The Alentejo is sheep country, rolling and golden and about as far from the green mountains of Trás-os-Montes as you can get while staying in the same small country. Ensopado de borrego is its signature lamb stew, served over slices of bread that soak up the broth.

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.

In the US lamb is easiest to find in early spring, but the dish holds up any time of year. Serve it with a good crusty loaf and do not be shy about using it to wipe the pot clean; that is the whole point.

Ensopado de Borrego Recipe

What you need

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

Cook along

Instructions

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.
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.
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.
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.
Add the potatoes, nestling them into the liquid. Cover and simmer another 25 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
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.