cup of broth in skillet; stir to scrape browned bits from bottom of pan. Pour broth, onions, and garlic over mutton in Dutch oven. Add remaining broth, sugar, ale, bay leaves, thyme, and bacon.
Place Dutch oven over high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, 1 1 ⁄ 2 hours. Add additional stock or water if needed.
Remove bay leaves from Dutch oven. Add leek, potatoes, carrots, and peas; cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20–30 minutes.
Remove from heat; add salt, pepper, and parsley. Serve in shallow bowls.
A Word of Wisdom
What lamb is available and where it comes from may vary wildly by season. True lamb aficionados often prefer lamb from one region over another, citing flavor and texture differences.
Sweetrobin’s Stewed Goat
High above the Vale, surrounded by ice and rock and open air, Lord Robert Arryn and his companions pick their way down the treacherous Giant’s Lance, but trials of a journey are nothing when a hot meal of stewed goat awaits. The sure-footed caprines would be a steady source of fiber, milk, and meat for peasant and peer in the lands protected by the Mountains of the Moon. ( A Feast for Crows , Chapter 41 — Alayne)
Serves 6–8
2 1 ⁄ 2 pounds goat meat
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 ⁄ 4 teaspoon paprika
1 ⁄ 3 cup flour
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cups beef broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 rib celery, sliced
6 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup dry red wine
3 pounds red potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 cups baby carrots
Salt and pepper to taste
1 ⁄ 4 cup minced fresh parsley
Trim fat from goat; cut into 1 1 ⁄ 2 -inch cubes. Combine salt, black and cayenne peppers, garlic powder, and paprika; stir well. Liberally sprinkle seasoning mixture over goat; toss. (You may not use all of the spice mix. Reserve leftover mix for later use.) Sprinkle a small amount of flour over goat, just enough to coat cubes lightly.
In a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown goat in oil. Working in batches, remove browned cubes to bowl using slotted spoon. Add half of onion to oil; sauté 3 minutes.
Sprinkle oil and onion with remaining flour; stir until flour begins to brown. Whisk in 1 cup of the broth; continue stirring until browned bits have been pulled from bottom and sauce is smooth. Add remaining onion, garlic, celery, and mushrooms; return goat to pot. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 2 minutes.
Add remaining broth, Worcestershire sauce, and wine; simmer uncovered 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Add potatoes and carrots; cook until potatoes are tender, about 20–30 minutes.
Remove from heat. Add salt, pepper, and parsley.
A Word of Wisdom
If goat isn’t to your liking, you can quite easily turn this into a beef stew. Just substitute a brisket or bottom round roast for goat meat.
Sister’s Stew
Davos may not find much sweet about the island of Sweetsister, but the stew is uncharacteristically fine. Enjoyed throughout the Three Sisters by everyone from Lord Godric Borrell to the silent serving boy Wex, this stew combines artfully pirated spices and fresh seafood to give a flavor that invigorates the taste buds and warms travelers down to their bones. ( A Dance with Dragons , Chapter 9 — Davos)
Serves 4
1 dozen small clams, scrubbed
2 cups white wine
2 cups clam juice
2 bay leaves
1 sprig thyme
1 ⁄ 4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
1 tablespoon butter
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves
1 leek, chopped
2 cups half-and-half
1 pound crabmeat of at least three varieties (see A Word of Wisdom)
3 tablespoons crab roe
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh chervil
2 cups barley, cooked
Place cleaned clams in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven; pour in wine and clam juice. Add bay leaves, thyme sprig, and saffron threads; bring to a boil and
Michael Wallace
Jon Sprunk
Steve Turner
Nicola Pierce
Geoff Herbach
Madeleine Shaw
Roy Macgregor
Matt Christopher, Stephanie Peters
Edward Crichton
George Bishop