Spring stewed lamb with peas and thyme
Gino's back in the kitchen to kickstart the Easter holidays with a meal that takes the stress out of family dinnertimes.
His spring lamb one pot saves on the washing-up and even though it might still be cold outside, this dish with orange and thyme will be sure to leave you feeling warm on the inside.
Stufato di agnello Pasquale
Serves 6
Ingredients
6 tablespoons olive oil900g lamb neck fillet, cut into 3cm cubes2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped75g drained pitted black olives, in oil or brine2 bay leavesJuice and grated zest of 1 orange5 sprigs fresh thyme350ml red wine400ml hot vegetable stock, made with stock cubes400g tinned chopped tomatoes1 tablespoon runny honey150g frozen peas, defrosted2 wax potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubesSalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
Preheat the oven to 150°
Heat the oil in a large flame proof casserole dish
Fry the meat in batches until seared and browned on all sides. Don’t move it around too much or it won’t go brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the onions into the same dish and gently fry for 10 minutes, stir occasionally with a wooden spoon
Add the olives, bay leaves, orange juice and zest and thyme and continue to cook for 1 minute
Pour in the wine and cook for 2 minutes allowing the alcohol from the wine to evaporate. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon.
Pour over the vegetable stock, tomatoes and honey and give it a good stir. Bring to the boil then return the meat to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and mix all together.
Place a lid on the casserole dish and place in the oven for 2 hours
Remove the dish from the oven and stir in the peas and potatoes. Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for a further 1 hour. Please add a little hot water if it looks too dry.
Serve hot with lots of warm crusty bread.