Agnello in umido con verdure
Lamb stew with legumes and vegetables
Lamb stew with legumes and vegetables is a very tasty dish to make all year round for the presence of frozen ingredients (peas, fava beans, artichokes, asparagus, green beans, jackdowas). Do you prefer fresh ingredients for this lamb dish? May is the best month. Here's our exclusive recipe, inspired by the
cuisine of southern Italy!
If you like lamb look at the other lamb recipe ideas of ours.

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yeld for 4
- 800g (1 3/4 pound) shoulder of lamb, cut into pieces
- 250g (8 3/4 ounces - 1 2/3 cup) cherry tomatoes
- 120g (4 1/4 ounces) young little onions
- 150g (5 1/3 ounces - 1 1/8 cup) frozen peas
- 150g (5 1/3 ounces) frozen artichokes, sliced
- 150g (5 1/3 ounces) frozen French beans
- 200g (7 ounces) frozen jackdaws (snow peas)
- 200g (7 ounces - 1 1/2 cup) frozen fava beans (broad beans)
- 250g (8 3/4 ounces) frozen asparagus
- 2 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- Half a glass of dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons dried chives
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2l (2 1/8 quarts - 8 1/2 cups) vegetable stock
- Salt
- Time:
preparation: 25 minutes
cooking: 50 minutes
total: 60 minutes - Difficulty:
medium - Nutrition Facts (amount per serving):
Calories: 432 (kCal) 22 % GDA (*) - 1810 (kJ)
Protein: 41.0 (g) 82 % GDA
Total fat: 12.5 (g) 18 % GDA
Total carbohydrate: 14.7 (g) 6 % GDA
Sugars: 10.5 (g) 12 % GDA
The recipe of lamb stew with legumes (pulses) and vegetables
Preparation
- - Wash the cherry tomatoes, boil them in hot water for few seconds, peel and halve.
- - Chop the onions finely.
- - Prepare the vegetable stock (or simplier water) and keep it boiling.
- - Put the olive oil, bay leaf, onions in a large saucepan.
- - Remove the visible fat from the lamb pieces.
- - Wash the lamb pieces, pat dry with absorbent kitchen paper and place in the saucepan, after seasoning with salt.
Cooking
- - Fry lightly the lamb pieces until golden on very gentle heat.
- - Pour in the wine and let it evaporate, turning the meat.
- - At this point add the cherry tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir and continue cooking, half-covered.
Add the vegetable stock, if necessary. - - Thaw the legumes and vegetables using the boiling stock.
Read carefully the cooking time of every frozen ingredient. If they are the same you can thaw the ingredients together otherwise you should thaw them separately.
In any case you have to pour the legumes and vegetables, still frozen, in the boiling water and then bring to the boil again. At this point remove them with a skimming ladle.
Do not throw the stock. It will be necessary to cook the lamb. - - Put apart all the vegetables and legumes.
Remember to cut off the asparagus tips and put them apart, they must be added to the lamb meat only few minutes before switching off the gas. - - Calculate when adding the thawed vegetables and pulses.
Check the cooking time of everyone and calculate the lamb takes about 60 minutes.
From these data you'll be able to know when adding the various vegetables.
If you evaluate the meat requires more time to finish cooking wait before adding vegetables and legumes. - - Continue cooking over a low heat, half-covered, stirring now and then, until the lamb and vegetables are tender and cooking juices are well retired, adding other hot water or stock when necessary (a ladle at a time).
Just before serving
- - Have you remembered the asparagus tips?
- - Add the parsley and chives just before switching off the gas.
- - Taste to determine if the dish needs added salt.
- - Wait for some minutes before serving.
- - Serve hot or warm.
Note
Tips
- - For an healthier recipe, without sauteing. Avoid sauteing, your liver will thank you! Skip the first step and put the lamb pieces, bay leaf, onions, wine, cherry tomatoes and tomato paste in the pan. Don't change the other steps. Add the olive oil once switched off the gas to preserve its important nutritional properties and to give more flavor to your dish.
Besides this is an ideal recipe for all people who have to follow a low salt diet. It's so rich in ingredients and aromatics that it's very tasty with no salt too!
Are you skeptical and don't you believe it's a tasty dish without sauteing the onion and lamb in the olive oil? You have only to make a test. Let us know ... - - If you prepare this dish in spring, you can use fresh vegetables but you have to buy different doses. Here they are!
Fresh artichokes: 1.0 to 1.1 pound
Fresh asparagus: 1.0 to 1.1 pound
Peas in the pod: 1.1 pound
Fava beans in the pod: 1 3/4 pound.
The same weight for French beans and jackdaws. - - For a quicker recipe: use 1 can cherry tomatoes
- - Your dish must be tastier if you have a crock pot.
- - Use fresh parsley and chives in season for the best result!
Menu planning
- - It's difficult you have the time for the lamb stew with vegetables and pulses in the weekdays. Our tip is to prepare this lamb stew for your Sunday dinner or a dinner party with your friends if you want to astonish them with an authentic recipe from the South of Italy. In this case choose the lamb pieces very carefully not to embarrass your guests with fork and knife.
Start your menu with a savory pie or tart accompanied by assorted salami, serve the lamb stew and at the end a cake such as crostata (seasonal fruit tart) or other typical Italian dessert. This is a real Italian menu!
Healthy eating
- - Daily menu. This lamb dish is very rich in protein, very close to the maximum recommended daily intake according to the European guideline daily amounts.
Total fat doesn't seem very high but I calculated nutrition facts considering muscle tissue free of visible fat.
This means to choose lean meat with visible fat that is easy to remove. If these characteristics change the nutritional data may vary greatly. Read what I've just written on the lamb recipe with mushrooms and potatoes.
Besides I remember you it isn't correct to combine two protein sources together: meat and legumes (pulses) in this case.
My tip is to choose the lamb stew with vegetables and legumes for a special occasion or your Sunday dinner but not frequently.
Anyway if you want to prepare it for your family dinner the solution is planning very well the other meals of the day. Prefer vegetables, fruit and foods source of carbohydrates (total carbohydrates are very low in this lamb stew) but in the right quantity. What about a tasty minestrone served on toasted bread for lunch? Remember: the bread portion is 50g (1 3/4 ounces)
Accompany your lamb stew with a bread portion and fresh seasonal fruit. - - Celebration menu If you prepare it for a celebration menu don't worry too much about the nutrition facts. It's a rare event.
- - This lamb dish has 12.5g of fiber (daily intake is 23g).
- - The recommended portions of meat per week must not be more than 3 to 4, included cuts (not more than one per week).
Anyway give preference to poultry. - - If you want to drink a glass of wine remember you have to add 80-85 calories per 100ml.
- - I remember you our original home recipes can be made without salt. There is always a combination of flavors that substitutes salt. Other no salt recipes ...
By Loretta
What's the right wine ?
Our suggestion for this lamb stew dish is Dolcetto d'Alba (red wine from Piedmont)
The author Loretta Sebastiani lives in Italy (IT)
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