Sunday 1 January 2012

Ah ! My pot au feu d'agneau; or lamb stew; or Irish stew; or merveille d'agneau aux fines herbes. Or any other pretentious name that can be conjured up. Anyway: take a good lamb stew stock from the freezer (from the last time of this dish). Add more leeks, carrots, parsnips and onions and – above all – mixed herbs and rosemary. Simmer. Then add barley, and more lamb – scrag of lamb, stewing lamb, neck of lamb; whatever is cheapest. Simmer for around two hours. Cool, and keep in fridge. On eating day, extract enough for (one) meal, then re-heat for around one hour.

When the day comes and all the meat is eaten: freeze the remainder ready for stock for the next time. No wonder there is a long queue at my door this meal time … Only difficult ingredient to obtain is the bouquet of dried herbs for lamb (French supermarket, but never seen north of Calais). The bouquet(s) of dried herbs is essential; probably fresh herbs would make the dish 120%.

No comments: