Sophie Conran’s Soups and Stews. Sophie Conran

Felix goes nuts for osso bucco which literally means bone with a hole—it is his favourite dish. The meat becomes so tender, you can cut it with a spoon.With or without the gremolata, it is an easy and satisfying stew.

      TO SERVE FOUR

      2 tbsp olive oil

      4 large pieces of veal shin, or osso bucco with bones in (about 2kg/41/4lb in total)

      1 tbsp plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper

      50g/2oz butter

      1 large red onion peeled and chopped

      1 rib of celery cleaned, trimmed and chopped

      2 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped

      150ml/5fl oz white wine

      400g tin of plum tomatoes

      about 150ml/5fl oz beef stock (see page 184)

      2 strips of orange peel (use a potato peeler)

      sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

       For the risotto

      2 tbsp olive oil

      100g/3¹/₂oz butter

      1 Spanish onion peeled and finely chopped

      3 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped

      5 handfuls of risotto rice

       (1 for each person and 1 for the pot)

      150ml/5fl oz white wine

      about 1.5 litres/2¹/₂ pints chicken stock (see page 185)

      1 large pinch of saffron threads

      1 handful of freshly grated Parmesan sea salt to taste

       For the gremolata

      2 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped

      zest of 1 lemon finely chopped

      1 handful of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

      Heat the oil in a pan with a lid big enough to take the meat all in one layer. Coat the meat in the seasoned flour and fry over a medium to high heat, turning once until lightly browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

      Reduce the heat, add the butter and gently fry the onion and celery for 10 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the garlic, pour in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge any flour sticking to the bottom, then simmer for 5 minutes.

      Throw in the tomatoes, stock and strips of orange peel, giving the tomatoes a bit of a mash with your spoon. Return the meat to the pan and submerge it in the sauce. Cover the pan and leave to gently simmer for 2 hours, stirring from time to time, turning the meat and adding some water if it starts to dry out.

      After about 90 minutes, start making the risotto. Heat the oil and half the butter in a large pan and gently fry the onion for about 10 minutes or until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and rice and fry, stirring continuously, for a couple of minutes. Glug in the wine and let it bubble until it is all but evaporated.

      Meanwhile, heat the stock in a pan. Ideally, it should be kept warm for the whole process. Sprinkle the saffron and a pinch of salt into the rice and stir through. From now on it’s a pretty repetitive process involving adding about a wine glass full of stock and stirring a lot, until the rice has absorbed almost all the stock, then adding some more and repeating.

      This should continue until the rice is almost cooked, but with still a tiny little bite to it. Take off the heat and, using a wooden spoon, gently beat the rest of the butter and the Parmesan into the rice.

      When your meat is extremely tender and beginning to fall off the bone, it is ready to plate up. Mix together the ingredients for the gremolata in a bowl, and sprinkle on top of the osso bucco. Serve with the risotto.

       LAMB SOUPS

      WELSH CAWL

      SCOTCH BROTH

      LAMB AND NOODLES WITH SEVEN PRECIOUS INGREDIENTS

      AUBERGINE, LAMB AND CHICKPEA SOUP

      

       LAMB STEWS

      Dave Myers & Si King aka ‘The Hairy Bikers’

      LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

      SPICED LAMB WITH BEANS

      LAMB SHANKS WITH CARAMELISED ONION

      MEXICAN LAMB

      SPANISH LAMB SHOULDER WITH TOMATOES AND OLIVES

      Vicki Conran’s

      IRISH STEW

      LAMB WITH PRESERVED LEMON

Lamb

       WELSH CAWL

      This soup is as Welsh as dragons and has its roots in the mists of time. I am not sure why it is called cawl—I have found some reference to the caul being a sheep’s stomach and occasionally being used as one of the ingredients. However, cawl nowadays seems to mean soup in Welsh and there are as many varieties as there are mountains in Wales. It is reputed to taste even better if you gently sing in Welsh as the pot simmers.

      TO SERVE SIX TO EIGHT

      1kg/2¹/₄lb lamb shoulder bone in

      1 large onion peeled and roughly chopped

      7 peppercorns