Lamb a.k.a. ‘borrego’
“Ensopado de Borrego”, stewed Lamb. Photo by Filipe Gill
Luís called me saying Mercês has fresh lamb. Do I want some? Of course I do! An excellent opportunity to make a classic dish from Alentejo: “Ensopado de Borrego”.
So we went to the weekly market in Campo Pequeno, Lisboa to meet Mercês at her stall. My objective is to make my interpretation of this dish. From Mercês we got most ingredients: 1,5kg of lamb; garlic; onion, aubergine/eggplant, and last but not least, homemade bread, a mixture of wheat and rye. All from her farm in Sobral da Adiça, Moura deep in Alentejo.
My version of Ensopado de Borrego:
Ingredients
for 4 to 6 people:
1,5Kg of good meaty lamb but with some bones for depth of flavour (saddle would be great);
1 large onion, chopped;
1 head of garlic, crushed;
Massa de Pimentão , 3 tablespoons
2 aubergines/eggplant;
2 malaguetas (chilli pepper)
Sea salt
Olive oil
Coriander (stems for cooking, leaves for serving)
Mint
To go with the main dish:
Boiled potatoes;
Good bread from Alentejo (wheat or wheat and rye)
Preparation
Get a large pan and put all the ingredients (see picture below) except the coriander and the aubergines.
Cover the pan and put on a medium fire to soften the onions and slightly caramelize the ingredients. About 30 minutes.
Add the aubergines, cut into small chunks, and the coriander stems cut finely. Add a large mug of water. Keep in medium to low heat for 2 hours. If possible let it rest overnight. It helps to mix and intensify the flavours. This is what I did: started this dish on the Saturday morning when I came back from the market and finished it on Sunday morning to serve it for lunch.
Half an hour before serving time put the heat back on and add the mint. Boil the potatoes. Cut the bread, ready to serve. Chop the coriander leaves.
To serve:
On a soup plate lay some bread and potatoes. Cover with the meat and pour over some of the liquid sauce. Sprinkle a generous portion of chopped coriander leaves.
On the side serve a lettuce salad.
Notes: Aubergine/eggplant are not part of traditional Portuguese gastronomy. But I decided to add it this recipe because a) it goes really well; b) the aubergines are part of the cuisine of our Mediterranean “cousins” in the East. So, to me, it makes culinary and cultural sense. The bread is normally fried, but if good like this, no need to fry it. Finally, you can use white wine if you wish. I didn’t because what I had wasn’t enough, and we preferred to drink it!
Serve with a good red wine from Alentejo like Cortes de Cima Syrah.
Recommended music:
The starting point for this dish. Photo by Filipe Gill
