Recipe for Lamb Stew/Casserole

As promised, here is my favourite recipe.

You need:

A bottle of red wine

500g lamb neck fillet

500g tomatoes (skinned, cored and chopped, but let’s face it, a tin will not hurt)

One large onion

220g (about four) carrots

220g (about three) parsnips

250g (three-ish) potatoes

Half a cabbage of your choice

Three cloves of garlic

A pint of stock (I’m showing off as I make all my own now I have a pinny)

A handful of rosemary (fresh and chopped is best, but dried is more likely)

All weights are approximate as I have no idea where my scales are. There should be enough to feed four hungry people with a little left over for lunch tomorrow.

Start with a glass of wine as it is important to familiarise yourself with the ingredients. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4. I have no idea what temperature that is as I have never owned a cooker less than ten years old. Brown the meat in a big oven-proof pot, have a swig of wine, wash, peel and roughly chop the veg. Add the onion to the pot to soften. Perhaps have a drop more wine whilst you are waiting. Finely chop the garlic and chuck it in. Stir. Sip wine. Add the potatoes for a moment to seal them. More wine, perhaps? Remove the cat from the chopping board and add the rest of the veg. Stir and add the tomatoes. Reward this stage with another delicate sip from your glass. Now stir in the rosemary and stock, cover, and pop it in the centre of the oven. Finish that second glass of wine. Remove the pot from the oven and share a half glass of the good stuff with your casserole. Replace in the oven, and then go and find something to do for a couple of hours. The weather has been nice, so maybe you could sit outside with a glass of wine. Check on the pot, and turn down the oven if it seems to be drying out before it has cooked. Serve with a knife, fork and spoon depending on your table manners. A piece of bread and a pint of water may also be a good idea if you can see more than one oven.

Please note this recipe works for my family, but then we have cast iron stomachs thanks to 18 years of my cooking. Therefore if any of my methods made you wince, I am sorry, and I take no responsibility for any illness resulting from following this recipe to the letter. Enjoy and have a good week.

©Meriel Flavell 2010