My new food idea and lamb stew with papperdele recipe

I have been trying to figure out how to incorporate food onto the blog...you know since it is called "The Kitchen Table and all. The list with what my family was eating for the week did not work. Since I am technologically inept it just ended up pissing me off. Instead I will experiment with adding a few recipes a week that my family particularly loved. Many friends ask for recipes and have questions about what my wee ones like to eat...so I will post that on the blog as well. Oh, and my agave nectar recipes too, for those that want some yummy, somewhat healthy (sometimes really healthy actually) sweet treats that you will NOT feel guilty about eating. AND to overwelm you just a bit more I thought I may also write about all my great food finds as they occur (just in case you are interested).

This week I made a really great, warming lamb stew. For the past few weeks in Houston it has been HOT, at about 80 degrees. This past week it was COLD at about 48 degrees (I have become such a wimp!), especially after we started to get used to the warm weather. The lamb stew was perfect for a cold, rainy Friday night. It was one of those stick to your ribs meals. Yum. Oh, and I got the recipe from Everyday Pasta by Giada (one of my favorite chefs).

Lamb Stew with Papperdele (this recipe fed 3 people). We drank a nice, hunky malbec with this. It went well.

Papperdele is a thick, wide pasta. I sops up juices very nicely. Giada says fresh pasta is best, but my market did not have any and the dry was still delicious. Also, cipploini onions are sooo yummy. They are super sweet. Maya ate them plain. If I had a restaurant cippolini would be a name I'd contemplate for it. It is such a cool word, cippolini.

tablespoon or so of olive or grapeseed oil
1 pound of lamb sirloin (ask your butcher to cut it into 1 and half to 2 inch pieces. Also you can use boneless leg of lamb. I found sirloin easier because it was already trimmed of the fat and cheaper too).
2 tablespoons of flour (white or whole wheat...you just need enough to coat the lamb).
2 pieces of garlic minced
1/4 cup of dry red wine wine
1 3/4 cup of beef broth
1/2 14 ounce can of diced tomato with the juice
1/2 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 carrot cut into one inch pieces
9 cippolini onions
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 package of papperdele
two tablespoons of parsley
1 1/2 tablespoon of butter
1/8 (or more) cup of parmesean cheese (freshly grated)

Leave the lamb out to rest for about 15 minutes while you prep everything. I usually prep, by the way, when my daughters are sleeping. If your kids are awake give them some mixing bowls and spatulas to play with. If you do not kids, open up that bottle of wine your are going to use and pour yourself a hefty glass. Shit, if you do have kids pour yourself an even heftier glass!

Salt and pepper the lamb. Add the oil to a heavy sauce pan. Coat the lamb in a bowl with the flour. Brown the meat, about 5 minutes or less a side. Take the meat out and add the garlic, stirring until fragrant, about a minute. Add the wine and get those nice brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Let the wine reduce to half then add the broth. Add the lamb back into the pan. Let lamb cook with lid slightly open for an hour. Meanwhile boil some water and add the cippolini onions. Cook for about 2 minutes. Take the onions out with a slotted spoon. When they cool peel off the outer layer and cut off the stringy parts. After the lamb cooks for an hour add the onions and carrots and cook for 25 minutes more with the lid off. Meanwhile boil a pot of slated water. Boil the pasta, if dry, for about 9 minutes. When the pasta is done toss it with the parm and the butter. When plating use bowls. Add the pasta, pour a little stew over the papperdele, and sprinkle some pasta on top. Enjoy!!!!