It’s stew season, or at least that’s what my thermometer has been informing me. most stews take longer to make than an hour to make, indicating they don’t frequently work for a frenzied weeknight meal.

But this one is just close enough that it’s worth giving it a noble try. If you fast and effective this terrific lamb stew from the New York Times can be whipped up in one hour, but it will taste like it’s been bubbling away for far longer than that.

The technique is to toss the lamb cubes with flour, then brown them in a Dutch oven. The real factor to make this stew is the balance between the meaty, succulent lamb and the lemon’s level of acidity.

  • Yield: 4
  • Active time:
    1 hour
  • Overall time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1 1/2- inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 tablespoons grease
  • 2 shallots, very finely sliced
  • 3 leeks, ends trimmed, green parts disposed of, very finely sliced
  • 1 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon thyme, minced
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 strips lemon peel
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons parsley, sliced

Instructions

  1. 1.

    Dry lamb with paper towels. Toss lamb cubes with flour in medium-sized bowl. Shake off excess flour and set aside on a cake rack.

  2. 2.

    Pour oil into dutch oven set over medium-high heat.

  3. 3.

    Include shallots, leeks, garlic, and thyme to dutch oven. Cook, stirring frequently, till leeks are lightly browned, about four minutes.

  4. 4.

    Pour in stock, gewurztraminer, lemon juice, and lemon peels. Scrap any browned bits off bottom of Dutch oven with wooden spoon. Season with pinch of salt and pepper, and return lamb to dutch oven.

  5. 5.

    Turn heat to high and give boil. Minimize heat to low, and partially cover. Cook, stirring every 5 minutes or two, until lamb is extremely tender, 45 minutes to an hour.

  6. 6.

    Serve with sliced parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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