“Callara Lamb Stew” recipe – “Pecora alla Callara”

Instructions

• 1.

  Cutting and blanching the meats to moderate their strong flavour

  • Fresh water - 6 to 7lt
  • Lamb cuts - 2kg (small bones included)
  • "Suited garlic” cloves - 1[part 1 of 4]
  • Juniper berries - 4 or 5 [part 1 of 2]
  • Black pepper corns - 1gr [part 1 of 2]
  • Rosemary - 1 or 2 sprigs [part 1 of 3]
  • Bay leaves - 1 or 2 [part 1 of 2]

  Put the water to boil into a large capable saucepan (step 1 - pic. A).
  With a sharp chef knife or a filleting knife, remove the excess of fat from the meat (step 1 - pic. B).
  Separate the meat cut according to their size and keep the small bones and ribs all together. Throw away the fat (step 1 - pic. C).
  Put the rosemary, the bay leaves and the garlic into a bouquet garni. Together with these, aslo add the black pepper corns and the juniper berries, but do not crush them (step 1 - pic. D).
  As soon as the water starts boiling, drop the bouquet garni in, then put in the meat, starting with the larger pieces. After a few minutes, greadually add the other cuts, the ribs will be the last to go in (step 1 - pic. E).
  Skimm the water surface as soon as the dirt starts foaming. Clean the skimmer dipping it into a bowl with fresh water before using it again (step 1 - pic. F).
  In the whole, the meat will boil for about 20 minutes. Keep cleaning the surface with the skimmer until no more dirt comes up.
  

• 2.

  Dicing the vegetables and crushing the black pepper corns

  • Celery - 180gr
  • Carrots - 170gr
  • White onion - 240gr
  • Black pepper corns - 3gr [part 1 of 2]

  Peel the onion and set aside. Wash and dry the carrots, peel them and rinse them again if needed. Set aside. Wash the celery and dry it, then with a paring knife, chop off its ends, peel their back if need: this will remove the hard long fibers, but it’s not always necessary. With a sharp chef knife, cut the celery and the carrots into even slices (step 2 - pic. A).
  Cut the onion into a julienne and set aside with the resto of the vegetables (step 2 - pic. B).
  Then, finely crush the black pepper corns with pestle and mortar (step 2 - pic. C).
  

• 3.

  Flavouring the oil and boiling the meat in new clean water

  • The blanched cuts
  • Extra virgin olive oil - 70gr
  • "Suited garlic” cloves - 4 [part 2 of 4]
  • Rosemary - 2 or 3 sprigs [part 2 of 4]
  • Thyme - 3 or 4 sprigs [part 1 of 3]
  • Marjoram - 1 or 2 sprigs [part 1 of 2]
  • Bay leaves - 1 or 2 [part 2 of 2]
  • Fresh Water - 3lt
  • Rosemary - 1 or 2 sprigs [part 3 of 4]
  • Thyme - 1 or 2 sprigs [part 2 of 3]

  Place a large colander over an empty bowl, and as soon as there is no more dirt coming to the surface, take out the meat and move it into the colander.
  Throw away the dirty water and wash the saucepan. Fill it with new fresh water and put the saucepan onto a high power heat. Bring it to the boiling again.
  Meanwhile, empty the bouquet garni, rinse it under running water and fill it with the new herbs.
  Put a large enameled cast iron casserole on minimum power heat and add the extra virgin olive oil, the herbs and the “suited garlic” cloves to it (step 3 - pic. A).
  As soon as the water starts simmering, add the blanched meat and the bouquet garni to it and let it boil gently for another 20 minutes (step 3 - pic. B).
  Put a medium sized saucepan with 3lt of water in it over a medium-high heat and add one sprig of rosemary and one of thyme to it (step 3 - pic. C).
  Then, take the meat again moving it into a large sieve first (step 3 - pic. D).
  Place a kitchen cloth on you work top and place the drained cuts on it, then dry them to remove any excess of water from them (step 3 - pic. E).
  

• 4.

  Braising the meat with dry white wine

  • Rosemary - 1 or 2 sprigs [part 4 of 4]
  • Marjoram - 1 or 2 sprigs [part 1 of 2]
  • Sage - 6 to 7 leaves
  • Thyme - 2 sprigs [part 3 of 3]
  • Juniper berries - 7 or 8 [part 2 of 2]
  • "Suited garlic” cloves - 3 [part 3 of 4]
  • The boiled and dried meat
  • Salt - 2 to 3 gr [part 1of 2]
  • The crushed black pepper
  • Dry white wine - 500ml

  Empty again the bouquet garni and clean it. Then tie up the hebs awith cooking string and crush the juniper berries with the blade of your knife. Then will the bouquet garni with the berries and the garlic cloves (step 4 - pic. A).
  Take the dry herbs and the garlic out of the warmed extra virgin olive oil and set the heat to a medium high power under the enameled cast iron casserole. As soon as the oil gets hot and changes slightly it’s colour, add the lamb. Set the heat to the maximum power and cook the meat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom (step 4 - pic. B).
  When the meat has bown, season it with salt and the crushed black pepper. Stir evenly and add the herbs and the bouquet garni (step 4 - pic. C).
  Then gradually add the dry white wine, stirring it evenly and reducing it almost completely before adding it again. Cook like so for about 10 minutes (step 4 - pic. D).
  The meat will get more and more tender, so be careful not to break it while stirring. Add the last 200ml of white wine all at once and set the heat to a minimum power (step 4 - pic. E).
  

• 5.

  Adding the vegetables and stewing over very low heat

  • The chopped carrots, onions and celery
  • The simmering flavoured water
  • Salt - 2gr [part 2 of 3]
  • The crushed black pepper

  Add all the sliced vegetables on top of the meat and spread them evenly. Season them with salt and pepper, then cover with a lid. Let it gently stew for about 10 to 15 minutes while keeping an eye on the reduced wine: it must not dry out (step 5 - pic. A).
  When the vegetables have soften, start adding the hot flavoured water to the casserole, ladle by ladle, cover it with a lid and let the juices reduce for about ten minutes (step 5 - pic. B).
  Keep adding water and reducing it for another 30 to 35 minutes, always over the minimum heat possible (step 5 - pic. C).
  

• 6.

  Preparing the peeled plum tomatoes with red chili pepper and garlic

  • Peeled plum tomatoes - 400gr
  • Fresh red chili pepper - 1
  • "Suited garlic” cloves - 1 [part 4 of 4]
  • Salt - 1gr [part 3 of 3]
  • The crushed black pepper corns

  While the meat is stewing gently, put the peeled plum tomatoes into a bowl and add salt and pepper to them. Stir evenly and set aside (step 6 - pic. A).
  Cut the red chili pepper’s ends, halve it and clean it from its seeds. THen, cut it into a very fine brunoise, and add it to the tomatoes (step 6 - pic. B).
  Peel one garlic clove, then grate it with a zester into the tomatoes and stir evenly (step 6 - pic. C).
  

• 7.

  Adding the peeled plum tomato mixture and stewing slowly

  • The peeled plum tomatoes
  • The hot water with herbs

  Add the whole tomato mixture to the casserole and stir evenly (step 7 - pic. A).
  Add one ladle of hot flavoured water and allow it reducing again for 10 minutes or so. Then add another and reduce it almost completely creating a quite thick and moist sauce (step 7 - pic. B).
  The stew is good for being served immediately, but the day after, it will taste even better.
  

• Servings : 10
• Ready in : 165
• Course : Main Course
• Recipe Type : Classic Italian dish, Gluten Free, Lactose Intollerance, Regional
• Ingredient : Bay Leaf, Black Pepper, Chili Pepper, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, juniper berries, Lamb, Marjoram, Plum Tomatoes, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Water, White wine