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My mum, Isabel, has always cooked slowly. Life on the family farm was busy, so a pot of lamb would often be bubbling away while she worked and, by the time we all sat down for lunch, the whole house smelled incredible. November takes me straight back there. It is the month for food that warms you, dishes made to sit in the centre of the table and to bring everyone close. Lamb shoulder loves a slow cook, turning soft and rich, especially when cooked with alubias blancas (white beans) to soak up the sauce, while a good splash of oloroso gives it a deeper, rounder flavour than any red wine ever could.
Braised lamb and kale cazuela with white beans (alubias blancas)
Prep 15 min
Cook 3 hr 20 min
Serves 6
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1.2kg lamb shoulder, cut into chunks
1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced
5 garlic cloves, unpeeled but bashed open
2 tsp smoked sweet pimentón
1 small handful fresh thyme and oregano leaves
200ml oloroso
400g tin chopped tomatoes
500ml good chicken stock
1 tbsp plain flour
2 400g tins butter beans, drained and rinsed
250g curly kale, tough stems removed and discarded
Heat the oven to 150C (130C fan)/300F/gas 2.
Put a tablespoon of the olive oil in a large casserole on a medium heat. Season the lamb, then fry it in batches until nicely browned all over, adding more oil as necessary (you’ll probably need another two tablespoons’ worth). As each batch of meat is browned, scoop it into a large bowl.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same casserole and fry the onion, stirring to lift all the gnarly brown bits off the base and sides of the pan, for about five minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, pimentón and herb leaves, stir for a minute, until fragrant, then pour in the sherry and leave to bubble away for a minute or two.
Return the meat to the pan, then tip in the tomatoes and stock, and season with black pepper and some more salt. Cover the pot, bring the mix to a boil, then transfer the pot to the oven and leave to cook for two and a half hours, until the meat is lovely and tender.
Take the pot out of the oven and leave to stand for five or so minutes, until the fat rises to the surface. Scoop this out with a spoon (you don’t have to get it all). Blend about a tablespoon of the fat with the flour (discard the rest), then add this paste to the lamb mix and stir it in well. Put the pan on a low heat and leave to bubble gently for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in the beans and leave to bubble gently and warm through.
Meanwhile, blanch the kale in a large pan of salted boiling water for about three minutes, until tender, then drain and roughly chop. Stir the kale into the lamb mix, then serve hot with good crusty bread to mop up all those juices.
