Ensopado de borrego is a defining stew of the Alentejo, the vast wheat-and-sheep plains of south-central Portugal, where sheep farming has shaped the food for centuries. The dish belongs to the 葡萄牙玉米面包d Alentejo tradition of ensopados, stews thickened with bread rather than potato, the bread of the region being the dense country loaf that also forms the base of a and 米加斯. Lamb, cut into pieces, is browned with garlic, the lamb's own fat rendering, then slow-braised with white wine, plenty of fresh mint, bay and water until the meat falls from the bone. Slices of stale country bread are added toward the end, dissolving into the broth to thicken it into a glossy, hearty sauce that coats the lamb. The mint, used generously, is the Alentejo signature, its cool freshness cutting the lamb's richness in a way that defines the dish. Eaten across the Alentejo from Évora to Portalegre, ensopado de borrego is the celebratory Sunday dish of the region, and it represents the Alentejo genius of turning the cheapest staples, old bread and tough lamb, into a deeply flavoured meal.
Tender, falling-apart lamb in a glossy, garlic-mint-perfumed sauce thickened with bread, the mint's coolness cutting through the richness. Eaten in shallow bowls with the bread-thickened sauce coating each piece; hearty, deeply savoury, the taste of the Alentejo plain.
The dish is a long braise thickened with bread. Lamb pieces, on the bone for flavour, are browned hard in olive oil with plenty of garlic, the Maillard browning and the rendered fat forming the flavour base. White wine, water, fresh mint, bay and a little salt are added, and the lamb is braised covered at a low temperature for around 2 hours until the meat is falling apart, the collagen melting into the broth to give it body. Slices of stale country bread, the dense Alentejo loaf, are stirred in during the last 20 minutes, the bread dissolving into the broth and thickening it into a glossy sauce, a technique that defines the ensopado family. The mint, used in uncommonly large quantity, is the Alentejo signature, its volatile cool oils cutting the lamb's richness, and it is added fresh at the end as well as during cooking. The result is a hearty, glossy stew where the bread-thickened sauce coats the tender lamb, eaten in bowls. The use of bread rather than potato as the thickener is the Alentejo trait shared with a and 米加斯.
Variations
Some versions add potato alongside the bread. A vinegar finish sharpens the sauce. Pork ensopado uses the same method with pork.
On the Palate
Where Ensopado de Borrego sits in the Portuguese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
6 steps · 25 min
- 16 min
Brown 1kg lamb pieces, on the bone, in 4 tbsp olive oil in a heavy pot with 8 crushed garlic cloves; work in batches until well coloured.
Watch outBrown the lamb hard in batches until deeply colored — a crowded pan steams instead of sears and you lose the whole flavor base.
- 26 min
Pour off excess fat; add 250ml dry white wine, 1.5 litres water, 2 bay leaves and a large handful of chopped mint; season with salt.
- 38 min
Bring to a boil, skim, then simmer covered on low heat for 1.5 hours until the lamb is tender.
- 46 min
Tear 200g stale country bread into pieces and stir into the pot; cook uncovered 20 minutes, stirring, until the bread dissolves and thickens the sauce to glossy.
Watch outStir the stale bread in until it dissolves and thickens the broth to glossy — that melting is what gives the sauce its body.
- 54 min
Stir in another large handful of fresh mint off the heat; adjust salt.
- 64 min
Ladle into shallow bowls and serve hot, the bread-thickened sauce coating the lamb.
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