I LOVE Lidia Batianich, she reminds me of a composite of all the best cooks in my family rolled into one. Her food is homey and satisfying, I love it when her mother joins her, and I’m verklempt when they start singing! Such great old school stuff!
Recently she made a lamb ragout, and she used a technique that I had never seen before, she pureed pancetta with garlic and added that to the pot after she browned the lamb! What a genius idea and great way to add flavor. So even though it is summer and the weather is hot, and even though the population in my household isn’t a high enough volume to merit a pot of stew, I HAD to try it. So I did. I didn’t look up her recipe, this is one I created by watching the show. Because of the paprika in the recipe this is as much a goulash as it is a ragout. I love pancetta and the puree gives the stew a very gentle spicy garlic flavor and adds a nice texture to the sauce. When serving add a dollop of mascarpone to create a lovely creamy sauce to mash the potatoes in.
Recipe
2 T olive oil
1 1/5 pounds lamb stew meat
Salt and pepper to taste
1 ½ ounces thick sliced pancetta
3 cloves garlic
1 generous teaspoon paprika
1 generous teaspoon dried oregano
1 t ground cumin
1-28ounce can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
1 C red wine
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
More salt and pepper to taste
Place a large heavy (enameled cast iron is best) Dutch oven pot over a medium high heat, while the pot is getting hot, season the lamb with salt and pepper. Once the pot is hot, add the olive oil, and the lamb and brown the lamb on all sides. Remove the lamb from the pot.
While the lamb is browning, combine the pancetta and garlic in a food processor and process until it is a smooth paste. Once the lamb has been removed from the pot, add the pancetta puree and cook until melted and add the lamb back to the pot.
Add the paprika, oregano, and cumin and stir to coat lamb. Add the tomatoes and red wine and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Remove the lid, add the bell peppers and potato, add water if necessary, the liquid should almost cover all the vegetables. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook an additional 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Allow to rest about 20 minutes before serving, this helps the flavors develop. Or if you can, make this the day before you plan to serve it, anything with tomato sauce gets better the next day (with the exception of pizza).
Tip: Coarsely slice the pancetta and garlic clove before pureeing, this will help the food processor puree it faster.
Serves 6
