Lamb stew with spring vegetables

NAVARIN D'AGNEAU PRINTANIER Lamb stew with spring vegetables THIS WAS ONE OF THE ROTHSCHILD FAMILY's favourite recipes. It is highly prized by Parisians and is served in many restaurants of the region as well as at home. We prefer to cook the delicate-flavoured lamb without lardons, but if we use mutton for the dish, then we do add them.rnAny leftovers can be reheated very successfully, so do not stint on quantities. PREPARATION The lamb: If necessary, trim off any excess fat and sinews. Do not bone the neck or breast. Cut each piece into 60g/2oz cubes.rnPreheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. COOKING Heat the clarified butter in a sauté pan over very high heat, put in the lamb and seal on all sides. Sprinkle over the sugar and let the pieces of meat caramelize slightly. Lift the pieces of lamb out of the pan and place in a bowl. Put the diced carrots and onions in the sauté pan and sweat until soft, then stir in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes until pale golden, stirring with a wooden spatula. Pour in the white wine and chicken stock, add the chopped tomatoes,rngarlic and bouquet garni and bring to the boil, still stirring with the spatula. Return the lamb to the sauté pan, put on the lid and cook in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Take out the pieces of shoulder and return the neck and breast to the oven for another 20 minutes. Lift the pieces of neck and breast out of the cooking liquid, put them with thernshoulder, cover with a damp cloth and keep warm. The sauce: Spoon the fat off the surface of the cooking liquid and reduce the liquid until it lightly coats the back of a spoon. Pass the sauce through a conicalrnsieve into a sauté dish, season to taste, then add the lamb, cover and keep warm. The vegetables: Peel, wash and cook the root vegetables separately in a littlernlightly salted boiling water until tender. Shell the peas and blanch them for 2 minutes. SERVINGrnDrain all the vegetables, put them in the dish with the lamb, simmer for 5rnminutes, then pour everything into a deep serving dish. Sprinkle with parsleyrnand serve at once. rnIngredients SERVES 4rnPREPARATION TIME:rn35 MINUTESrnCOOKING TIME:rn1 HOUR 10 MINUTESrnINGREDIENTSrn1 boned shoulder of lambrn500g/11b 2oz middle neck of lambrn500g/1lb 2oz breast of lambrn50g/2oz clarified butterrna pinch of sugarrn1 large carrot, finely dicedrn1 large onion, finely dicedrn30g/1oz flourrn200ml/7fl oz dry white winern1 litre/13/4pt Chicken stockrn(recipe page 15)rn3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled,rndeseeded and choppedrn3 garlic cloves, crushedrn1 bouquet garnirn12 small new carrotsrn12 small new turnipsrn12 baby onionsrn12 small new potatoes.rn300g/11oz peas in the podrn1 tablespoon flat-leaved parsleyrnleavesrnsalt and freshly ground pepperrn