Could this be the perfect Sunday lunch? Slow cooked lamb (Lamb Recipes)

Member Name: azana

Product:	Lamb Recipes
Date:	11/01/09 (90 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fairly cheap and smells and tastes delicous

Disadvantages: Long cooking time

Slow cooked Lamb with beans

I love this dish because when you cook it the whole house is filled with a delicious aroma that makes your mouth water - when you finally eat it the meat melts in your mouth and the gravy is just delicious.

This is a fairly cheap but special dish to make - a half lamb shoulder will set you back about £5 or less and my recipe makes a copious amount for 4 - I have adapted a couple of recipes (heavily using a googled recipe from the Sunday Times) to make my own version. If you like the sound of this then Jamie Oliver does a version - when I made it the sauce was lacking in something - wine probably from memory!

Meat cooked this way does not make for great leftovers - but so far that hasn't been a huge problem! I am guessing that you could cook this in a slow cooker, though you may want to reduce the liquid somewhat.

If you have a large casserole or le creuset that is ideal for cooking this - otherwise use a roasting tin but seal well with foil or it will dry out.

Ingredients:

1 half shoulder of lamb
1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
1 carrot finely chopped
1 leek, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped

Thyme, rosemary, bay leaves - fresh or dried, whatever you have.
Salt and pepper and olive oil
1 200g tin of tomatoes
150ml red wine
2500ml stock (probably vegetable or chicken)
1 tin of white beans - I like canellini

1) Heat the oven to 160C/gas mark 3
2) Push a knife into the lamb and put some chunks of garlic into the hole, probably half a clove and do about 5 holes.
3) Season the meat and then brown it in oil in whatever roasting tin you are going to use - this will take at least 10 minutes.
4) Take out the lamb, put to one side and fry off all the veg/onions til softened (NOT the BEANS)
5) Add the stock, tomatoes, a couple of bay leaves, some rosemary (if fresh probably a couple of sprigs), wine and when bubbling put the meat back in.

6) the hard bit is over now! Put well sealed into the oven for 2 hours.

7) After 2 hours add whatever beans you are using - and check liquid level you may want to add some more if it looks like drying out.

8) Cook for at least another hour - 2 if you can. At the end of cooking you may want to spoon off some of the fat. Stir and serve - the lamb will be falling off the bone and will shred more than be cutable.

You can serve as it is - if you add more than one tin of beans it is a meal in itself with crusty bread but we like to eat it with some mashed potato to soak up the juices.

We had this today but writing about it I could eat it all again!

Summary: Another delicious family favourite or meal for guests