Lamb Bolognese
As we trudge our way through the depths of winter, warm meals (and warm socks) offer a fleeting but worthwhile respite. While my winter here in the Lowcountry hardly qualifies as legitimate, I still turn to hearty, comforting, and rib-sticking meals on the coldest days of the season. Read: a bowl of slow cooked bolognese, sloppily piled atop fresh egg noodles or silky polenta.
A classic bolognese is delicious in its own right, but substituting the beef for lamb provides a more luscious and flavorful stew. Lamb loves the company of heady spices like cumin and sumac; while they might not be your usual go to, I urge you to give the addition of them to your next bolognese a try.
Enjoy this meal on the most brutal of winter days, or when you simply need savory comfort (I enjoyed this dish on Election Day and it was delicious enough to be distracting).
Ingredients
1 pound grass-fed or pasture raised ground lamb
1 very large, or 2 small yellow onions, finely diced
6 plump cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 oil packed anchovies, minced
2 tbsp ground cumin (preferably toasted whole, then ground to a powder)
1 tbsp sumac
1 tbsp dried or fresh thyme
1 tbsp capers, minced
2 tbsp crushed calabrian chilis (the kind that comes in a jar submerged in olive oil)
1 cup dry red wine (I used a 2 month old gamay from the back of my fridge, truly anything will do)
1 cup bone broth (chicken, or better yet lamb)
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Add your olive oil to a heavy bottomed sauce-pot or dutch oven, and turn the heat to medium high. Add the onions, shallots, and anchovies to the oil before it gets hot enough to sizzle, and saute till translucent. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes, being careful not to let the alliums brown or burn.
Add the sumac, cumin, and thyme and stir to incorporate. Cook for another minute or so. Then add the calabrian chilis and capers and stir to incorporate. Season again with salt and pepper.
Add the wine to deglaze the pot. Let this mixture come up to a simmer, and cook for another 5 minutes - this allows the aromatic flavors time to mingle, and allows the alcohol in the wine to evaporate.
When the wine has reduced by about half, add the bone broth and canned tomatoes. Bring this mixture up to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low.
Cook, partially covered, for approximately an hour. It will look like an impossible amount of sauce to begin, but with time the excess will transform into a thick, stew like consistency.
As with most soups and stews, the flavors will continue to develop after cooking. This is a great dish to cook a few hours in advance, as the flavor will only continue to improve as it sits.
Enjoy with spaghetti, fresh egg noodles, or a bed of polenta - and always serve with a big salad of bitter greens dressed in a punchy vinaigrette (trust me on this one).
About the Author
Vilda Gonzalez is the Food Editor at The Thirlby, an avid home cook, and studying to become a holistic nutritionist. She is the founder and chef of Sol-Eir, an ongoing series of alchemized food and beverage experiences. Her mission is to rewire our collective relationship to what eating well truly means; with the highest regard of respect for our body, our community, and our earth. She believes that food should be delicious, flavorful, and indulgent, but it should also be deeply nourishing, regenerative, and inherently healthful. Vilda also works with individuals to strengthen their personal relationships with food through means of intuitive cooking and connection.
