Ingredients

The following ingredients have 8 Servings
  • 4 pounds lamb shoulder meat cut into chunks
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 4 pears, peeled, cored and halved
  • 4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
  • 2/3 pound string beans, trimmed
  • 6 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 sprig parsley
  • 1 bay leaf

Instruction

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season the meat with salt and pepper. 
  • In a dutch oven, brown the lamb pieces in olive oil till they form a dark crust. Remove and set aside.
  • In the same pan, brown the onions and garlic. Be sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
  • Once the onions and garlic and tender and have some color, return the lamb to the pan.
  • Make an herb bouquet by tying the thyme, parsley and bay leaf together with cooking twine.
  • Add 2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, herb bouquet and enough water to cover. I used 6 cups of water, but this may vary slightly based on the size of your pan.
  • Cover and cook in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven and add the pears, potatoes and string beans to the pan.
  • Cover and cook for an additional hour, or longer if needed, till lamb is very tender and pears, potatoes and beans are cooked through and tender.Remove the meat and lay in a mound in the center of a serving dish. Surround with the vegetables and pears.
  • Remove the herb bundle from the sauce. The book suggests thickening the sauce into gravy by ricing one of the potatoes and adding it to the cooking liquid. I tried this, but it was still a bit on the thin side, so instead I added 1 tbsp of corn starch mixed with a little cold water (corn starch wasn't commonly used as a thickener till after this cookbook was published, so this was a slight modernization). I simmered it in the remaining sauce till it thickened into a nice gravy. You can add more cornstarch mixed with water to thicken it further, if desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I used lots of pepper!).
  • Serve the stew with hot gravy to pour over each serving. Serve.