s photos for details.
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat and brown the carrots, toss every 2-3 minutes to brown all sides. Transfer to slow cooker insert. Repeat for browning the turnips and pearl onions/shallots. * Alternatively, place raw turnips, carrots and pearl onions/shallots into the slow cooker insert.
Pat lamb pieces dry. Brown in a Dutch oven (or other large heavy bottom pot) over medium-high heat. About 4-5 minutes per side. May need to separate into two or three batches. Transfer to plate and set aside.
Add the onions, leeks and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes, just until they begin to soften.
Return meat to the pot and stir in the flour until the meat is coated. Add the tomatoes, salt, wine and broth and stir to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Pour into the slow cooker, over the vegetables. Add another 4-5 sprigs of thyme on top.
Cook on low for 6 hours.
Turn the temperature to high and add the asparagus and peas. Cook on high for 20-30 (or continue on low for 30-60 minutes), until the asparagus is easily pierced with a fork.
Serve in bowls and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
*If you are looking to reduce the preparation time even further, I would omit the browning of the carrots, turnips and shallots/pearl onions. By the time slow cooking was finished, the appetizing appearance of the browned vegetables was lost.
