Lamb and White Bean Stew with Preserved Lemon

Start with the lamb. Find a farmer who raises animals on pasture, who can tell you what the sheep ate and how they lived. Lamb shoulder or neck, bone-in, is what you want here. The bones and connective tissue will dissolve over hours of gentle braising, giving the broth a richness no boneless cut can match.

The beans matter just as much. Dried beans from this year's harvest cook evenly and taste of something. Old beans from the back of a grocery shelf will never soften properly, no matter how long you simmer. Seek out a source. Rancho Gordo, a local farm, your farmers market. The difference is not subtle.

This is a dish that asks for time but very little of you. Brown the lamb, build a fragrant base of onions and spices, add the beans and stock, then let the oven do the work. The preserved lemon goes in near the end, its bright acidity cutting through the richness and lifting every spoonful. This is the kind of cooking that fills a house with warmth on a cold evening, the kind of meal that brings people to the kitchen before you call them.