One Pot Meals: Lamb Stew w/ Cippolini Onions

When I was signing up for the Marin Sun Farms meat club, the membership allows the buyer to opt out of receiving one meat. The choices were lamb, goat and pork. Opting out of pork was not even a thought. So it was between lamb or goat. I’m not a big fan of lamb. I’ve tried to eat it on several occasions, but it usually it just way too gamey for me. But I like goat even less, so I opted to not receive it. The first delivery box comes and there is a package of lamb stew meat and lamb sirloin. I contacted my friend to see if he wanted to take the lamb packages and explained to him my (and my boyfriend’s) dislike for the meat . He said that Marin Sun Farms carries a very yummy breed of lamb and that I should at least try it before I give it away. That sounded reasonable.

So one cold Sunday afternoon I picked up some cipollini onions, carrots and red potatoes from the market and went back home to give it a try. For the stew I used the basic method just like in beef stew. Diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth and dry red wine (this time I used Raven’s Wood Pino Noir), simmering it for 2 hours with the lamb meat and added the veggies at the end and simmered for another 30 minutes. To go with the stew I cooked up some wild rice using beef broth instead of plain water for a tastier affect. The end result was pure delicious, tummy warming bliss. And guess what? Me and my boyfriend LOVED the lamb!! It was delicious, tender, flavorful and not at all gamey.

Marin Sun Farms raises Navajo-Churro Sheep. Unlike the ultra gamey lamb that is commonly found being imported from Australia, the Navajo-Churro lamb that we feasted on was sweet and had a very “clean” taste. I’d highly recommend it to anyone who is having a difficult time eating lamb.

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Pork Tenderloin with Figs and Onions

2 pork tenderloins, about a pound eachSalt4 Tbsp butter1 white or yellow onion1 teaspoon sugar1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced8-10 mission (dark) figs, quartered2 Tbsp chopped parsley1-2 teaspoons lemon juiceBlack pepper

1 Salt the pork tenderloins well and set them out at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. Heat the oven to 300?F.

2 Slice the onion into strips lengthwise (from the top to the root end). Cutting the onion this way helps keep the pieces hold their shape. (See How to caramelize onions for a visual).

3 Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a saut? pan over medium-high heat. Pat the tenderloins dry with paper towels. Place the tenderloins in the pan and sear on all sides, until nicely browned. Remove the tenderloins to an oven-proof pan, and place in the oven at 300?F. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the tenderloins reaches 140?F. Then remove from oven and let rest.

4 While the tenderloins are roasting, add the onions to the saut? pan along with the other tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle with salt. Toss to combine and saut? for 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar and balsamic vinegar, and toss to combine again. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes.

5 Once the onions have softened and browned, add the rosemary and figs. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir to combine. Saut? 2 minutes, stirring often.

6 Remove from the heat. Mix in the parsley and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Slice the pork tenderloins into 1/4-inch thick slices and serve alongside the onions and figs.

Serves 4-6.

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