Just ’cause it’s cute, don’t mean you can’t eat it. (Maybe someday I’ll come up with a good GFCF recipe for baby seal.) But seriously folks, lamb is a staple protein in many countries around the world, and for good reason. It’s fantastic!
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Looks a lot like beef, to be honest. This cut is an “arm chop,” which is only relevant to note because it has a bone in it. You can use pretty much any type of lamb meat for this stew, but having a bone will help make the broth nice and thick like it ought to be.
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Another thing that’s going to help beef up the broth (so to speak) is breading the meat chunks before we cook them. Put 1/4 cup gluten-free flour in a bowl (I used Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose blend, but for this any type will do,) and add in 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper for a little flavor boost.
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Heat up a large soup pot or dutch oven on the stove with a little oil. You want the oil to be nice and hot before you put the meat in. Then dredge a handful at a time in the flour and toss them in as you go.
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Stir the pieces quickly so they can brown on all sides. It should only take a couple of minutes before all the dustiness of the flour and visible redness of the meat is gone.
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Now add 1 1/2 cups of water, and 1 cup of white cooking wine to the pot. Generally speaking, wines are made from grapes and should be gluten free, but always check the ingredient list to be sure it’s not some blended product. Above all, the word “malt” should not be anywhere on the bottle. The alcohol content will cook away, but if for some reason you don’t want to use it, you can always substitute white grape juice or apple cider in any recipe that calls for white wine.
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Remember the bone? Toss that in the pot too. It’s going to impart not just a ton of flavor, but also natural gelatin which will thicken the stew and result in the most awesomest broth you’ve ever tasted.
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Also add in 1 teaspoon each of oregano and rosemary. Then bring the pot to a boil, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
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After your house has been filled with a wonderful aroma, add in about 2 cups of carrots (I like shreds, but you could do diced as well) and 2 cups of small potato pieces. These cute little things I’m using are actually called fingerling potatoes, which I like because the peels are super thin so you can leave them on. But any type of potato will do as long as the pieces are bite-sized. Put the lid back on, and continue to simmer for another hour, until the potatoes are nice and soft.
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Finally, add in 1 cup of frozen peas, and cook with the lid off until the peas are warmed through, another 5-10 minutes.
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Make sure you fish out that bone piece before you ladle it into bowls. Finding that in your spoon would put a bit of a damper an otherwise delectable stew experience.
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Happy Eating!
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Lamb Stew
2 lbs. lamb meat
1/4 cup gluten-free flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup white cooking wine
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp oregano
2 cups carrots, diced or shredded
2 cups new potatoes, diced
1 cup frozen peas
Are those fingerling potatoes a supermarket item down your way, I’ve never seen them. We used to get what the farmer called “pig potatoes”, which were the same shape a regular potatoes only tiny.
Yes, they’re over in the organic section, and I can’t say I’ve ever seen them anywhere else. Often the bag will include a random assortment of species, including these very dark knobby purple ones sometimes. I like my grocery store a lot.
I’ve never had lamb stew, but this looks wonderful!! Thanks so much for this website, it’s helped our family transition into the gfcf diet. I’m constantly combing through all of your recipes for something new to try. THANK YOU!!