Spanish Lamb Stew
Spanish Lamb Stew is inspired by a dish I ate many years ago in central Spain. With chunks of tender meat and soft peppers in a garlic and paprika scented broth, close my eyes and I’m almost back there.
My version includes chickpeas to stretch the meat further and take up all those rich flavours. A complete meal in a bowl or eat with bread plus salad too if you like.
I honestly don’t know the name of the town where I ate the dish that inspired my Spanish Lamb Stew.
Years ago, I travelled pretty much all over Spain. My partner and I would often drive all day in a rented car, stopping off at the architectural gems we’d plotted out.
Yes, I’ve been to pretty much all the great cities. Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Santiago de Compostela, Zaragoza, Salamanca, Segovia, Valencia, Trujillo, Burgos, León.
But many of the places I found most startling were the smaller towns. Now off the beaten track, they were once great and have the churches, palaces and castles to prove it.
At one such town, somewhere in central Spain, after we’d seen whatever we’d gone there to see, we stopped for lunch. At a quiet upstairs restaurant, I had an amazing lamb stew that I’ve always meant to pay homage to.
So here it is. My Spanish Lamb Stew with peppers and chickpeas.
Spanish Lamb Stew
According to the beautiful book The Heritage of Spanish Cooking by Alicia Rios and Lourdes March, lamb stew or caldereta de cordero was originally prepared outdoors by shepherds.
There are regional variations across the country, including that of Aragón which, like my own, includes red peppers.
I’ve seen some recipes which include dried peppers, although I prefer fresh in mine.
You’ll also need: olive oil, onion, garlic, tomatoes, a bay leaf, Spanish paprika, vinegar (to add a bit of acidity), stock, chickpeas and parsley.
The lamb, ideally boneless shoulder, should be cut into generously bite-sized chunks.
As always, my fantastic, full-flavoured lamb is from Troutsdale Farm. I periodically buy a half lamb from them, butchered to my requirements. It’s so handy to have a range of cuts in the freezer, ready for recipes like this.
Although the dish that inspired my Spanish Lamb Stew consisted of just meat and soft peppers in a garlicky broth, I decided to make a heartier dish with the addition of pulses.
Of course, this also makes it more economical as it stretches those meaty flavours even further.
White beans are very common in Spain, but so are chickpeas (garbanzos in Spanish).
So, as my French inspired lamb stew Lamb with Anchovy Garlic & Rosemary included white beans, to ring the changes I’ve used chickpeas here.
In the detailed recipe card at the end, you’ll see that there’s a whole head of garlic in the stew. But don’t worry that it will be overpowering. By the time the lamb is meltingly tender the garlic will have mellowed wonderfully.
Besides a bay leaf, the other flavouring in my stew is Spanish paprika or pimentón.
Here in the UK, you can usually buy it sweet (dulce) or hot (picante). Less common is the one you’ll also find in Spain: bittersweet (agridulce). Use whichever you prefer in this recipe.
Easy Spanish Stew
This wonderful stew, rich and robustly flavoured, is so easy to make.
It will take one and a half to two hours for the lamb to get very tender. At the same time an amazing sauce will develop. But virtually all of that is hands off time.
After browning the seasoned lamb chunks, they’re taken out of the pot. Onion and garlic then go in and are cooked until they’re starting to soften.
If you want to bubble in some wine or sherry at this point you can. But the dish will still be good without any alcohol.
Then we simply stir in the rest of the ingredients, including just enough stock to cover everything. If you prefer your peppers with a bit of bite, rather than very soft like mine, you can them add later.
Once it’s come to a boil, the pot can be covered, transferred to a low oven and left to simmer away.
The stew shouldn’t go dry or stick to the bottom of the pot. But it’s best to check now and then just to make sure. Add a little more stock or water if necessary.
My lamb was beautifully soft at 1 hour 45 minutes.
To reduce and concentrate the sauce, I turn the oven temperature up and pop the stew back in with the lid off.
After five to ten minutes vigorous bubbling, you’ll find it’s even better than before.
All that’s left to do then is taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
I like to stir in some fresh green chopped parsley too.
Serving
I love to eat this knockout, super-tasty, comforting stew with hunks of homemade bread to mop up the meaty, garlicky, smoky juices.
If you’ve cooked the lamb perfectly, then you’ll easily be able to break up bigger chunks with your spoon.
Satisfying without being heavy, I think Spanish Lamb Stew is equally good eaten outside on a sunny day as indoors on a chilly evening.
I hope you love this stew as much as I do.
It’s perfect for those who enjoy bold flavours. And so easy to make too.
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Spanish Lamb Stew
Chunks of tender lamb and soft peppers in a garlic and paprika scented broth, plus chickpeas to soak up all those flavours.
Ingredients
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 500-600 g boneless lamb suitable for stewing e.g shoulder cut into large bite-sized chunks
- salt and black pepper
- 1 large onion roughly chopped
- 1 head garlic skinned, broken into cloves and thinly sliced
- 1 medium glass sherry, white or red wine optional
- 2 medium tomatoes skinned, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 3 rounded tsp Spanish paprika (pimentón)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
- 2 red peppers cut into large bite-sized chunks
- 1 tin chickpeas, drained approx 240g
- 500 ml stock
- 2 tbsp parsley finely chopped
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 150C/130C fan/Gas 2.
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Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in an ovenproof casserole dish over medium high heat.
Season the lamb with salt and pepper.
Brown the lamb in the oil, in batches if necessary, transferring to a plate when done and adding more oil as needed.
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When all the meat has been browned and set aside, turn the heat to medium then add the chopped onion and sliced garlic, seasoning with a little salt and pepper.
Sauté, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the casserole and stirring regularly, until softening and starting to brown (12-15 min).
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If using the sherry or wine, stir it in, turn up the heat and allow to bubble until almost completely evaporated.
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With the heat at medium, stir in the tomatoes, smoked paprika and bay leaf.
Bubble for a few minutes then add the vinegar, red pepper*, chickpeas, plus the browned lamb.
Season with a little salt plus black pepper.
Add enough stock to just cover the meat and vegetables, stir well, then put on a lid and bring to the boil.
* The peppers end up very soft: if you prefer more of a bite then add them later e.g. when the stew has been in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
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Transfer the casserole to the oven and cook until the lamb is very tender (1½-2 hrs).
Stir occasionally and check the stew isn't sticking to the bottom of the casserole. Top up with more stock or water if necessary.
To reduce the sauce and concentrate the flavours, remove the lid and return to the oven at 220C/200C fan/Gas 2 for 5-10 minutes.
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Remove from the oven, taste and add more seasoning if needed.
Stir in the chopped parsley and serve with bread plus salad if liked.
Leftovers can be stored for 2 days in the fridge or frozen.
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