Chakapuli (ჩაქაფული) — Georgian Spring Lamb, Tarragon, and Sour Plum Stew

• 1.5 kgbone-in lamb shoulder, cut into 5 cm chunks
• 12 gfine sea salt
• 1 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• 2large yellow onions (about 350 g total, thinly sliced)
• 6 clovegarlic (finely chopped)
• 12scallions (white and green parts chopped)
• 90 gfresh tarragon (tender leaves and stems chopped)
• 1 bunchfresh cilantro (about 60 g, chopped)
• 1 bunchflat-leaf parsley (about 60 g, chopped)
• 0.5 bunchfresh dill (about 20 g, chopped)
• 20 gfresh mint (leaves chopped)
• 300 gunripe green sour plums (tkemali plums; leave whole if small, pit if large)
• 2green chiles (slit lengthwise for mild heat)
• 500 mldry Georgian white wine, preferably qvevri-fermented Rkatsiteli
• 250 mlwater
• 1 tbspfresh lemon juice (use only if the plums are not very sour)

Instructions

1. 1

   Pat the lamb pieces dry and season them evenly with 8 g of the salt and all of the black pepper. Let the meat stand at room temperature for 20 minutes while you wash, dry, and chop the herbs.

2. 2

   Choose a heavy 5 l Dutch oven or deep clay pot with a tight-fitting lid. Spread half of the sliced onions over the bottom, then add half of the lamb in one layer so the bones and fat help enrich the stew as it cooks.

3. 3

   Scatter over half of the garlic, scallions, tarragon, cilantro, parsley, dill, mint, green chiles, and tkemali plums. Repeat the layers with the remaining onions, lamb, aromatics, herbs, chiles, and plums, keeping 15 g of tarragon aside for the finish.

4. 4

   Pour in the qvevri-style Georgian white wine and the water around the side of the pot rather than directly over the herbs. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low so the stew barely bubbles.

5. 5

   Cover the pot and cook for 75 minutes, shaking the pot gently every 20 minutes instead of stirring hard. This keeps the lamb pieces intact while the herbs collapse into a green, sour broth.

6. 6

   Uncover the pot and check the lamb; it should be tender enough to pull from the bone with a spoon. Simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes more, until the broth is slightly reduced but still spoonable and the tkemali plums have softened.

7. 7

   Stir in the remaining 4 g salt and the reserved 15 g tarragon, then simmer for 3 minutes. Do not add khmeli suneli, because authentic chakapuli should taste sharply green, winey, and plum-sour rather than warm-spiced.

8. 8

   Taste the broth and add exactly 1 tbsp lemon juice only if your plums were mild rather than bracingly sour. Rest the stew off the heat for 10 minutes before serving so the lamb juices settle and the herb aroma rounds out.