This traditional stew from the Languedoc region is France features an unusual mix of honey, star anise, and green olives to infuse the lamb with regional flavors.
Lamb Clappasade
This traditional stew from the Languedoc region is France features an unusual mix of honey, star anise, and green olives to infuse the lamb with regional flavors. Recipe is adapted from Chef Christopher Lee.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat a Dutch oven on the stove to sear the meat over medium high heat. I find a 2 ½ qt or 4 qt sized dutch oven works really well.
- Toss the lamb with half of the olive oil (1 ½ Tb) and salt. Add to the Dutch oven in a single layer. Sear each side for 1-2 minutes until brown. (I was able to get the 1 ½ lbs of meat seared in one batch.) Set aside meat to a separate plate.
- Lower the temperature of the stove to medium heat. Add the remaining oil to the hot pan. Add the onion and saute for 5-6 minutes until the onions are softened.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onions. Stir for 1-2 minute to cook the flour.
- Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Cook for 2-3 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the pan.
- Add the lamb back to the pan along with the remaining ingredients, except for the parsley garnish. I add a little sprinkle of salt to season the vegetables.
- Cover and cook over low to medium heat for 1 to 1 ½ hours until the lamb is tender enough to bit without chewing too hard. Check the pan every so often to make sure it's not burning. Add a little bit of water as needed if the liquid reduces too much. the liquid should be at least ½ way up the height of the meat.
- Taste and add salt and pepper as you please. Garnish with parsley and serve!
Notes
This recipe is adapted from Chef Christopher Lee as featured in the Kermit Lynch newsletter in April 2021. Kermit Lynch is a wine shop in Berkeley, CA.
Cooking Notes
- Serve with a rice pilaf, mashed potatoes, or boiled potatoes. Add a fresh salad for some greens.
- What does it taste like? The star anise and honey are very mild. It tastes like a lamb stew but a tiny bit different because of the star anise, honey, and olives.
- Will the carrots turn to mush? Surprisingly, they did not. They still held together and had some bite even though they were added near the beginning of cooking.
- White wine vs. red wine - Since this recipe uses white wine instead of red wine, the resulting stew is not dark brown, purplish tinged color. It also tastes a little lighter and more acidic than a rich stew made with red wine.
- You can substitute chunks of lamb with bones, but it will take longer to cook, perhaps 30 minutes to 1 hour longer.
Next Time
- I'll use a better quality green olive. The pitted green olives from the can were a little bit tasteless. The Lucques olive is regional to Languedoc. Gourmet olives just cost so much, and I already spent a lot of money on the lamb. (Lamb is not a cheap red meat!)
- I'll toss this in a slow cooker or instant pot. I got a bit sick of checking in on the pot to see that it wasn't burning. I'm not a babysitter!
- I really wanted to add soy sauce. A touch of it would have improved the flavor, I think but would be very non-traditional...
Wine Pairing
One of the most common grapes in the Languedoc region is Grenache. I just think the candy like quality of the grape matches really well with the star anise and honey notes in this dish.
The K&L newsletter recommends this dish with regional wines of Pic St Loup or a Gigondas.
I paired it with organic Terres des Dames wines made by a woman who found new life in the Languedoc land with her three daughters.
Leave a Reply