Daube de Lamb or Winter Lamb Stew, Donegal Style

When discussing France and food, it generally brings to mind those foods we most identify with a
country blessed with an abundance of heat and light. The fresh fruits, the crisp salads and faux fillets with the obligatory 'pommes frites', the fresh seafood, the creamy cheese just ripe for the eating, the light as air croissants and crusty baguette, the delectable tarte au citron or chocolate mousse, the crepes hot off the griddle and creamy ice cream in crisp waffle cones, these are the foods of long hot summer days enjoyed on a 2 week annual holiday.......if you are lucky!

Having had the advantage and privilege of being more than a holiday maker in France, I was able to discover another food side to this wonderful country, one that appears when the last bronzed sun worshiper steps onto the plane.
There is a whole menu of cold weather food......cold weather as in the sun is still shining but the temperature is minus 5! or when the psychotic Mistral wind blows for days on end!
So when it's cold outside, just like in Ireland, the natives are drawn to those heart warming dishes of casseroles, thick soups and rich wine soaked stews, best eaten in front of roaring log fires with glass of red wine in hand!

One of my favourite French winter warmers is the famous 'Daube de Boeuf'. A rich Provençal stew with lots of vegetables and beef soaked in copious amounts of red wine, then slowly cooked for hours till it melts in the mouth. Accompanied by our old favourite the boiled potato, and washed down with a few more glasses of wine, you have central heating that will make you sleep like the dead and keep you warm through the coldest of nights!
A relation of mine raises his own sheep on the green pastures and heather covered hills of Donegal not five minutes from where I sit, and each year we are the delighted recipients of a whole organic lamb for our freezer.
At this time of year we are reaching the bottom of that freezer, the choicest cuts having been devoured at family gatherings and found their way onto the bar-be-que first.......Don't we need sun to have a BBQ I hear you ask? well yes, so they ended up on the 'George' this year!

Now we are left with those cuts and joints slightly less popular with the everyday cook.
There are many parts to a lamb besides the delicious saddle (loin), legs and shoulder, various cuts, which although not as popular and rarely seen on our supermarket shelves, are as equally delicious when treated properly, and what better way to take care of those slightly tougher joints than to cook them 'a la daube' or in the traditional slow French manner.

My version uses cuts from the neck and the upper part of the lamb shoulder, the long marinating and slow cooking brings new depth of flavors to these joints that will have you begging for seconds!

Daube de Lamb ......... or Winter Lamb Stew, Donegal style!   you will need: to feed 6-8 people

800- 900 g neck or shoulder or both, of lamb ask the butcher to give it to you in large pieces so
you can trim it down to size yourself
leaving bone in the neck pieces is a good idea as this adds flavour! (you can buy them as neck or shoulder chops)

for the marinade:

1 medium white onion

300 g carrots

2 large cloves of garlic

1 medium orange

8 black peppercorns

6 cloves

6 juniper berries....if you can get them, don't worry if you can't a shot of gin will do!

some green of leek

1 stick of celery from the centre of the head with a few leaves attached

a few sprigs of thyme

2 sprigs of rosemary

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 glass of cognac

a good deep red wine..... a nice cotes du rhone preferably

• trim any excess fat from your meat.....cut any pieces smaller if you feel you need to, place the meat in a deep bowl or other suitable container
• cover with red wine and refrigerate for 2 hours
• peel and quarter the onion, pierce the onion pieces with the cloves and add to the bowl
• peel and split the garlic and add to the bowl
• peel and slice the carrots thickly and add
• make a bouquet garni by wrapping the celery leaves, rosemary & thyme & bay leaves inside the green leek stalk, tie with some natural string and add to the bowl
• peel the zest from the orange with a potato peeler and add the whole pieces to the bowl
• crush the juniper berries and peppercorns slightly and add
• season with a little salt and pepper, add the nutmeg
• top up with more red wine if needed then cover and refrigerate overnight

Cooking the Daube: you will also need:

olive oil, not extra virgin

200 g smoked streaky bacon or pancetta 

1 medium onion

approx 2 tablespoons plain flour
1 glass of cognac (optional but does add flavour)
1 tablespoon tomato concentrate

• remove the pieces of the meat from the marinade, pat them dry with some kitchen paper
• heat a little oil in a frying pan and brown the pieces of meat on all sides, turn the heat off under the pan and add the cognac or a little water if not using cognac, scrape any meat sediment from the bottom of the pan then leave the pan aside, we will use these juices later on
• cut the bacon/pancetta into strips, peel, halve and slice the onion,
• heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a deep casserole pot, add the bacon and fry until lightly browned, add the onion and cook for a few minutes
• add the pieces of meat to the pot, dust with the plain flour and stir everything together to cook the flour a little, add the tomato concentrate and mix well
• add the cognac meat juices then add the rest of the wine marinade including the vegetables, orange peel and bouquet garni, stir well to incorporate the flour into the marinade and bring to the boil
• put a lid on the casserole and place in the oven at 160, cook for approx 2 hours or until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened beautifully.

Serve your delicious stew with some whole boiled potatoes on the side, lots of butter and some chopped scallions or even serve some crusty bread to dip in the gravy.

Enjoy with a glass of red wine in front of a big fire when it's blowing a gale and snowing outside!