Lamb Stew - Comfort Food

3 carrots
3 celery ribs
a little bit of onion
2T single source EVOO

Cut the carrots and celery in big chunks, finely chop the onion. Sauté these together for 10-15 minutes, in a 5 quart pot, stirring often. Meanwhile prep, slice-chop, and then add this next group of ingredients.

1 lg. onion

a few mushrooms

a handful of garlic

1 dozen baby potatoes

20oz. chicken bone broth

Sauté, covered over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally until the bone broth melts. A well made bone broth is ALWAYS gelled. This is a good indication it contains lots of healthy collagen.  Add seasonings:

1-2T Roasted Garlic and Herb seasoning

1/2 - 1T Arizona Smoked Chipotle seasoning

1/2T sugar

1 14.5oz. can diced tomatoes + juice

Add 2# roasted-rare lamb cut in cubes

Simmer, covered, another 15-30 minutes until the carrots and celery are cooked the way you like. 

Check the flavors and make any adjustments needed.

Mmmm! This is a great winter comfort food. . .Lin

Italian Lamb Stew - For One

2 sm. lamb chops

1 med. carrot

1 red potato

1 sm. onion

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4 oz. good beer

4 oz. good red sauce

1t-1T Italian seasonings

fresh ground salt and pepper

Some day, I have hopes of going vegetarian, or maybe even vegan.  Yet, for now, the craving for a little really good quality meat is still something I still contend with a couple times a week.  I deal with this by trying to buy meat that's healthy and has been humanely raised.  Today, I had lots of vegetables, cooked and raw as well as some of that Really Loaded Cornbread I made yesterday.  However, now, it's 'dinner' time and the craving just wouldn't leave, so. . .I'm making my own tiny little pan of lamb stew!  Mmmm. . .  Living alone, I often will throw something together, just for one serving, so if this looks good to you, extrapolate. . Make it for 3 or 4 or 6!

Trim all the fat off the lamb, cut the vegetables into the appropriate size for their cooking time.  Mix up the sauce, pour it over everything in the pan, cover and simmer.  Beer is what I have currently.  Red wine would be great, as would Vodka.  Even white wine, which I usually have here, but I need to grocery shop!  That'll be tomorrow.  This involved almost no prep time, and went from stove to plate in about 20 minutes.  Good, healthy food doesn't have to take a lot of time.  Nor does it need to be expensive, which is how many view lamb.

At our grocery store, there's a small section in one of the frozen food 'bunkers' where meat that's getting close to its 'sell-by' date is marked down, and frozen.  These two chops cost me $3.70!  Be Resourceful!  Be Creative!  Happy Cooking! . . .Lin