After an extended period of harsh winter weather with the
ground lying dormant, nature seems to be waking up. The first primroses are in
bloom in the churchyard and the daffodils are slowly replacing the late
snowdrops.
My teaching job took me on the French exchange for a few
days to the welcoming town of Niort in the Poitou-Charentes region. About half
way down the Western coast and about 30 miles inland from La Rochelle, we
enjoyed a considerably warmer climate than Britain for the duration of our
stay. With stories of ongoing frosts and snow coming from home, I made the most
of the sun on my face. Whilst it still felt chilly on our return, at least the
sun has been out. Spring seems to be starting.
A view of the French town of Niort from the roof of its fourteenth century castle keep.
Lunch: du pain, du vin et de beurre-simplicity itself!
Every time I go to France, I come home with an intensified appreciation of food. I am inspired by the way local foods are celebrated; each course is savoured with regional wine and meal times are warm, conversational and ritualistic. Whilst I do aim for this approach at home, I never serve three or four course meals as a matter of routine.
Needless to say, I embarked upon this trip with a nearly empty suitcase and returned with it crammed with pungent cheeses, local wines, Calvados, olives, sweets, pate, tins of cassoulet, sausages and liqueurs.
Having returned home just after the Easter period, I felt the lack of my usual roast lamb, so I set about researching authentic French lamb dishes. A leg of lamb is an expensive cut of meat, and feeling the pinch of my over-indulgence across the channel, I wanted to prepare a more economical meal that didn't compromise the flavour.
Finally I settled on Rachel Khoo's 'Navarin d'agneau printanier'-Spring lamb stew. The recipe called for neck of lamb, a marbled cut of meat surrounding a central bone. It was not only the price that attracted me to this dish (£4 per kilo), but the reputation of the meat; the marbled consistency and the bone imparts a beautiful sweet glossiness to the flavour. Furthermore, I am heartily sick of root vegetables and crave the green beans and peas that play a key role in this stew.
Four slices of lamb neck
I was cooking a dinner party for 8 people so I used 10 thick slices of neck, costing me just over £10 however, you could feed a family of four with this dish for less than £5. I tend to use Graves' Butchers in Briston for everyday meat (http://hvgravesroasts.co.uk/contact_us.htm). They are fantastic value and quality, source locally and know their stuff. I always find them a wealth of knowledge about different cuts of meat, how long to cook particular joints and flavours that compliment particular dishes. Interestingly, the butcher that served me yesterday said that not many young people cook neck of lamb and that it's more popular with their elderly customers. All it needs is a longer cooking time.
Rachel Khoo's Spring Lamb Stew taken from her book: The Little Paris Kitchen (I have adapted it to my taste and availability of ingredients)
Ingredients (for 4 people-I doubled main ingredients and trebled herbs and spices)
1 tbsp olive oil
1kg/2lb 4oz lamb neck, cut into pieces
2 garlic cloves, crushed to
a paste
1 onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
4 carrots, cut into chunks
100g/3½oz fresh or frozen peas
100g/3½oz green beans
salt and pepper
Brown the meat in a flame-proof casserole dish. Do it in several batches and set meat aside if you are cooking a lot.
I used much more flavour than Rachel Khoo suggested-especially more garlic and thyme.
Instead of the chopped carrots as suggested, I found these lovely Chantenay carrots in the greengrocers and thought they would look prettier left whole.
You add the onion, garlic, herbs and carrots to the lamb, cover with water and bring to the boil, before placing in the oven at around 170 C for 2-3 hours (or until meat begins to fall off the bones).
It is still early for all of these vegetables, and broad beans proved the biggest challenge to purchase locally. French beans made an excellent replacement.
15 minutes before serving, boil the green vegetables and add to the stew.
The spring vegetables look like glistening jewels in the clear stock.
Add salt and plenty of pepper to taste.
As an ex-vegetarian, my husband is squeamish about eating meat from the bone, so in this case, I removed them. I don't think this is necessary for the less fussy, but our lurcher, Bella, enjoyed the by-product.
Navarin d'agneau printanier
This was a very delicately flavoured dish. I served it with potatoes boulangères which made an excellent marriage.
The chickens scratch contentedly in the sunlight, searching for beetles and stray potato peelings.
Let's all keep our fingers crossed for a warmer spring and a fertile gardening year.
