Lamb with Anchovy, Garlic & Rosemary

Lamb with Anchovy, Garlic & Rosemary is a classic flavour combination found in both France and Italy. In this recipe, it comes in the form of a rich stew.

Chunks of tender lamb plus a little belly pork, pancetta or bacon are joined by cannellini beans in the robust, slow-cooked sauce.

A comforting, hearty meal with mashed potatoes plus greens or other vegetables.

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I’ve been making versions of Lamb with Anchovy, Garlic & Rosemary for a while now and always meant to put it on the blog.

However, I usually think of it as an Autumn or Winter dish. So it seems a little odd to be posting it in July.

But a scorching Spring has, so far at least, turned into a damp squib of a Summer with many rainy days and colourless skies.

So what better than a warming, comforting stew that’s full of lip-smacking flavour?

Lamb with Anchovy, Garlic & Rosemary

When I was growing up, virtually no one in Britain would have cooked lamb with anything other than a sprinkle of salt and (probably white) pepper. However, it’s common these days to make slits in a joint of lamb and poke slivers of garlic and little sprigs of rosemary inside before roasting.

But I think adding a classic third component, anchovies, is still not very common here. Ahead of us, the French and Italians have been doing it for yonks.

I think there’s something about the salty, savoury anchovy at goes brilliantly well with meat. If you’ve ever added a dash of anchovy-containing Worcerstershire Sauce when making a shepherd’s pie, cottage pie, or beef chilli, then you’ll know what I mean.

The anchovies add to the intense flavour, but without making it overtly fishy.

So, in this recipe, we’re going to combine garlic, rosemary and anchovies in a simple stew of diced lamb shoulder.

If you’ve seen any of my other lamb recipes, you’ll know that I buy mature, grass-fed local lamb from Troutsdale Farm.

I get a box containing half a lamb, which they’ll get butchered to your requirements. This means I have a range of cuts ready in the freezer.

The full flavoured diced shoulder meat is perfect for Lamb with Anchovy, Garlic & Rosemary.

EASY STEW

Although I have previously made this stew in my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker, I get the best results from cooking in the oven for around 2 hours.

That’s because we want all the fantastic flavours to reduce, cloaking the meat and beans in an intensely flavoured sauce. And while the Instant Pot is great at sealing in flavours, you don’t get the evaporation we need here.

But the stew is easy enough to start off in a casserole dish and then pop in the oven.

I simply brown the chunks of lamb along with a little belly pork. You can substitute pancetta or bacon for the pork if you prefer. I’ve used all three at different times and they all work.

Next, it’s softening the onions and a whole head of garlic, shortly followed by the chopped anchovies. These will melt down into the sauce to give a wonderful savoury depth.

Then it’s in with a tin of cannellini beans (my favourite white bean) and a good amount of fresh, chopped rosemary.

All that’s left to do then is add some stock. I make lamb stock with the bones and trimmings that come with my half lamb box, divide into portions and freeze. It’s perfect for this stew, but I’ve also successfully used low salt chicken stock cubes.

Once everything’s up to a nice boil, you clamp on a lid and transfer the casserole to a low oven.

Depending on your lamb, it should be lovely and tender and the sauce richly reduced after one and a half to two hours.

SERVING LAMB WITH ANCHOVY, GARLIC & ROSEMARY

I don’t think you can beat this stew served over a pile of creamy mashed potato with some fresh veg on the side.

A few chives or spring onions in the mash is particularly good and a little more rosemary or some parsley sprinkled over the lot adds freshness.

In winter, I like to up the comfort factor even more by adding a little cream to the accompanying vegetables. If you whizz back up this page, you’ll see in the second image carrots, leeks and kale that I first sautéed in butter and then bubbled with a couple of tablespoons of double cream until reduced.

For a more summery feel, eat the Lamb with Anchovy, Garlic & Rosemary alongside garden fresh runner beans, broad beans slipped out of their skins and baked potatoes.

The stew freezes extremely well, so it’s worth making a decent sized batch.

At any time of year, and especially with a changeable Summer like we’re having, it’s good to know you’ve a warming, easy dinner like Lamb with Anchovy, Garlic & Rosemary tucked away in the freezer.

Have you made Lamb with Anchovy, Garlic & Rosemary?

Leave a comment & rate the recipe.

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Lamb with Anchovy, Garlic & Rosemary

A rich stew with tender chunks of lamb plus white beans, robustly flavoured with the Italian & French classic combination of anchovies, garlic & rosemary.

Course Main Course, Stew

Cuisine French, Italian, British

Keyword casserole

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours 45 minutes

Total Time 3 hours

Servings 4

Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

• 1 tin anchovies in oil (approx 30g drained) anchovies finely chopped, oil reserved
• 120 g pork belly, pancetta or bacon skin/rind removed, roughly chopped
• 600 g lamb suitable for stewing e.g. shoulder or leg, diced into bite sized pieces
• salt & pepper
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 medium onions roughly chopped
• 1 head garlic skinned, cloves thinly sliced or finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary finely chopped
• 400 ml lamb or chicken stock
• 1 tin cannellini beans, rinsed and drained drained weight approx 240g

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 150C/130C fan/Gas 2.

2. Pour the oil from the tin of anchovies into a large ovenproof casserole dish, add a little olive oil to make up to 1 tbsp if necessary, and heat to moderate on top of the stove.

3. Add the pork belly or bacon and cook, stirring often, until well browned (10-15 min).

   Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.

4. Season the diced lamb with salt and pepper.

5. Heat a little more olive oil in the casserole if needed then, in batches, brown the lamb all over. Transfer the browned lamb to the plate to join the pork or bacon.

   Add more olive oil as you go if needed.

6. When all the meat has been browned and set aside, turn the heat to low, add more oil if necessary, then put in the onion and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and some black pepper.

   Sauté, stirring regularly, until softening and starting to brown (12-15 min).

7. Stir in the chopped anchovies and cook for 2 minutes.

8. Add the stock and stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the casserole.

   Turn the heat up to maximum.

9. Put the browned lamb and pork or bacon back into the casserole, along with the drained cannellini beans and most of the rosemary (save some for a garnish). Add a little more salt plus plenty of black pepper then stir well.

10. Bring to a boil on top of the stove, stir, then put in the preheated oven with a tight-fitting lid on.

    Cook until the lamb is very tender (approx 1½-2 hrs), stirring occasionally to ensure it isn't sticking. Top up with more stock or water if necessary.

11. Taste and add more seasoning if needed, then serve sprinkled with the reserved rosemary, alongside potatoes and vegetables if liked.

    Leftovers can be stored for 2 days in the fridge or freeze very well.

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