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Did you know that lamb is one of the healthier red meats? It’s high in B vitamins, zinc and iron and half its fat is unsaturated. Its tenderness also makes it easier for young toddler palates, who tend to be more sensitive to tougher meats. Of course, it is also more expensive, particularly if you’re buying local and/or grass-fed, hormone-free lamb. If you’ve ever noticed, lamb is very popular in Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine, where it’s often cooked as kabobs or in some sort of stew — which is a great way to use a cheaper cut of lamb and stretch it further, especially if you increase the amount of vegetables in the recipe. I recently made this stew, bulked up with carrots and served over basmati and wild rice — it was delicious. You could even make it with leftover leg of lamb from your Passover or Easter meal, if you somehow wound up with too much meat.

Recipe: Lamb and Leek Stew
Adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients:

• 1 to 1.5 pound lamb* shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large leek, white and pale green part, thinly sliced
• 3 small carrots, sliced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (zest optional)
• 1 cup vegetable stock

Instructions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat oil in dutch oven on stove over medium high heat. Season lamb meat with salt and pepper and cook until browned, about 5 minutes total. Remove meat to plate and cover to keep warm. Add leek, carrots and onion to pan and cook 5-7 minutes, until onion is soft. Stir in parsley, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, a pinch of salt and ground pepper, and lemon juice (and zest if using). Cook one minute. Return lamb to pan and add stock. Bring to a simmer, then cover and place pan in oven. Cook, covered, for 1 hour. Lamb should be tender and the liquid mostly absorbed. Sprinkle with additional fresh parsley and serve over rice. Makes 4 servings. Enjoy!

Notes: The original recipe calls for lemon zest. My husband has a weird objection to zest in his meat, so I used juice instead. Use both for a fresh zing that lightens this stew for spring.

* Farm Source(s): lamb from Fields of Athenry (Va.). You can also get excellent lamb from Smith Meadows at the Del Ray Farmers Market and other DC/NoVA markets.