The lamb navarin.
It is a dish whose name caused many quarrels at the end of the 19th century, and Le Figaro even conducted a major survey of its readers in 1898 to find out more!
One thing is certain: the meat of the navarin must imperatively be lamb. On the other hand, the choice of vegetables remains problematic: it cannot be beans — reserved for stew — nor potatoes — reserved for mutton "beans", the term bean coming in this case from the old French “halicoter”… which means to cut into pieces!
Nevertheless, some supporters - including Victorien Sardou - claimed at the time that navarin should be served with potatoes… but returned separately and nicely browned, and not cooked at the same time like a common stew!
The owner of the famous restaurant Paillard got involved and assured that the word navarin could only come from turnip!
Finally, Philéas Gilbert, a well-known culinographer (in his time!), brought his testimony; the day after the battle of Navarino, Admiral de Rigny gave the order to improve the food for the crew of the Trident: the rice of the usual "rata" was therefore improved by the addition of different vegetables, and was henceforth baptized “Navarino stew”!
It was this version that prevailed, so it is now accepted that navarin is in fact a lamb stew made from various vegetables - all those that can be had on hand in season... including, if possible, turnips! But the formula is not really codified and has nothing immutable.
Since lamb is tastier in the spring, it has become almost a ritual to prepare navarin with small new vegetables, so it is often found under the name “spring lamb navarin”!
8 rib French lamb square ±1.7kg
Price
€113.80
Leg of free-range lamb from Quercy - Label Rouge ±2.5kg
Price
€145.98
Lamb shank with thyme ±2.6kg
Price
€127.50
