Equipment
Ingredients
Lamb Stew Base
- 800 g lamb shoulder, diced into 3cm cubes
- 30 ml olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery, diced
- 3 garlic, minced
- 30 g tomato paste
- 150 ml dry white wine
- 1000 ml chicken broth
- 5 g fresh thyme, tied in a bundle
- 5 g fresh rosemary, tied in a bundle
- 150 g green peas, fresh or thawed frozen
Ricotta Spinach Dumplings
- 250 g whole milk ricotta, strained
- 150 g fresh spinach, wilted, squeezed completely dry, and finely chopped
- 50 g parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 egg
- 75 g all-purpose flour
- 3 g kosher salt
- 1 g ground nutmeg
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 479 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbohydrates
- 27 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 1118 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 8 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 138 mg
- Potassium
- 1060 mg
- Calcium
- 272 mg
- Iron
- 3.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 89 mg
- Phosphorus
- 467 mg
- Zinc
- 6.5 mg
- Vitamin A
- 503 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 24 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 2.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 140 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 3.7 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.38 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.61 mg
- Niacin
- 8.7 mg
- Folate
- 93 mcg
- Water
- 439 g
- Alcohol
- 3 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Pat the diced lamb shoulder completely dry with paper towels and season generously with salt. Wash your hands thoroughly and sanitize any surfaces that came into contact with the raw meat to prevent cross-contamination.
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding, sear the lamb cubes until deeply browned on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned lamb to a clean plate.
Lower the heat to medium. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery to the residual lamb fat. Saute until the vegetables soften and the onions turn translucent. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste, cooking for 1 minute until fragrant and slightly darkened.
Pour in the dry white wine to deglaze the pot, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom. Let the wine reduce by half.
Return the seared lamb to the pot along with any resting juices. Pour in the chicken broth and add the thyme and rosemary bundles. Bring to a gentle simmer at 90C/195F, cover, and cook until the lamb reaches an internal temperature of at least 90C/195F and is completely fork-tender.
While the stew simmers, prepare the dumpling batter in a mixing bowl. Vigorously mix the drained ricotta, dry chopped spinach, grated parmesan, egg, kosher salt, and nutmeg until completely homogeneous.
Sprinkle the all-purpose flour over the ricotta mixture. Gently fold the mixture together with a spatula just until the flour is incorporated. Do not overmix, or the dumplings will become dense.
Using two wet spoons or wet hands, shape the ricotta batter into small oval dumplings, each about the size of a whole walnut. Place them on a parchment-lined tray.
Remove the herb bundles from the finished stew. Gently stir in the green peas. Carefully arrange the shaped dumplings over the surface of the simmering liquid, ensuring they do not overlap.
Cover the Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. Steam the dumplings over the gently bubbling stew at 95C/203F until they have puffed up significantly and reached a safe internal temperature of 74C/165F.
Chef's Notes
- Drain the ricotta overnight in a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Excess moisture is the primary enemy of light, pillowy dumplings.
- Searing the lamb shoulder in uncrowded batches prevents the meat from steaming and ensures a deep, caramelized fond that builds the foundation of the stew's flavor.
- Wring out the wilted spinach in a clean, dark-colored kitchen towel until it feels completely dry before chopping. Even a small amount of residual water can ruin the dumpling batter consistency.
- Using white wine instead of red provides an acidic brightness that beautifully complements the delicate ricotta and sweet spring peas without overwhelming the dish.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store dumplings separately from the stew if possible to prevent them from becoming soggy.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze the stew base only. The ricotta dumplings do not freeze well after cooking.
Reheating: Reheat the stew gently on the stovetop over low heat until simmering, adding a splash of broth if it has thickened too much.
Troubleshooting
Dumplings dissolve or disintegrate into the stew liquid
Cause: The ricotta or spinach retained too much water, or the stew was boiling too violently rather than gently simmering
Fix: Stir the dissolved dumplings into the liquid to create a creamy stew base. Add an extra tablespoon of flour to any remaining batter before dropping more dumplings.
Prevention: Ensure ricotta is drained overnight and spinach is wrung out completely in a kitchen towel. Keep the stew at a gentle, bare simmer when cooking the dumplings.
Dumplings are heavy and dense
Cause: The batter was overmixed after the flour was added, developing too much gluten
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Fold the flour in gently and stop as soon as no dry streaks remain.
Cultural Context
Spring lamb stews mark the culinary transition from heavy, dark winter braises to lighter, brighter preparations. The addition of ricotta and spinach dumplings, heavily inspired by rustic Italian gnudi, adds an elegant textural contrast while celebrating the arrival of fresh seasonal produce and dairy.
