How to cook Chanfana stew

It has to be said that when it comes to dishes that cross multi-national boundaries and are revered throughout the world, lamb stew vaunts transnational appeal.  While the British are more familiar with Irish stew or even Indian lamb Rogan Josh, the Portuguese’s version of this popular dish is known as the Chanfana.

While the ingredients of the traditional Irish stew are similar in some respects to Chanfana, the Portuguese add plenty of garlic, olive oil, wine and hot pepper sauce to make their mutton stew.

The beauty of this delicious Portuguese peasant recipe for lamb is that providing you have the right pot to cook it in simply bathe the lamb in wine and paprika and the work is done for you.

If you find yourself in the enviable position of staying in self-catering accommodation in Portugal, faced with the dilemma of going out to a restaurant or eating in, then the prospect of enjoying this traditional and mouth-watering stew may just put the lid on eating in – providing of course you know how to cook Chanfana.

Here’s how to cook Chanfana stew;

Making Chanfana stew

All you’ll need to cook Chanfana is a frying pan to seal the meat and a large casserole dish to cook an ample amount.

The ingredients needed for Chanfana stew for six people are:

1.5 kilos lamb (cheap cuts)

1 cup of white wine

2 red peppers

3 carrots

2 onions

1dl of good olive oil

6 cloves garlic

1 tsp spoonful piri-piri sauce

4 bay leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

Large sprig of parsley

1.5 kilos potatoes

1 tbl spoonful tomato paste

1 tbl spoonful paprika

1 big pinch of fresh chopped mint leaves

 

1-       Marinate the lamb in the wine and chopped up garlic overnight.

 

2-      Cheaper cuts of meat are always best cooked long and slow. Start by frying the lamb pieces in oil to seal the juices inside.

 

3-      Cook the lamb in your casserole dish on a medium/low heat for a couple of hours and then add the other ingredients and cook until tender.

The beauty of this dish is that there is no precise way to cook it and some improvisation always makes cooking that bit more fun. Simply serve steaming hot with some crusty Portuguese bread and chilled local wine, take in the mesmerising views from your villa and enjoy.