recipes are peculiar things. some are written, some are murmered, some even die with their maker. there are some we treasure so much we etch them on the cupboard, or know their details by rote, like a poem that plays out on the stove. each one tells a story, some more candidly than others. a recipe can begin to disclose the person who wrote it, and resurrect the place and time they lived, or at least cast a light back. but something happens when you take a recipe into your kitchen, when you roll up your sleeves, brush off the cutting board, and set to the task of making the words a meal. the recipe begins to tell you about you.
francois pierre la varenne, known for creating the founding text of modern french cuisine, wrote his recipe for "lamb in ragout" in the 17th century. the recipe does not contain measurements, quantities, cuts, temperatures, or details on timing or doneness. in its entirety, it is two sentences, one of which is, "serve." la varenne wrote mostly for a professional audience, so he assumed those encountering it would know what to do with his first direction: roast it.
as a girl in her kitchen in 2012, there were seemingly infinite ways i could attempt la varenne's recipe. i could have chosen any cut of lamb, cubed it, left it whole, simmered it on the stove or in the oven. mushrooms could be wild or cultivated, sliced or left pristine. his recipe relied heavily on the knowledge of the cook, assumed the cook could make certain decisions, or would make certain decisions, and maybe all one really needed was a practical list of ingredients and some basic instructions.
i bring myself (sometimes wittingly, sometimes in imbecilic gesture) to every recipe. i think we all do. when given one as spare as la varenne's reads in the present, i turned to tenets gained through experience: caramelizing increases flavor and slow cooking at low temperatures produces tenderized results. when la varenne called for lamb, onions and mushrooms, i browned them before the braise. i have a penchant for browning ingredients separately, as many of them need different amounts of time to achieve the right shade of dark. it's tedious, but that is who i am in the kitchen. i will work for rewards, even subtle ones. i interpreted "fried flour" to be butter and flour browned together, like a roux. see, caramelizing! and when he directed "everything simmered well together," i slipped my now-brimming le creuset in a low oven for several hours.
i include my adaptation of la varenne's lamb in ragout below because it turned out delicious--earthy and rich, but punctuated by the brightness of citrus and capers. it almost makes me sad to include such specifics and details when the original recipe demanded such creativity and improvisation of me. if not lamb in ragout, i urge you to find a recipe you are uncomfortable with, maybe another that has traveled its way through hundreds of years, still mostly in its original form, ready to engage you and become dinner once more.
lamb in ragout
(serves 4)
2 bone-in lamb leg steaks, about 1 1/4 pound each
coarse salt & pepper
2 yellow onions, coarsely grated
3 cups thinly sliced crimini mushrooms
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar
4 cloves
2 tablespoons capers
rind peeled from 1 orange
1 bouquet garni (i used 3 stems of parsley, 3 thyme & 1 sprig rosemary all tied together with butcher twine)
set oven rack to the middle of the oven and preheat to 300. season the lamb steaks with coarse salt and pepper. add two tablespoons of the olive oil to an oven safe pot (that has a fitted lid) over medium-high heat. once the olive oil is shimmering, add the lamb steaks to the pot. brown the lamb, about 3 - 5 minutes per side. remove the lamb to a plate and add an additional 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot, followed by the onions. cook, stirring frequently to dislodge any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until the onions are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. adjust the heat if necessary so the onions do not burn. small splashes of water can be added to the pot, as well, if the onions are sticking to the pan. remove the onions from the pan and set aside.
add the final two tablespoons of olive oil to the pot. once hot, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are browned, about 5 - 7 minutes. remove the mushrooms and set aside. add the four tablespoons of butter to the pot. as soon as the butter melts, add the flour, stirring frequently with a whisk. once the butter and flour smell nutty and are caramel-colored, about 3 minutes, add the chicken stock and vinegar. bring to a boil, then adjust the heat down to a simmer. stir in the capers, orange rind, bouquet garni and cooked onions and mushrooms. push the cloves into the lamb so you can easily find them later and add to the pot. place a lid on the pot and place in the oven.
cook the lamb, turning the steaks every 45 minutes, until the lamb is tender and falling off the bone, about 2 -3 hours. skim off any accumulated fat. serve the lamb with the sauce served on top.
notes
* this recipe was adapted from francois pierre la varrene in la varenne's cookery, translated by terence scully. la varenne's recipe had two sentences, mine has 22, not including ingredients.
* i served the lamb with mashed yukon gold potatoes. one steak amply feeds two this way.