The Romanian spring lamb stew recipe is a classic dish, part of the Easter celebrations. Whilst usually the main star of the Easter dinner is the roast lamb, this stew is usually eaten in the days past the main event. In Romania, we don’t really eat lamb at other times of the year, outside of Easter. It is common to buy an entire lamb and use all the meat in different recipes, such as soup, drob, or this wonderful spring stew.
I was first introduced to the spring lamb stew by my grandma, who lived in the south of the country. This recipe is specific to the Muntenia area of Romania, and, growing up in Transylvania, my mom would never make it. Once I started spending Easter with my grandma though, it became a usual dish for after Easter. This lamb stew simply incorporates all the fresh flavours of spring and compared with the lamb stew, is much lighter and easier to digest.
Ingredients for the Romanian Spring Lamb Stew
I like this spring lamb recipe because it doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. It also uses boned lamb, which is much more affordable than the legs or shoulder. I bought the lamb directly chopped, at the butcher. I opted for lamb neck because it’s tender, has a rich taste and has a decent amount of fat which transforms into depth of flavour once cooked. You can also choose ribs or back.
The lamb stew is a recipe that celebrates the flavours of spring, with a sauce made from spring onions and garlic. I know that spring garlic might be difficult to find overseas. I struggled for years – and to be fair, using normal garlic in this recipe is just not the same. This year though, my local Romanian shop brought spring garlic from Romania. I also made sure to grow some in my garden. It’s so easy! All you have to do is put some garlic cloves in the soil, and let it do its thing over winter. In spring, without doing anything, you will have wonderful spring garlic which you can use for this recipe. The recipe also requires spring onions rather than yellow ones.
Other ingredients that go into this recipe include chopped tomatoes, red wine, optional lamb stock or hot water, as well as fresh parsley. The only seasoning for the spring lamb stew is salt and pepper.
How to Make the Romanian Spring Lamb Stew Recipe
Start by allowing the lamb to come to room temperature, which ensures an even cooking. Season the lamb generously with salt and pepper, before letting the lamb rest for around one hour.
After the lamb has reached room temperature, heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pan. Sear the lamb in batches, ensuring not to overcrowd the pan. This step creates a golden-brown crust on the meat, sealing in the juices, that contributes to the tender texture of the lamb. Take the lamb out and let it rest inside the ovenproof pan you will bake it later in.
Once you finish searing the lamb, in the same pan, sauté the whites of the spring onions and garlic until softened. Pour in the red wine and raise the heat, allowing all the alcohol to evaporate. We only want the flavour of the wine, not the alcohol in it as well. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and simmer the sauce until slightly thickened. If the sauce needs more liquid, add lamb stock or hot water as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Turn the heat off and mix in the greens of the spring onions and garlic.
Pour the sauce over the seared lamb in an ovenproof tray, ensuring the meat is well coated. Cover the tray with a lid or aluminium foil and bake the stew in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (356 Fahrenheit), for around 1 hour and 45 minutes. Uncover the tray for the last 10 minutes of baking.
Once the lamb is cooked through and tender, remove it from the oven and garnish with freshly chopped parsley. Serve the Romanian spring lamb stew hot, alongside traditional accompaniments such as polenta, pickles, or pickled cabbage.
Notes and Tips:
- If you don’t consume alcohol, you can replace the wine with lamb stock
- It is best to use dry red wine for this recipe. I used Rioja.
- For presentation, you can pleat the tails of the spring garlic. I didn’t do it because spring garlic is quite hard to find overseas, and I didn’t have any spear greens to make one.
- For this recipe of Romanian spring lamb stew you can use other parts of lamb as well, such as ribs or back – as long as it has bones. We usually use the leg as a whole, for roasting, and the other parts with bones in this stew.
Romanian Spring Lamb Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg lamb with bone I used lamb neck
- 2 bunch spring onions
- 2 bunch spring garlic
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 150 ml red wine dry
- 100 ml lamb stock or hot water
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Take the lamb out of the fridge one hour before cooking.
- Season with salt and pepper and let it reach room temperature.
- Separate the whites from the greens, on the spring onion and garlic, and chop them small.
- Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan.
- Sear the lamb in a hot pan, in stages, without overcrowding the pan.
- Set aside in an oven proof tray. I used a Pyrex one.
- After you finish searing the lamb, add the whites of the spring onion and garlic to the pan, in the same oil.
- Fry on a low heat until soft.
- Raise the heat to medium and add the wine.
- Wait until it evaporates.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and mix.
- If needed, for a more liquid sauce, add more hot water.
- Fry for a few more minutes, then take the pan off the heat.
- Add the greens of the spring onions and garlic and mix well.
- Pour the sauce over the lamb, in the tray.
- Preheat the oven to 1800 degrees Celsius (356 Fahrenheit)
- Cover the tray with a lid or with aluminium foil, and put it in the oven for one hour and 45 minutes.
- Uncover the lamb for the last 10 minutes of baking.
- Serve the Romanian lamb stew hot, alongside polenta, pickles, or pickled cabbage.
FAQ:
Can I use a different cut of lamb for this stew?
Yes, you can use other cuts such as chops, back, or ribs of lamb. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly, as different cuts may require longer or shorter cooking times.
Can I make this lamb stew ahead of time?
Yes, this stew can be made ahead of time and reheated before serving.
Can I use a different meat than lamb for this recipe?
Yes. Outside of Easter, this recipe is often made with rabbit meat.
For more Romanian Easter recipes, check out my recommendations below:
- Romanian roast leg of lamb recipe
- Romanian Easter drob recipe
- Romanian Easter eggs
- Romanian lamb soup recipe
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