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Lamb & White Bean Soup

by Mary Sacks

This is a hearty soup that will warm your insides. It simmers with white wine and should be served with a loaf of crusty bread.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Pat lamb dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add one-third of the lamb. Sear lamb on all sides until nicely browned, 6-8 minutes per batch; remove from Dutch oven. Repeat with remaining lamb.
Pour off and discard all but 2 Tbsp. fat from pan; reduce heat to medium. Add onion, celery and a pinch of kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and rosemary; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
Return lamb and juices to Dutch oven, along with undrained tomatoes, broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Cover and transfer to oven. Cook until lamb is very tender, about 1½ hours. Add beans and honey in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Season to taste before serving.

Searing Lamb. Should be done in small batches to ensure browning. The browning process adds much flavor to the soup.
Dutch Oven. This recipe lends itself to slow cookers.
Garlic. I know there seems like a lot of garlic in this dish, but it does work. If you are skeptical, don’t chop the garlic (leave whole) and then it can be removed later.
Undrained Tomatoes. Sometimes canned tomatoes can be an issue with salt or unfamiliar flavors. I usually drain them and just add an equal amount of broth to make up the difference.
Bay leaves. Don’t forget to remove them after cooking.