This recipe has been taken from the Reader’s Digest Diabetes Cookbook (RRP $44.95). To purchase a copy, contact Diabetes Australia on 1300 136 588 . You can also go to www.readersdigest.com.au or email customerservice@au.readersdigest.com.
Based on a classic French dish called navarin, this is a delectable stew. In France it is made in spring, as a celebration of the new season’s lamb and the delicate young vegetables. Serve with a dish of freshly cooked spring greens, then hand round a basket of crusty French bread. Serves: 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
500 g lean boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of all excess fat and cut into cubes
150 ml dry white wine
2 cups (500 ml) chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 kg baby new potatoes, scrubbed
250 g baby carrots
150 g pickling onions or shallots
Salt and pepper
200 g small turnips, cut into small cubes
250 g fresh peas, shelled, or 3⁄4 cup (115 g) frozen peas
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish, add the chopped onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the cubes of lamb and cook for 5 minutes or until browned on all sides, stirring so they colour evenly.
2. Add the wine, stock, bay leaf, thyme, potatoes, carrots and pickling onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, then cover with a tight-fitting lid and transfer the dish to the oven. Cook for 1 hour.
3. Add the turnips and stir together. Cover the casserole dish again and continue cooking for 30–45 minutes or until the meat and vegetables are tender, adding the peas 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
4. Add the parsley and stir well. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Nutritional Information - Each serving provides: 2030 kJ, 31 g protein, 17 g fat (of which 5 g is saturated fat), 46 g carbohydrate (of which 12 g are sugars), 12 g fibre, 502 mg sodium. GI estimate high.