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Meat, South and mountains

Pistache de mouton with white beans

Pistache de mouton with white beans is a slow cooked stew of mutton or lamb, simmered with garlic and tomato, serving 4 in 2 hours 30 minutes, easy level, about €4.10 per serving. The key is browning the meat well at the start and letting it simmer gently before stirring in the beans near the end.

Pistache de mouton, an old stew from Corsica and the South of France, slow cooked with garlic and tomato and white beans.

Pistache de mouton with white beans
Total time
2 h 30
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€4.10
Calories per person
620 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall

Pistache de mouton comes from the South of France and Corsica, a stew that simmers low and slow until the meat falls apart at the touch of a fork. Garlic, tomato and thyme build a thick sauce that the white beans soak up by the end, giving every bite that mix of tenderness and rustic heartiness typical of mountain cooking.

This is a Sunday recipe, the kind you start in the early afternoon and find ready by dinner, without much watching over it. It suits big family meals or gatherings with friends, when you want a dish that warms people up and gets served straight from the pot, with bread for mopping up the sauce.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Mutton or lamb shoulder 1 kg

Pantry

  • Cooked white beansoften in the pantry 600 g
  • Crushed tomatoesoften in the pantry 300 g
  • Dry white wineoften in the pantry 15 cl
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onions 2
  • Garlic 5 cloves
  • Thyme 3 sprigs

The step by step recipe

  1. Cut the meat into pieces and brown it in a Dutch oven with the oil. 12 min

    Don't skip the browning, it builds the flavor of the whole dish.

  2. Add the onions and garlic, then deglaze with the white wine. 5 min

    Let the wine fully evaporate before moving on.

  3. Add the tomatoes, thyme, salt and pepper, cover and let it simmer. 1 h 40

    Keep the heat very low, mutton rewards patience.

  4. Add the white beans for the last thirty minutes. 30 min

    Rinse the beans first, the canning liquid tastes bland.

  5. Serve in shallow bowls.

    A drizzle of olive oil at the end wakes the dish up.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick shoulder over leg, it holds up better through the long simmer without drying out.
  • If the sauce reduces too fast while simmering, add a splash of hot water instead of raising the heat.
  • Taste the sauce before adding the beans, it's your last chance to adjust the salt without watering down the dish.

The variations

  • Swap mutton for lamb if you prefer a milder flavor, the cooking time stays the same.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the meat with mushrooms and carrots simmered in the same tomato and garlic sauce.
  • For a faster version, use canned beans that are already soft and cut the meat simmering time to 1h15 by chopping it into smaller pieces.

What to serve it with

  • Crusty bread for mopping up sauce
  • Green salad with a sharp dressing
  • A glass of red wine from Southern France

Storage

This stew keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container, and it often tastes even better the next day. It freezes well for up to 2 months. Reheat gently over low heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce.

Questions about this dish

Can you make pistache de mouton ahead of time?

Yes, it's actually recommended. Prepare it up to the point of adding the beans the day before, then finish cooking right before serving.

Which cut of mutton works best for this recipe?

Shoulder is ideal because it stays tender after two hours of simmering. Neck also works well and is often cheaper.

Can you use dried beans instead of cooked white beans?

Yes, but soak them overnight and precook them for about an hour before adding them to the stew, otherwise they'll stay too firm.

Why does the meat need to be browned first?

Browning caramelizes the surface of the meat and creates the fond that gives the sauce its deep flavor. Skip this step and the stew ends up tasting flat.

How long does it take to make a pistache de mouton with white beans?

Count 2 h 30 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a pistache de mouton with white beans?

About 620 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a pistache de mouton with white beans cost?

About €4.10 per serving, or €16.40 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains none of the major allergens tracked by Mon Chou. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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