Try this decadent and rich lamb stew loaded with hearty vegetables and cooked to perfection in a red wine sauce when you’re craving some great comfort food. This one-pot stew is simple to prepare, but takes time. So, best you get this on the stove well before you start getting hungry, and you’ll have a delicious stew ready for supper.
The lengthy cooking time will ensure meltingly tender lamb and flavourful vegetables. The slow-cooking also transforms the red wine, onions and rosemary into an incredible rich sauce which makes for a natural pairing with the lamb and the strong flavour of the rosemary.
The hearty stew can be enjoyed on it’s own or served with quinoa (as in the recipe). However mashed sweet potato/potato, brown rice, barley or crusty bread would work equally well to soak up the mouthwatering sauce.
CHEF’S TIP:
- Shoulder or leg of lamb: Both of these cuts are perfect in a stew or casserole when diced.
- This dish is perfect for batch cooking and freezes well.
- If you don’t want a straight-up casserole, or are looking for ways to use up leftovers, top the stew with dumplings or creamy mash for a hearty shepherd’s pie.
Ingredients
- 120 ml olive oil extra virgin
- 3 tsp garlic crushed
- 850 grams lamb chops neck or loin chops preferably
- 350 grams green beans
- 700 grams baby potatoes
- 500 grams carrots medium-sized, sliced into smaller blocks
- 2 onions chopped
- 500 grams Portabellini mushrooms any mushrooms will do
- 400 grams Italian whole tomatoes 1 Tin
- 150 grams tomato paste 3 sachets
- 250 ml liquid stock lamb or vegetable
- 375 ml red wine
- salt & black pepper to flavour
- 3 Sprigs rosemary fresh
- 2 tsp sweet basil
- 2 tsp Italian herbs
- 2 tsp curry powder or masala
- 1 lemon squeezed
- 1 & 1/2 cups 1 1/2 cup quinoa or rice
Instructions
Prep
- Dice the onions.
- Chop the carrots into slices.
- Cut the baby potatoes into halves.
- Chop off the stems of the green beans.
For the Stew
- Turn on the stove plate that you are going to use to high heat.
- Place a large pot on the stove plate and add the olive oil and the garlic.
- When the pan is hot, add the lamb and spices, as well as the juice from the lemon and cook for 5 minutes before adding in your tin of tomatoes.
- Mix thoroughly before cooking for a further 10 minutes continuing to brown the meat.
- Once the meat is browned, remove from the stove top and set aside to rest.
- Turn the same stove top to low heat.
- Wait 5 minutes for the stove top to cool down before putting the pot back onto the stove plate.
- Add all the vegetables to the pot.
- The add the wine and tomato paste to the pot.
- Add the tomato paste to the pot
- Stir (or shake the pot) to mix all of the ingredients.
- Let it cook for 3 hours while continuing to check on your stew during this time, stirring to ensure that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.
For the Quinoa
- Pour 1 1/2 cups of quinoa into a heatproof bowl or dish which has a lid; followed by 1 cup of boiling water or until the quinoa is just covered with the boiling water.
- Put the lid on and let is stand for 15-18 minutes until the water has been fully absorbed
- Dish up and enjoy.
RELATED: How To Make: Baked Blueberry Gin & Tonic Cheesecake
