Slow-Cooked Lamb and Chickpea Stew — Pecora cu li Ciciri
A Pugliese shepherd's stew of mature mutton or lamb shoulder slow-cooked with chickpeas, tomato, garlic, and bay until the meat shreds and the chickpeas absorb the lamb's depth — a regional discovery from the Murgia plateau.
Italian
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Pat 480g lamb shoulder cubes dry. Season with 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp pepper. Finely chop 2 small onions (160g), dice 2 celery stalks (80g), smash 8 garlic cloves. Measure 240ml red wine, 400g passata, 600ml warm stock, and drain 360g cooked chickpeas.
Sear
Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown lamb in batches (likely 3–4 batches given doubled quantity), 4 minutes per batch, until deeply coloured. Lift out and set aside.
Saute
Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and celery, cook 8 minutes until soft. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste, cook 1 minute until darkened. Pour in red wine, simmer 3 minutes, scraping browned bits, until reduced by half.
Braise
Return lamb to pot. Add passata, stock, bay leaves, rosemary sprigs, and 0.5 tsp salt. Bring to bare simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, cook 70 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until lamb is tender.
Simmer
Add drained chickpeas. Cook uncovered 30 minutes more over low heat, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas absorb sauce, lamb shreds easily, and broth thickens. Discard rosemary and bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Plate
Spoon stew into warm wide bowls. Drizzle each with 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, scatter 1 tbsp chopped parsley. Serve with 60g crusty country bread per person alongside.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.