Eater's Club Recipe: Lamb Neck and Chickpea Ragout
Yields 4 servings/Time 4 hours
For this week's Eater’s Club we’ve got another recipe you’ll want to add to your repertoire- lamb neck, and chickpea ragout. Well-seasoned lamb gets seared and braised until fork tender. Carrots, onions, bell peppers, chickpeas, and parsley combine with garlic and white wine to form the hearty base of this dish. Serve over rice or couscous...that is if you have the patience not to eat it by the spoonful right out of the pan.
You will need:
4 lamb necks, about 2.5 pounds
4 tablespoon vadouvan spice blend (or madras curry powder can be substituted)
1 quart stock
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 cups chickpeas, soaked overnight (or from the can)
1 red onion, diced small
1 bell pepper, diced small
2 carrots, diced small
2 cloves garlic, sliced
¼ cup white wine
½ bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons cooking oil
Salt and Pepper
Preheat oven to 325 F, then rub lamb necks all over with vadouvan
In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon cooking oil over medium-high heat. Sear lamb necks, about 3 to 4 minutes each side
Add stock, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and braise about 2 ½ to 3 hours until fork-tender
Remove from oven. Take necks out of cooking liquid and place in a large mixing bowl. Reserve cooking liquid. Use a fork to shred meat from lamb necks, then discard the bones
Make the ragout: Strain and rinse chickpeas, then set aside. Heat 2 teaspoons cooking oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Saute onion, pepper, and carrots 4 to 5 minutes until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Add white wine, cook about 2 minutes until almost dry
Add chickpeas to the skillet, then shredded lamb neck, stir to incorporate. Pour in 2 cups of reserved lamb cooking liquid, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 30 minutes until chickpeas are tender.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve with chopped parsley and 1 teaspoon olive oil.
