
Slow cooked dishes provide your perfect ‘comfort food’ fix, plus this one is healthy! They’re also a winner because you can’t really stuff them up, it doesn’t matter if it’s left in the oven a bit longer, the meat is only going to be even more tender.
INGREDIENTS:
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1kg boneless lamb shoulder or leg, cut into 3-4cm cubes
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2 tbsp olive oil
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2 onions, sliced thinly
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1 tbsp harissa*
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2 tsp ground cinnamon
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2 tsp rice malt syrup
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1/2 cup beef stock
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1/4 tsp saffron threads, soaked in 1/4 cup boiling water
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parsley to serve
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 150 degrees. Heat half the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Seal lamb in batches, tossing so browns all over. Transfer to a bowl and cover until needed.
Add remaining oil and onion to pan, cook on medium-low heat for 5 mins until lightly coloured and soft.
Add harissa, cinnamon, rice malt syrup, ½ cup beef stock, saffron and soaking liquid, 1 1/2 cups water and salt and pepper to pan along with lamb and any resting juices. Stir, bring to the boil, lay a round of baking paper over the surface, then cover with a lid. Cook for 1.5 – 2.5 hours , then turn off heat and leave casserole in the cooling oven for a further 30 mins – 1 hour.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parsley and serve with steamed broccolini and cauliflower rice or a mix of roast vegetables including roast pumpkin, carrot, cauliflower and brussel sprouts, together with the steamed greens. Spices including cumin, coriander and cardamom cooked in the pan with your cauliflower rice would complement the flavours in the dish well.
*Harissa can be bought as a spice mix (Herbies) or a paste (if you are purchasing a paste just check the sugar content and other ingredients) or as a spice mix to which you add water to Alternatively you could use a mix of spices including cumin, coriander, chilli and mild paprika.