Caldereta de Cordero
Like other Spanish recipes, "Caldereta de cordero extremeña" is a heartwarming stew that is also simple to make.
Caldereta (meaning casserole in Spanish) refers to the pot in which it is cooked. And though it can be cooked with mutton instead of lamb, the result is always a potent and tasty meat stew, and a signature of Spanish Extremadura.
Any Extremeño or Extremeña will tell you this stew cannot be done without "Pimentón de la Vera", a local dried and powdered paprika brand, but this remains to be an opinion and other smoked sweet or hot paprika will do just as well.
It would be fair to also mention that there are versions of this stew with tomato and oregano, or even re-hydrated paprika paste, or mashed potatoes. All these are perfectly fine additions to this stew.
Ingredients
- 1 kg lamb or mutton, chunked into bite sized pieces.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic whole
- 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika.
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 cups water
- 1 large red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Start by heating the olive oil in your stew pot and throwing in the garlic cloves skin and all into the pot. Wait for them to turn golden and fish them out, you can now peel them and set them aside.
Next, add the meat chunks little by little and seal them until every single chunk is brown on at least one side. It is best to do this by batches, because if too much meat is put in it will release all its water and steam itself instead of sealing.
Chop up the onion and add it to the pot at medium heat. When it is golden but not burnt add the chopped bell pepper and the garlic, patiently stirring making sure to not burn anything. When it is just about to burn add the meat back in and the white wine, the smoked paprika and the herbs. This is also a good moment to add salt and seasoning.
Next add the water and stir the stew on high heat until it boils, and then set the heat to medium before covering it with a heavy lid. Wait at least one hour checking every now and then to make sure it is bubbling.
When the meat is tender (this can take up to two hours) the stew is ready to serve. Traditionally paired with boiled potatoes or fried bread, this stew will serve 4 hungry stew lovers.