1lamb shoulderbone-in, about 3.5 lbs or 3 lbs stew meat
5cupsmeat stock or water
Vegetables
6small radishes or baby turnipspeeled and quartered
3cupsmixed legumessuch as peas, edamame, and fava beans
8-10small spring onions or scallions
3cupsof loosely packed nettle topsspinach can be substituted
2cupsasparaguscut into 1-inch pieces
1small head of lettucecut into 1-inch pieces
¼cupflavorless oil
Highest quality extra virgin olive oilto garnish (optional)
Fresh mintabout 10 leaves
Fresh chivesto garnish (optional
Instructions
Lamb
Preheat the oven to 325.
Season the lamb shoulder with salt and pepper all over. You'll need at least 1 teaspoon of salt.
Put the stock and lamb shoulder in a casserole with a lid, cover with a piece of parchment and a lid. Cook the lamb shoulder for 2.5 hours or until tender, then cool for an hour and refrigerate until the fat has risen to the surface of the pot and the lamb is stiff, which will make sure it doesn’t fall apart when it’s cut.
Remove the chunks of fat from the pot (it will remove easily) then transfer the lamb to a cutting board, pat dry, and with a paring knife, carefully remove the fat cap, and then the bone.
Cut the lamb into 1-inch pieces and reserve separately from the liquid.
Vegetables and Finishing
In a large sauté or cast iron pan, heat the oil, then add the spring onions and radishes and sweat until tender. Add the remaining vegetables except for the lettuce and nettles along with the stock, and cook until the vegetables are just tender, covered, about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally to wilt the nettles. Season the vegetables with a good pinch of salt. Add the lamb to the pan along with the nettles and lettuce and heat through.
Finally, add mint to the pot, stir to distribute, double-check the seasoning for salt and pepper, adjust as needed, then divide the stew equally between 4 heated bowls, drizzling the stock over each portion and finishing with a sprinkle of chives. The stew should be very thick, with only an about ¼ cup of lamb jus per bowl. Serve with high-quality olive oil at the table for drizzling over each bowl.
Video
Notes
Many different cuts can be used to make this dish. Historically it was likely made with bone-in lamb meat.