Lamb Stew with Beans

This dish is known in the German state of Hessen as "Hammeleintopf," or, "Lammeintopf," depending upon the type of meat used. In German, a "Hammel" * is a castrated sheep, as opposed to a Lamm, a young sheep (see Word History). In English, the word used for such a male sheep is a "wether," which is certainly not at all common in the United States. ** Food wise, "Hammelfleisch" ("Fleisch" is literally "flesh," in English; that is, "meat") is what English speakers call "mutton," a word English borrowed from French. "Mutton" is not "commonly" seen in the United States, but elsewhere in the world it is, so use either "mutton" or "lamb" for this dish. I "essentially" adapted this recipe from, "Hessen: Kulinarische Streifzüge" (Hessen: Culinary Travels), by Frank Gerhard, photos by Hans Joachim Döbbelin, Sigloch Edition, 2008. 

Ingredients:

1 large potato, peeled and diced
1 15.5 ounce can white beans (Great Northern or navy), drained and rinsed
2 strips bacon, cut into about 1/2 inch strips
1 garlic knockwurst (or other garlic sausage), chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
water (see instructions below)
1 pound lamb, cut into small pieces (so that it will cook fairly fast)
2 medium onions, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped (include the leaves, if the stalk has them)
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil (or other oil, preferably taste neutral)
2 tablespoons tomato paste (or just use ketchup)
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (or 2 sprigs fresh thyme)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon parsley
5 tablespoons cream or milk (I used canned evaporated milk)
3 or 4 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter, flaked

In a heavy bottomed, oven safe pan (make sure to use a pan large enough; give some room, and the pan will need to be put under the broiler to finish the dish), heat the oil over medium heat, then add the onion, carrot, bacon, knockwurst and celery, cook for a couple of minutes, then add the potato and garlic. Stir to keep from sticking, cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the lamb, cook another 3 to 4 minutes, again stirring periodically. Add the beans, bay leaf, cloves, thyme, salt, pepper and water (just enough to bring it even with the other ingredients). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes. Make sure the meat is tender. Remove from heat for a couple of minutes while you turn on the oven broiler. Add the milk or cream and stir well. Add the breadcrumbs to the top, and top them with small flakes of butter. Place pan under the broiler, but at a little distance, depending upon your oven rack. Let the breadcrumbs brown and crust a bit, being careful not to let the topping burn. Remove the pan, let stand for a few minutes, sprinkle with some parsley and serve.  

 * The German noun "Hammel" has no living relatives in English, but English once had the verb, "hamelian," which meant "to mutilate," and there were related words in other Germanic languages. In German, the idea of "mutilate" eventually developed further into "castrate;" if you get my drift. German developed the noun "Hammel" from that meaning.  

** Here is the link to the article with the history of the word "wether:"   http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2012/06/erased-wealth-for-some-gains-for-guess.html

WORD HISTORY: 
Lamb-This word, while common in the Germanic languages, has an uncertain history beyond Germanic, although I tend to agree with those who feel it is distantly related to Greek "eláphi," meaning "deer," which seems to come from Indo European "lonbhos," which meant, "elk, deer." This may have also given Old Germanic it's form, "lambaz," which meant "lamb." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "lamb" and "lomb," depending upon dialect. Of course, eventually "lamb" won out, and it has remained in this spelling for all of these centuries. The other Germanic languages have: German "Lamm," ^ Low German Saxon "Lamm," West Frisian "laam," Dutch, Norwegian and Danish "lam," Swedish "lamm," and Icelandic "lamb."

^ Two things: the German form was also once spelled "lamb," and its modern plural, "Lämmer," was once, "lembir," showing that connection to the "b" sound, and certainly giving a boost to the connection to Indo European "lonbhos."