Food column: Spring means lamb season

It is nearing springtime, when a young cook’s fancy turns to lamb. Lamb is a traditional late winter and early spring protein. It is leaner than beef or pork, and often more flavorful. However, lamb must be handled with care or it becomes tough and gamy. Mutton, which is from adult sheep, has a strong, sometimes unpleasant flavor. Lamb, however, is far more delicate, with an earthy flavor reminiscent of farms and meadows.

Since St. Patrick’s Day was this week, try a traditional Irish lamb stew. In the past, lamb was used more as a flavoring than the main ingredient, but if a chef is willing to spend a bit more, a really meaty stew is easy to make.

The key to a good stew is long simmering and a rich, reduced stock as the base. A quality low-sodium store-bought stock will work, but will not have the depth of homemade.

Barley has long been used in lamb stew. This grain makes the stew hearty, and, when allowed to simmer for hours, releases starches that thicken the stew naturally and gives it a creamy texture. Pearled barley is available in most bulk food aisles.

Lamb can be expensive, but some stores sell stew meat at reasonable prices. It tends to be cheaper, though, to buy a boneless leg of lamb and cut it yourself.

Leg of lamb must be well trimmed, as there is a layer of fat on the outside, as well as pockets of fat in between some muscle masses. Save these after trimming, for they will be used to create the fat for browning the meat before it goes in the stew. The bits of meat still attached to the fat will cook up crispy and be a treat for the cook.

There will be membranes, called silverskin, on some of the muscles. To remove silverskin, carefully start to separate the membrane from the meat with a sharp knife then peel it off using sanitized pliers.

Alternately, just trim off pieces of meat that have the membrane and use those for stock. This will result in less meat in the stew, but it will make a better stock and there will not be tough little chunks of membrane.

Potatoes are common in lamb stew, but using more flavorful root vegetables will add depth to the flavor. Turnips, parsnips and rutabagas as well as carrots make a great addition to a stew, as well as being traditional in ancient recipes.

Since herbs, dried or fresh, tend to just float on top of stews it is a good idea to make a puree of the flavorings. This recipe calls for parsley, thyme and mint. A blender, food processor or mortar and pestle are great for making an herb blend that will mix right in.

Irish Lamb and Barley Stew

Equipment needed:

• Large skillet or Dutch oven
• Large stock pot or large slow cooker
• Fine mesh skimmer
• Blender, food processor or mortar and pestle
• Sanitized pliers for silverskin

Ingredients:

• Boneless leg of lamb (about 4 pounds) or 3 to 4 pounds lamb stew meat
• Flour for dredging
• 5 quarts good stock (chicken, vegetable, beef or lamb)
• 2 turnips
• 3 to 4 parsnips
• 2 rutabagas
• 4 to 5 carrots
• 4 large white or yellow onions
• 3 to 4 cups pearled barley
• 1/2 bunch fresh parsley (reserve the rest for garnish)
• 7 to 9 fresh mint leaves or 2 tablespoons dry mint
• 2 tablespoons picked fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dry thyme
• 1/2 cup white wine or Irish beer
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Prepare the stock and reserve. Wash, peel and dice all the vegetables. Trim fat and silverskin from lamb. Dice lamb in 3/4 inch pieces. In a skillet or large Dutch oven, render the lamb fat on low to medium heat. Strain or skim any burnt pieces out of the fat and reserve.

Put a small amount of the fat in the stock pot or slow cooker and sauté the diced onions until golden, then add the other vegetables and the stock. Heat the remaining fat in a skillet or Dutch oven. Toss the diced lamb in flour and quickly brown in the fat in small batches. Once a batch of lamb is done browning, put it in the stew pot. Continue browning meat until all is finished.

Bring the stew to a simmer (about 190 F). Take the herbs and make a puree with the alcohol and vinegar. Skim and discard the scum of fat and starch that will rise to the top. Once the lamb is cooked through, add the barley and let the stew come back to a simmer. It will take at least half an hour for the barley to cook, so skim occasionally while it softens and bursts, making the stew creamy and thick. Skim a final time and add the herb and vinegar blend and adjust seasonings to taste. Stir well. If not serving immediately, cool the stew down quickly and refrigerate or freeze. It will be even better when reheated.

Steve “Mo” Fye is the food columnist for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @UncaMo.