Ensopado de Borrego a Alentejana (Alentejo Lamb Stew)

The Alentejo is sheep country, rolling and golden and about as far from the green mountains of Tras-os-Montes as you can get and still be in the same small country. My husband’s family has roots there, and this lamb stew was the first dish his mother taught me to make, standing in her kitchen while I took notes I probably didn’t need because she made me repeat everything back to her twice.

Ensopado means soaked or sopped, and the dish is built for exactly that: a shallow pool of garlicky, wine-scented broth meant to be mopped up with bread, not eaten with a spoon like a soup. It’s a cousin of the Chanfana (recipe on the site) you’ll find elsewhere on the site, but where chanfana uses goat and red wine and cooks low and slow in a clay pot, this one leans on lamb, white wine, and a shorter simmer, and it’s a bit brighter for it.

I make this most often in early spring when lamb is easy to find in American markets, but honestly it holds up any time of year. Serve it with a good crusty loaf and don’t be shy about using it to wipe the pot clean; that’s the whole point.

Ensopado de Borrego Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes · Cook time: 2 hours · Total: 2 hours 20 minutes · Servings: 6 · Calories: ~480 per serving

Ingredients

• 3 pounds lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups chicken or lamb stock
• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or mint, chopped
• Crusty bread, for serving

Instructions

1. Season the lamb generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the lamb in batches, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Don’t crowd the pot; set the browned pieces aside.
2. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant.
3. Return the lamb to the pot along with the bay leaves and paprika. Pour in the wine and let it bubble and reduce by about half, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
4. Add the stock, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat for 1 to 1.5 hours, until the lamb is fork-tender.
5. Add the potatoes, nestling them into the liquid. Cover and simmer another 25 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
6. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Stir in most of the cilantro or mint, saving a little for garnish, and serve hot with crusty bread on the side.

Recipe Notes

• A splash of white wine vinegar stirred in right before serving brightens the whole dish; add it a teaspoon at a time and taste.
• Bone-in lamb shoulder gives the best flavor, but boneless works fine and is easier to portion; ask your butcher for shoulder specifically, not leg, which is leaner and less forgiving here.
• This stew reheats beautifully and is honestly better the next day, once the flavors have had time to settle.
• If lamb isn’t available, this also works well with goat, closer to the chanfana style, though the cooking time will run a bit longer.