Lamb and Damson Stew

Here in the Western world putting fruit in with meat isn't something which we do very often . . .  however, having said that we do like our pork with applesauce and our cranberry sauce with turkey.

 But fruit in a stew, it's not a really common thing.  In the Middle East it is a fairly common thing. Just think of a Tagine with apricots or dates. These are always really delicious dishes.

 

This delicious recipe is loosely adapted from one I found in one of my favourite cookery books, Lotte's Country Kitchen.  It has been on my bookshelf for several years now, since 2010 when it first came out.  

It is a cookery book which follows the seasons and this recipe is one that I have had flagged for several years, wanting to cook it when we had a nice crop of plums from our plum tree, and this year was the year!

Eating seasonally is what I like to do, and when the fruit for a recipe comes from our very own locally grown produce, I am even happier about it.   

Despite the drought, it looks as if they had bumper crop this year! A great blessing indeed!

 

This stew is a fabulous mix of meat and veg in a lovely gravy.  I used leeks instead of baby onions, because that is what I had, and I happen to think that leeks go particularly well with lamb.

  I also used baby parsnips, carrots and some swede (rutabaga) because, to my way of thinking, you can't have a stew without swede, can you? (Also known as a Rutabaga in North America.)

WHAT YOU NEED 

TO MAKE

LAMB & DAMSON STEW

A few simple ingredient's, that's all.

For the stew:

 2 TBS rapeseed oil

900g (2 pounds) leg of lamb, cut into a medium dice, trimmed of fat, etc.

1 TBS butter

4 baby leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced into 1 inch lengths

4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

3 parsnips, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch chunks

1/3 of a small swede (rutabaga) peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

1 TBS soft light brown sugar

2 TBS plain flour

275ml red wine (1 1/4 cups)

570ml beef or lamb stock (2 1/2 cups)

1 TBS chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 fresh bay leaf

1 spring fresh rosemary

350g damsons, plums, greengages or apricots. halved and stoned

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the dumplings:
4 ounces of self raising flour, plus extra for shaping (1 cup)
2 ounces shredded suet (about 1/4 cup heaped)
1 tsp dry mustard
1 TBS chopped fresh parsley
1 TBS chopped fresh sage
4 TBS cold water
salt and black pepper to taste  

This is one beautifully delicious combination.  Lamb is an almost sweet meat, so using fruit in this dish really works well.   The plums went beautifully, but if you didn't have Damson plums you could also use apricots, or another variety of plum.  

The plums I used were Victoria Plums, a soft purple egg-shaped plum with a dusky skin. They went wonderfully.  I think that even dried fruit would work well, as in dried apricots or prunes.  All would be just delicious!

 

HOW TO MAKE

LAMB & DAMSON STEW

This really isn't difficult at all. Like any stew, the oven or hob does most of the work.

Heat a flame proof casserole over a medium heat and add the oil.  Once the oil is hot, begin browning the lamb a few bits at a time, so that they get a nice colour.  Don't be tempted to add too much meat at a time or it will stew instead of browning.  It is the browning which will give your stew its lovely colour. Remove the meat as it browns and add more.  Repeat until all is browned. 

Add the butter and then add the leeks, carrots, parsnips and swede.  Cook gently over a low heat until they are just coloured.  Add the brown sugar and stir in.  Add the flour and stir it in, cooking it for a few minutes.  Add the red wine and allow it to bubble up.  Pour in the stock and bring to the boiling point, stirring.  Add all of the herbs and return the meat to the pot.  (Make sure you bend the bayleaf in half so that the flavour  is released.)  Cover and bake in a preheated 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3 oven for 1 1/2 hours, until the lamb is tender.  Remove from the oven.  Add the fruit, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper.  Increase the oven temperature to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. 

Make the dumplings by placing the flour, suet, mustard, herbs and seasonings into a bowl.   Add enough of the water to make a firm but soft dough.  Break off the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape with lightly floured hands into round balls. Drop these on top of the hot stew, pushing them down a bit into the hot liquid.   Cook, uncovered,  for a further 15 to 20 minutes, until the dumplings have doubled in size, turn a bit golden and crisp on the surface, and the stew is nice and tender.  

Serve hot, spooned out onto warm plates with some mash on the side.

WHAT TO SERVE 

WITH 

LAMB AND DAMSON STEW

I served this warm with some mashed potatoes on the side. Boiled baby new potatoes also work well as does rice, couscous or bulghur. You could even serve it with cooked barley or farrow.

FREQUENTLY

ASKED QUESTIONS

DO I NEED TO USE LAMB?

Not at all, you could use pork instead of lamb. Pork also goes beautifully with fruit.

CAN I MAKE THIS AHEAD OF TIME?

Absolutely. This can be made up to two days ahead of time. Make up to the point of adding the plums and dumplings. Gently reheat, add the fruit and dumplings and proceed as per recipe.

CAN THIS BE FROZEN?

Absolutely. You can freeze this stew in single serving portions ready to thaw out and enjoy at a later date. If anything, it will taste even better.  

A FEW

OTHER STEWS YOU MIGHT

ALSO ENJOY

OVEN BRAISED BEEF STEW - A satisfying, rich and delicious stew filled with plenty of melt in the mouth beef, leeks, carrots, potatoes, parsnips, turnips, onions and celery. The gravy is lovely and thick. After the initial preparation the oven does most of the work, with most delicious results. This is an old family favorite.

IRISH LAMB STEW - Deliciously humble, hearty and filling. Lamb, carrots and onions, in a delicious gravy, oven braised beneath a thatch of potato wedges, which get all caramelized and golden brown. Altogether very tasty!

 

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Yield: serves 4 to 6

Author: Marie Rayner

Lamb & Damson Stew

Prep time: 25 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 25 M

A delicious lamb stew filled with lots of tender pieces of lamb, veg and sweet/tart plums. Topped off with some crisp crusted herbed dumplings. If you don't have Damsons, feel free to use other types of plums, apricots, etc.  This is just a lovely, lovely stew. 

Ingredients

For the Stew:

• 2 TBS rapeseed oil
• 900g (2 pounds) leg of lamb, cut into a medium dice, trimmed of fat, etc.
• 1 TBS butter
• 4 baby leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced into 1 inch lengths
• 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 3 parsnips, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1/3 of a small swede (rutabaga) peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 TBS soft light brown sugar
• 2 TBS plain flour
• 275ml red wine (1 1/4 cups)
• 570ml beef or lamb stock (2 1/2 cups)
• 1 TBS chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 1 spring fresh rosemary
• 3/4 pound/350g damsons, plums, greengages or apricots. halved and stoned
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the dumplings:

• 125g of self-raising flour, plus extra for shaping (1 cup) (see notes)
• 56g shredded suet (about 1/4 cup heaped)
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 TBS chopped fresh parsley
• 1 TBS chopped fresh sage
• 4 TBS cold water
• salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat a flame proof casserole over a medium heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, begin browning the lamb a few bits at a time, so that they get a nice color. (Don't be tempted to add too much meat at a time or it will stew instead of browning. It is the browning which will give your stew its lovely color.)
2. Remove the meat as it browns and add more. Repeat until all is browned.
3. Add the butter and then add the leeks, carrots, parsnips and swede. Cook gently over a low heat until they are just colored.
4. Add the brown sugar and stir in. Add the flour and stir it in, cooking it for a few minutes. Add the red wine and allow it to bubble up. Pour in the stock and bring to the boiling point, stirring.
5. Add all of the herbs and return the meat to the pot. (Make sure you bend the bay leaf in half so that the flavor is released.)
6. Cover and bake in a preheated 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3 oven for 1 1/2 hours, until the lamb is tender. Remove from the oven. Add the fruit, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper. Increase the oven temperature to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.
7. Make the dumplings by placing the flour, suet, mustard, herbs and seasonings into a bowl. Add enough of the water to make a firm but soft dough.
8. Break off the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape with lightly floured hands into round balls. Drop these on top of the hot stew, pushing them down a bit into the hot liquid.
9. Cook, uncovered, for a further 15 to 20 minutes, until the dumplings have doubled in size, turn a bit golden and crisp on the surface, and the stew is nice and tender.
10. Serve hot, spooned out onto warm plates with some mash on the side.

Notes

You can easily make your own self-rising flour. For every cup of flour required, use 1 cup of plain all-purpose flour and add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Whisk well together.

Did you make this recipe?

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