Lamb Stewed with Parsnip, Bacon, Fennel, & Red Wine

By Dr_Mom

Cozy up with a heaping bowl of lamb stewed with parsnips, bacon, fennel, and your favorite, flavorful red wine. A great red wine to use for this recipe would be a vibrant shiraz, merlot, or cabernet sauvignon. Serve this dish with the cooked rice, pasta, spätzle or German-style pasta, or just a nice hunk of crusty bread. This dish also pairs well with a side salad for a lighter take on this rich dish.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4-ounces bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 pound boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch wedges
• cooked spätzle, pasta, rice, or crusty bread, for serving

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from saveur.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat bacon and oil in a 6-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook until bacon is rendered and crisp, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain; set aside.

Season lamb with salt and pepper, and toss with flour in a bowl, shaking off excess flour. Add lamb to pan, and cook, turning as needed, until browned all over, about 10 minutes.

Add fennel seeds, garlic, onion, and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until onion is soft and golden, about 6 minutes. Add wine, and cook, stirring to scrape bottom of pan, until wine is reduced by half, about 15 minutes.

Add stock, and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, and cook, covered, until meat is tender, about 1 hour. Stir in reserved bacon, parsnips, and fennel, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with cooked spätzle, pasta, rice, or bread.