Lamb Stew

Reduce food waste and have a delicious winter meal all in one! There are no rules, only ways to boost flavour! We have included a pretty classic mirepoix (stew base), but you add whatever vegetable you love or whatever you have around the house. Mushrooms are a great umami addition, radishes and shallots for deeper caramelisation, or add beans, peas or kale at later cooking stages for added texture. Its a great way to use veggies that are starting to look a little limp. Chop them up and chuck them in!

Ingredients

• One tablespoon of neutral oil
• 1 kg of lamb neck chops, cut into evenly sized chunks 
• 4 potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes
• 3 large leeks, white part only, thinly sliced, or 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into thick slices
• 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced 
• 400 ml chicken/beef stock or broth
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, or 2 teaspoons of dried thyme 
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped 
• Plain flour for dusting

Method

1. Heat oil in a deep pot, such as a dutch oven, casserole dish, or a cast iron pan. When it is hot, sear the lamb pieces until brown. Set aside. 

2. In the same pan, briefly sauté the leeks or onion, carrot and celery until the leeks are slightly soft, about 3 minutes. Stir to ensure they do not stick. Sprinkle some flour over the veggies and oil and cook for a minute or so. The flour will ensure the stew thickens later. 

3. Return the lamb to the pot, along with potatoes, stock or broth, thyme, salt and pepper. If the vegetables and meat are left out of the liquid, add half a cup of water. It does not need to cover it entirely but we don't want the vegetables or meat to dry out on top. 

4. Simmer uncovered or partially covered on the stove for 30 minutes until the lamb is cooked through (you can check that it is ready by using a meat thermometer and identifying food safe temperatures (between 65 to 75°C depending on your desired doneness. Also check that the potatoes are cooked. 

5. If the stew has not thickened to your desired consistency or is too watery, you can try a few things: a small amount of a cornstarch slurry (equal parts cornstarch and cold water), a "beurre manié" (mixing equal parts flour and soft butter until it is the consistency of play dough, add it in about a tablespoon at a time), or our favourite hack, making drop dumplings. To make drop dumplings, optionally remove the meat to prevent overcooking, then in a bowl mix flour, milk, butter, salt, chopped fresh parsley and a little bit of baking powder until it is a thick, cupcake kind of consistency. Drop a large spoonful of this mixture right into your stew and cook them, covered, for about ten minutes. This will create a lighter version of a damper right into the stew, meaning you get deliciously buttery bread alongside your lamb stew. It also means the extra cooking time and inclusion of flour will help thicken your stew. 

Note: You can also make this in a slow cooker by adding the seared meat, veggies, stock etc into a slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for up to 6 hours.