Lamb Stew With White Beans

If you have a slow cooker, pay attention. This is an incredibly easy way to have meals ready for several days in a row. If you don't have a slow cooker you can still make this, but you'll have to watch the stove for several hours. You'll need:

• two legs of lamb (I used mine straight out of the freezer)
• one can of beef stock or consomme
• one onion, quartered
• five cloves of garlic
• 32 oz. can of diced tomatoes
• two cups of dry white beans (I used great northern beans)
• three to five carrots, cut into big cubes (enough to fill a one quart container)
• celery and corn are great too, if you have them.

Put the lamb, onions, garlic, beef stock, tomatoes, and enough water to cover everything into your slow cooker. Start soaking the white beans in a big bowl of cold water. I then turned my slow cooker to low and left for work. When I got back the lamb was very tender; an hour less might have perfect. I took the lamb out because it was too tender to have cooked for much longer. I removed the bones and set the meat aside while I finished the stew.

I added the white beans and cooked on high (for a slow cooker that's not too hot) for two hours. I added the carrots at this point and cooked for two more hours. Once everything was tender, I stirred the lamb back in. I wasn't planning to eat it that night, so into the fridge it went. I ate it the next day over some rice. Yipee! Very garlicky, tender meat, and plenty of beans and veggies.

In the ideal world, this would be the timing:

• two hours for the lamb, onoins and garlic
• add the beans (leave the meat in), cook for two more hours
• add the rest of the vegetables, cook for two more hours

Divide in half if you're cooking on the stovetop, and watch it very carefully! Or follow the slow cooker times but use an oven safe pot and set the oven to 250 degrees (I think). So it's an all day affair, but great for weekends. Or you can do it my way if you want to make it a two-day (but completely brainless) project.