Here's a hearty, healthy stew that derives some richness from a relatively small amount of meat while showcasing a much larger array of vegetables, legumes and of course, the healthiest fat on Earth, olive oil.
Ingredients
1 pound boneless, lean lamb leg carefully trimmed of all sliver skin and sinew and cut in to 1" pieces
1 pound dried Great Northern white beans soaked overnight and rinsed
four medium sized carrots peeled and cut in 1" dice
1 large onion finely diced
5 cloves garlic minced
1-28 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 cups red wine
1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 cups beef or chicken stock
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons UP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 bay leaves
1 4" sprig of fresh rosemary
Sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Dredge the lamb in flour. In a large pot with a lid or dutch oven set over medium-high flame, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil. Evenly brown the lamb in the olive oil for about five minutes. Remove the lamb and add the onions and carrots.
Sauté the vegetables for approximately two minutes until onions are translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute until fragrant. To the same pot, add the wine, scraping all the browned bits of flour from the bottom of the pot. Simmer for approximately two minutes.
Add the reserved lamb, pre-soaked beans, tomatoes, stock, bay leaves, rosemary and stir to combine. Adjust the seasoning and place the covered pot in a preheated oven for three hours.
Remove the bay leaves and rosemary stem/s. Re-adjust the seasoning and serve the warm stew drizzled with additional California Cuvee and warm crusty bread.
Serves 6