Category Archives: Lamb

Slow cooked lamb ragu

Lamb, Mains, Pasta and Rice

Serves 4-6
Prep time: 15mins
Cooking time: 3h20mins

Ingredients

  • 2-3 tbsp olive oil
  • 500g lamb mince or lamb shoulder cut into cubes
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 stick of celery, diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped small
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 250ml red wine
  • 450ml chicken stock
  • 2x 400g tins plum tomatoes
  • 1 large or 2 small fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 1 fresh bay leaf
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Tip: make sure you dice your veg first, so you’re all prepped and ready

  • Put a large pan on a medium-high heat with 1tbsp of the oil. Once hot, add the lamb and brown all over.
  • Drain the excess fat and transfer the lamb to a separate bowl
  • Put the pan back on a medium heat (a bit lower than you had it), and add 1-2tbsp of oil.
  • Add the onion, carrot and celery and lightly sautee for 10 minutes, don’t let it brown, we just want it softened.
  • Once it’s soft, add the garlic and stir for a minute until fragrant.
  • Add the lamb back in and mix it all up with the puree
  • Add the wine and cook until it’s reduced by at least half.
  • Now add your tinned tomatoes, breaking them up with the spoon, and your chicken stock
  • Add the rosemary and bay leaf and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper
  • Let it simmer slowly on a medium-low heat for 3 hours, uncovered. If at any point it dries out a bit, add a splash of water or stock.
  • Once it’s ready, taste and season with salt/pepper as needed.
  • Serve with your favourite pasta

Shepherd’s Pie

Lamb, Mains

Serves 2 people

Ingredients

  • 2tbsp olive oil
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • 500g lamb mince
  • 1 large onion, finely grated
  • 1 large carrot, finely grated
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
  • 1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • Handful of thyme sprigs, leaves picked
  • 1 sprig of rosemary, needles chopped
  • 250ml red wine
  • 300ml chicken stock
  • 1kg Desiree potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 2 egg yolks
  • Parmesan, for grating
  • Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method

  • Preheat your oven to 180C/160C Fan
  • Peel and chop the potatoes, put them in a large pan of salted cold water and get them boiling.
  • In the mean time, heat the oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high heat.
  • Season and fry the lamb until the liquid has mostly evaporated.
  • Stir in the onion, carrot and garlic for 1-2 mins.
  • Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and herbs, and cook for another 2mins.
  • Pour in the red wine and cook until it’s almost evaporated.
  • Check your potatoes and when they’re done, drain them. Let them sit in the colander to dry off.
  • Add the chicken stock, bring it to a gentle simmer and cook until it’s thickened up.
  • Mash up your potatoes, and stir in the 2 egg yolks.
  • Add a decent helping of grated parmesan and season with salt and pepper.
  • Transfer the sauce to a small oven dish, cover with the potatoes and then grate more parmesan on top.
  • Fluff the potatoes up with a fork and bake in the oven for around 20mins, or until golden and bubbling.

Slow Roast Half Shoulder of Lamb

Lamb, Mains

Chef’s Tip: Delicious with my creamy potato bake or perfect roast potatoes

Ingredients

  • 1 medium sized onion
  • 4-6 unpeeled cloves of garlic
  • 1 half shoulder of lamb (around 800g)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Method

  • Preheat your oven to the highest setting (usually 230-240C).
  • Roughly cut the onion into wedges and place in the bottom of an oven dish with the garlic cloves
  • Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper
  • Place the lamb on top of the veg, drizzle it with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and rub it all over
  • Loosely cover it with foil and pop it in the oven, immediately turning the heat down to 170C/150C Fan/Gas Mark 3
  • Cook for 1hr20mins.
  • Remove the foil, baste the lamb with the juices and cook for another 1hr 30mins