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Caldereta extremeña
Lamb stew with liver sauce
Caldereta extremeña: lamb stewed with red peppers and paprika, thickened with a garlicky liver sauce
Caldereta is the feast dish of Extremadura's shepherds, cooked in a big iron pot at romerías, weddings and village fiestas, and in many homes for Sunday lunch. Pieces of lamb are browned and stewed with peppers, bay and smoky pimentón de la Vera, then the sauce is thickened with lamb's liver fried with garlic and bread and pounded to a paste, which gives it a deep, rich flavour. Chef's tip: make it a day ahead if you can; like most stews, it tastes better reheated.
- Total time
- 125 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 3 ⅓ lb lamb shoulder or leg on the bonecut into 5 cm pieces
- 2 tsp salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 5 ½ oz lamb's liverin thick slices
- 8 cloves garlicpeeled
- 1 slice of day-old breadabout 30 g
- 1 onionchopped
- 2 red pepperschopped
- ½ tsp hot smoked paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 ½ cups water
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What you'll need
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Season the 3 ⅓ lb lamb shoulder or leg on the bone with the 2 tsp salt. Heat the ¼ cup olive oil in a large heavy casserole over a medium-high heat and brown the lamb in batches for 6–8 minutes until golden on all sides. Set aside.
15 minStep 2: In the same oil, fry the 5 ½ oz lamb's liver, 8 cloves garlic and 1 slice of day-old bread over a medium heat for 4–5 minutes, turning, until the bread and garlic are golden and the liver is cooked right through with no pink inside. Lift out and set aside.
6 minStep 3: Cook the 1 onion and 2 red peppers in the pot for 10 minutes until soft. Take the pot off the heat, stir in the 2 tsp sweet smoked paprika (pimentón de la Vera) and ½ tsp hot smoked paprika for a few seconds, then return the lamb with the 2 bay leaves, ½ tsp black pepper and 2 ½ cups water.
12 minStep 4: Cover and simmer gently for 1 hour.
60 minStep 5: Pound or blend the liver, garlic and bread with a ladle of the cooking liquid to a smooth paste. Stir it into the stew and simmer uncovered for 20–30 minutes more, until the lamb is very tender and the sauce is thick and glossy. A common mistake is adding the paste at the start: the liver overcooks, goes grainy and makes the sauce bitter.
25 minStep 6: Rest for 10 minutes, taste for salt and serve with bread or fried potatoes.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 580 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 36 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does caldereta extremeña take?
- About 125 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 100 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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