Lamb Stew with Asparagus

Peel the onions and the garlic and finely chop. Rinse the meat, pat dry and cut into small cubes. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven and brown the meat all over.  Add the onion and garlic and sauté until golden brown. Stir in the tomato paste and deglaze with the stock. Season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally and adding more stock, or water if the pan is getting dry until the lamb is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. 

Rinse and trim the zucchini and cut into small dice. Add the zucchini, bay leaf and rosemary to the stew after it's cooked 1 hour.  Blanch the tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for 10 seconds. Peel and add to the stew during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Peel the asparagus and simmer in a pot of salted water with sugar until done,  about 25 minutes. Drain. Heat the butter in a skillet, add the asparagus and toss to coat.

Remove the bay leaf. Season the lamb stew and serve with the asparagus. Garnish with rosemary.