Requests: Lamb Casserole

This one was much easier!  (And hubby says "please thank the internets for the YUM" - he was pretty spoilt this week)

Alphamatrix requested a tomato-based lamb casserole, without herbs.  This is my favourite kind, so I can definitely relate!
Rogan Josh comes immediately to mind - this is one of my favourite ways to casserole lamb, and tomato is key.  The best recipes (or mixes) have you adding tomato very late in the game, so you can still taste the fresh tomato-ness through the spices.

The other thing that comes to mind is honey.  Usually with mint, but I know that's a herb so will put it with tomato instead!



This is quick, too, if you have tender cuts of meat.  I whipped this up in half an hour, on a weeknight.. or you could pop it in the slow-cooker if you had time (and could use a tougher cut of meat).


Slice and brown an onion in a little oil, then stir through a couple of teaspoons of rich, spicy honey (I used stringy bark, but in NZ would use Manuka or Rewarewa).  Let it caramelise, then remove from heat and set aside in a bowl.
Dice potato and carrot, and boil in a small saucepan until starting to soften.  Drain and set aside with the onion.
Coat lamb pieces (I used a good quality casserole dice from the butcher, 300g for two of us) in a couple of tablespoons of flour, mixed with a teaspoon of smoked paprika, and a dash of chilli powder.  Brown in a couple of tablespoons of oil (preferably in the caramel left in the bottom of the frypan from the onions).
Add a 300g tin of chopped tomatoes, and a tablespoon of tomato paste.  Simmer.
Add the vegetables, and another tablespoon of honey.


Serve as soon as the sauce is thick.  This would be great with mashed potato - but I was in a hurry and just added potato directly to the casserole, and served with steamed broccoli!

Roast lamb 101

One thing I love about winter is roasts!


 

Preheat the oven to 200C, and line a roasting pan with baking paper.  If you can, leave the lamb on the bench for a couple of hours to warm to room temperature, too.

Trim fat if you prefer - or score it in a criss-cross pattern with a sharp knife so that it runs off during cooking and leaves a crisp crust.  Rubbing with oil, and salt and pepper, helps too.
I almost always add garlic and rosemary.  Make cuts into the flesh with a small sharp knife, then push a (peeled) clove of garlic, and a sprig of rosemary into each hole.





Finally, pour over approx 1/4 cup of wine (red or white - whichever is open, or whichever you want an excuse to open!).




Pop into the oven, and after 20 minutes turn the dial back to 180C.  Roast for 30 minutes per kg.
Remove from the oven, cover with foil, and allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes before carving (this gives the juices time to settle, and helps to make the meat moist, and tender).  I usually take this opportunity to crank the heat up and finish the vegetables.




Tell the man of the house that it's his job to carve the roast (I'm terrible at this, but it does taste the same even if you don't slice tidily).  Serve on heated plates (cold lamb is greasy), with roast veges and gravy.

It's slow cooker season

.. well, almost.  It's definitely getting colder.
I love my slow cooker in winter.  It cooks stuff while I'm not home.  Beautiful, tender, meaty stuff.

Lamb shanks are delicious, and surprisingly easy.  They have had a bit of a surge in popularity lately, so I tend to wait until they're on special or they can be pricey!
Just throw the following into your slow cooker: 2-4 lamb shanks (one per person), one large onion (diced and browned in a frypan with a little oil first), 2-3 carrots (cut in half), 2 tsp crushed garlic, 2 Tbsp tomato paste, a few shakes (about 1 Tbsp) of worchestershire sauce and a couple of sprigs of thyme.  Pour over 1 cup of stock (I use vegetable stock, but beef works fine, too.)

Sit it on the cold stovetop, and turn the extractor fan on.  (Trust me, the fan is the easiest way to stop the whole house smelling like casserole for a week.)  Pop the lid on, switch on, low setting, for 4-6 hours.  Walk away.  Stir once if you need to, but the shanks really won't mind if you just leave them.
While you're off doing something else, this happens:

It's a beautiful thing.  The meat is tender, and falls away from the bone.  The juices have all run together to make a delicious gravy.  I'm getting hungry all over again just thinking about how this smells.

Serve with green veges, and mashed potato.

Lamb cutlets with lemon

I love it when I make stuff up and it works out.  I felt like lamb, and had to use up what was left in the fridge (we're taking a holiday at the end of the week).  This was the delicious result:

Take one lamb rack:

Use a sharp knife to slice between the bones, and turn your lamb rack into lamb cutlets:

 

Of course you could also just buy pre-prepared cutlets.  Or you could use lamb chops, leg steaks, whatever you get your hands on!
Today, for my quick-use-everything-in-the-fridge project, I needed to use lemons and plain yoghurt (Greek, but any plain, non-sweetened yoghurt would do.  Or sour cream.  Either way, my apologies to Kerryn - I promise to post something dairy-free soon!)  
Mix half a cup of yoghurt with the zest and juice of a small lemon, a teaspoon of chopped mint, and a clove of garlic (crushed).  Then, take each cutlet and dip it to cover the surface.  (I prefer to leave the bone clean, as this mix tends to just burn when it's not on the meat!)  Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Pop into a 200°C oven for 10 minutes (no longer.  It is a crime to overcook lamb.)

Serve with couscous and stir-fried veges.  I've posted a quick couscous how-to separately because it's really quick and easy.