The other night something conjured up a long-ago memory of a wonderful casserole we had in France while there in winter. The flavors came back to me so vividly I was able to construct it both in my head and then for real in my own kitchen such as it is--I have a knife, a pair of tongs, a Romertopf, an 8 qt Dutch oven and one skillet. The result was fabulous, fragrant, homey and comforting, and something I must have again soon. This is a perfect dish for a good southern Rhone, especially one mellowed by age. Serve with baguette or ciabatta style bread oven-heated for crispiness and cut or torn so that there's a crust on the bottom of every piece, and fork-load the lamb-cabbage mixture onto the bread to eat together, open faced.
Thought I'd share:
2 lbs lamb, cubed
1 large onion, sliced
1 green cabbage, shredded (this presumes a dense fall cabbage, if using a lightweight spring cabbage, consider using two)
4 cloves garlic, sliced
4 tomatoes, sliced
1 generous tsp good paprika
salt, white pepper and black pepper
Brown the lamb in a bit of olive oil, then add the onions to just soften.
In a large, deep cassserole dish (I used the Romertopf) layer cabbage, meat and onions, then repeat until all the lamb's used up. Season each set of layers with garlic slices, salt, peppers and paprika. End with a layer of cabbage, then top with tomato slices. Drizzle a little olive oil over the tomatoes, then bake at 300F (yes, slow on purpose for richer flavor) for about three hours.
