Lamb Stew with Turnips

Serves 4
1 lb. lamb stew meat, cut into 1” or 1-1/2” cubes
All-purpose flour
Neutral vegetable oil (e.g., canola)
Salt and pepper
1 onion, sliced thin
3 or 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1/2 – 1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bottle dark beer
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. crushed tomatoes
2 medium turnips, peeled and diced
About 1/2 c. carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 stalk celery, strings removed, cut into 1/2” slices
Butter
1/2 c. frozen peas, thawed
Worcestershire sauce
Chopped parsley
Put lamb in a plastic bag with some flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, and shake. Brown floured lamb in oil in a Dutch oven or large pot, in batches if necessary. Remove meat and set aside.
Add more oil to pot, if needed, and add onion. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes until soft and just starting to color. If too dry as you are cooking, add a bit of water. Near end of cooking time, add garlic. Return lamb and any juices that have accumulated to the pot. Add thyme, beer, water and tomatoes. Simmer, covered, for about an hour until meat is soft.
At this point, you can cool and then refrigerate overnight. Boil turnips in salted water until fully-cooked but still keeping their shape. Strain and set aside. Boil carrots in a separate pan, in salted water seasoned with sugar, until cooked but still a bit firm. Strain and set aside. Sauté celery in butter in a small skillet until cooked but still slightly crunchy. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Warm stew. Add turnips, carrots, celery and peas. Add additional water if necessary. Add a splash of Worcestershire and chopped parsley. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.
Source

Lamb with Lentils and Chard

Here's a delicious crock pot recipe for your CSA lamb, carrots, lentils and chard. You can use lamb stew meat, or shoulder roast or chops cut into 1" cubes.

The recipe is adapted out of The Healthy Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson. I cut it in half - the original recipe serves 10.

2-4 TBSP olive oil
1 pound trimmed lamb stew, 1" chunks
1 onion, finely chopped
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp herbs de Provence (I used rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracked black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
16 oz can tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with juice
1 cup green or brown lentils, rinsed
4 cups Swiss chard, stemmed and chopped

Brown the lamb in a single layer in a hot skillet. Do this in 2-3 batches, adding oil as needed. Transfer the batches to the crock pot as they finish.

Cook the carrots, celery and onions in the skillet. Stir often and cook until the carrots start to soften (about 7 minutes). Add the garlic, herbs, salt and pepper to the other veggies, and stir for about a minute. Add the bay leaf, chicken broth and tomatoes and juice to the skillet and bring to a boil. Transfer to the crock pot. Add the lentils and stir.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours, until the lamb and lentils are tender. Add the chard in batches, stirring it in until it wilts, then adding more until it's all in the crock. Cover and cook on low for another 30 minutes or until the chard is tender.

Serve with crusty bread or on a bed of rice.