Sous Vide: Old Fashioned Lamb Stew

Utilize lamb that was sous vide processed and then shocked cold as per the recipe linked HERE

Serves 2-3
Level of difficulty 3

Procedure:

Preheat the sous vide bath to
184 F/84 C.

Peel and chop one half of the onion. Cut the other half, the carrots, the celery and the potatoes into bite size pieces. Use a paring knife to shape the celery, carrots, and potatoes if desired. Save the trim of all the vegetables EXCEPT the potatoes. Set aside.

Cut the lamb into bite size pieces. Heat the skillet to 250 F/121 C. Add a few drops of vegetable oil to the pan and brown the lamb on all sides. Avoid over stirring; this common nervous habit cools the pan and actually prevents browning. Add the chopped onions and reduce heat. Let the onions brown a bit as well, same method–avoid over stirring.

Remove the lamb and onions from the pan and combine with the celery, carrots, and potatoes in a 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bag.  Add two cups of water to the bag and lower into the bath. Hang the opening of the bag over the edge of the vessel and use the lid to secure. Do not wash the pan.

Note: after two hours, you can lower the heat to 135 F/57 C and hold for several hours until you are ready for service.

Add the trimmings from all the vegetables EXCEPT the potatoes to the pan with a little oil and brown over medium heat. You should hear sizzling. If you hear hissing/steaming, increase the heat. If you hear popping noises, reduce the heat until it sizzles again. Allow half an hour for this step; this creates the color. Add the tomato sauce, continue to brown, remove from heat. Add the stock or water. Stir bring to a simmer and strain after 1 hour.

Heat the vegetable oil to
325 F/163 C.

Add the oil to the skillet. Turn off heat and shake or sift approximately 5 Tablespoons flour over the oil. Avoid splashing, the flour will sizzle and foam. Stir gently with a wooden spoon until the flour is dissolved in the oil. Set aside to cool slightly. When you strain the sauce, press on the vegetables to squeeze out the remaining juice. Adjust thickness by adding 1 oz./30 ml roux. Strain the juice from the sous vide bag into the sauce, return to simmer and taste. Set the meat and vegetables aside on a flat surface so their weight does not damage their shapes. Continue simmering the sauce.

If the stew is too thin, you can add a little more roux–1 or 2 tablespoons, not much, it is very powerful. Return to simmer for 10 minutes to cook out the flour. Reserve the rest for future projects.

The stew is now ready for service. Served in a large bowl in the middle of the table makes for a comforting family meal. Plated, it still appears sophisticated. If there is still stew in the pan, transfer it to a Ziploc freezer bag, seal, and shock to 70 F/21 C in iced water. Refrigerate at 40 F/4 C. You will find that there is no degradation of quality when reheating the next day.

 

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