Lamb Stew

As the days become colder, warm, hearty meals are a no brainer. In addition to being comforting, they are not complicated to make. So try this over the weekend while you are resting with your family and friends.

Ingredients (serves 2)
 
400g lamb for stewing cut into pieces (3cm) Make sure the cut of meat you buy is in between tough and tender
Plain flour
3/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp tomato paste
salt and pepper
1 tbsp diced red pepper
2 carrots (1/2 cm thick)
1 potato (1 1/2 cm pieces)
1/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
1/2 tsp dried thyme
fresh coriander
1 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp oil


Method:

1. Heat the oil in a heavy base pot (make sure it is very hot so that the lamb gets seared/browns quickly), season the lamb with salt and pepper, flour it lightly and brown it in the pot.
2. Take it out of the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and in the remaining oil in the same pot, fry the onion, celery and garlic until the onion is soft and transluscent.
3. Add the red pepper and tomato paste and fry for approximately 5 minutes. 
4. Add the thyme, and soy sauce, mix through and then put in the browned lamb.
5. Pour in the chicken stock and make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any bits that may have gotten stuck.
6. Leave to simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes. Then add the carrots and potatoes and simmer for a further 15 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are cooked through.
7. Put in about 1/4 cup of peas and simmer gently for 5 minutes. It should have reduced to a  nice thick stew but if it is not thick enough for you, dissolve1 tsp corn starch in about 2tbsp water and mix it into the stew. Taste to decide if you need some more salt and pepper.
8. Just before serving, mix in about 1 tsp of some roughly chopped fresh coriander.

Enjoy with some rice or a nice chewy bread of your choice!

xo