“Spring” for Grass-Fed Lamb and Savor Chef Cat Cora’s Navarin of Lamb

Tradition is a great thing, but in the culinary world, chefs like to tweak it a bit, just to keep things interesting. So while tradition calls for a juicy, roasted leg of lamb at Easter and throughout the spring, chef, cookbook author and Food Network celebrity, Cat Cora opts instead for a navarin of lamb.

“A navarin is the very best kind of lamb stew, made with young carrots and turnips and tender spring vegetables in a rich, thyme- and rosemary-scented gravy,” she says. Cora suggests using either lamb shoulder or a “petite lamb roast,” cut from the leg and now available from Cora’s “all-time favorite producer of grass-fed, all-natural lamb — Lava Lake Lamb of Hailey Idaho.”

Chef Cora, who prepared copious amounts Lava Lake Lamb during food demos at last summer’s Sun Valley Food & Wine Festival, is an enthusiastic proponent of the pure, delectable lamb produced on the family-owned ranch where the lambs roam over almost one-million acres. From spring through summer, Lava Lake lambs graze and eat the way nature intended. And, they are never placed in feedlots. To learn more about Lava Lake Lamb or to order Lava Lake 100 Percent Grass-Fed Certified Organic or All-Natural lamb online, visit www.lavalakelamb.com.

Cat Cora’s Navarin of Lamb

You may think of stew as a way to use big, fat root vegetables, but don’t go that route with a navarin. Use only tender, spring vegetables – maybe seek out young French beans – and you’ll be amazed by how a navarin changes your perception of what a stew can be.

Fresh peas are fantastic in this dish, if you don’t mind shelling the peas. You can also use frozen peas, thawed overnight in your fridge.

• 3 1/2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder or petite lamb roast cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup flour seasoned lightly with salt and pepper
• 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 medium onions, peeled and diced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 cup canned tomatoes with juice
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 to 3/4 pounds pearl or small boiling onions
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 cup baby carrots (or 4 regular carrots, peeled and cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces)
• 1/2 pound baby turnips (or 2 large turnips, peeled and cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces)
• 3/4 cup peas
• 1/2 pound young string beans, trimmed (about 2 to 2 1/2 cups)
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chervil, for garnish

Lightly coat the lamb cubes with flour, shaking off any excess. Set aside. Pour the vegetable oil into a large casserole and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the lamb cubes, being careful not to crowd the pan. Brown the meat well on all sides. Add the garlic and onions and continue to cook until the onions are soft, about 8 minutes. Pour in the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits sticking to the bottom with a wooden spoon or spatula. Turn off the heat under the pan while you strain the tomatoes (reserving any juice in the can), and give the tomatoes a rough chop. Add the beef stock, seeded tomatoes and reserved juice, rosemary, thyme, and the bay leaf. Turn the heat to medium high, bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook about 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender. (If you like, you can also slide the casserole into the oven and cook the stew there at 250°F.)

While the meat is cooking prepare the pearl onions. Fill a 2-quart saucepan half full of water and place over high heat. Bring water to a boil, add 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and carefully slide in the onions. Boil the onions until they’re tender and the skins slip off easily, about 5 to 8 minutes, depending on how big the onions are. Drain the onions in a colander set over a bowl or sink. When they’re cool enough to handle, slip off the skins. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use. When the meat is tender, spoon the chunks from the casserole with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl. Reduce the remaining sauce over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until is has the consistency of gravy, about 10 minutes. Skim off any visible fat then strain the sauce over the meat, discarding any solids. Return the meat and the sauce to the casserole. (The navarin can be made ahead up to this point. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days and when you’re ready to serve the stew, reheat it and continue from here.)

Add carrots and cooked onions to the casserole and cover. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add turnips, green beans, and peas. Simmer an additional 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the remaining salt and the pepper, taste and add a bit more salt and pepper if you like. Ladle into bowls, and garnish with chopped chervil and slices of a hearty, artisanal bread.

About Cat Cora

In 2005, Cat Cora made television history on Food Network’s Iron Chef America as the first and only female Iron Chef, and in November 2006 Bon Appétit Magazine honored her with their Teacher of the Year Award. That same month she was named Executive Chef of the magazine. With her recently launched second book, Cooking from the Hip: Fast, Easy, Phenomenal Meals (Houghton Mifflin), the renowned chef elevates at-home cooking to new levels. The book applies her “go-with-what you’ve got” philosophy to creating simple, yet sensational meals. Learn more at www.catcoracooks.com

About Lava Lake Lamb

Lava Lake Lamb is an artisanal producer of certified organic and all-natural grass-fed lamb. We raise our lamb on a family-owned ranch in the southern Pioneer Mountains near Sun Valley Idaho. Dedicated to the proposition that what we eat matters, we raise our Lava Lake 100-Percent Grass-Fed Organic and All-Natural Lambs sustainably, humanely and without antibiotics or growth hormones, and never place them in feed lots. The resulting lamb is tender, delectable and highly nutritious.

Our deep commitment to raising the highest-quality, best-tasting lamb goes hand-in-hand with our commitment to a large-scale conservation effort designed to restore and protect one million contiguous acres of rich native landscape that we are privileged to use. 100% of the profits from the sale of our certified organic and all-natural grass-fed lamb helps fund vital conservation work through our non-profit Lava Lake Foundation for Science and Conservation. Learn more at www.lavalakelamb.com

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