Veggie-Packed Minted Lamb Stew

Serves 4

I know that we are teetering on the verge of full-on summer time.  I know (or more accurately, hope!) that we will be enjoying alfresco dinners, a chilled glass of Rosé and ice-lollies for months to come.  However, in the meantime, we are going camping this bank holiday weekend and have managed to rope in a ton of friends to come with us (much to their chagrin!), but the forecast is pretty blustery and cold. So in an attempt to feed all 12 of us more than just baked beans for three days straight, I am prepping this veggie-packed lamb stew that is so full of flavour, I’m hoping it will make the others forget the rain storms!

I slow cook it for over 3 hours on a low heat in the oven, so that the lamb becomes so soft, succulent and downright delicious.  Then I freeze it so that I have a complete one-pot meal to hand for us all on our trip that will be infinitely fancier than our surroundings! But under normal circumstances, I usually make a double batch and then pop it in the freezer once it has cooled.  I just love opening the freezer when I am too tired to cook or have no fresh produce in the house and seeing an utterly delicious, comforting meal like this, just ready to reheat.  

I have realised that this is the very first red meat post I have ever done, despite it being almost two and a half years since I started the blog.  For those of you that follow my recipes, you’ll know that I am very anti-restriction diets and hate to exclude whole food groups without it being medically necessary.  So I never say anything is ‘off limits’.  That being said, we try to fill our diets with more nutrient-rich foods and eat as healthily as we can, and that means limiting our red meat consumption. We typically have it once every 2-3 weeks and when we do, I make sure it’s organic, grass fed meat like I’ve used in this recipe.  So I urge you to save this recipe and use in the winter months, especially if you are hosting a dinner party, as it is as easy as chopping some vegetables and chucking all the ingredients in the oven for 3 hours!

So whilst we are obviously not vegetarian, that doesn’t mean that the veggies are only there to play a small supporting role.  The rainbow of seven brightly coloured vegetables have an equally important part to play in this dish that provides a massive 117% and 58% of my daily Vitamin A and C requirements respectively, all in one super tasty and comforting meal.  

One portion provides 435 calories and 32g of protein, as well as a ton of micronutrients from the vegetables.  It is best served with a pre-cooked grain pouch thrown into the pot for the last 5 – 10 minutes of cooking.

INGREDIENTS

·     600g Lamb Neck Fillet
·     1-2 Large Celery Stalks 
·     1-2 Carrots (depending on their size)
·     1 tbsp, Rosemary, fresh
·     1 Tin (400g) Tinned Chopped Tomatoes
·     ½ - 1 Aubergine (depending on their size)
·     1 Courgette
·     1 Red Pepper
·     1 Red Onion
·     6 Garlic Cloves
·     250ml Vegetable Stock
·     150ml Red Wine
·     2 tbsp Mint Jelly
·     2 tbsp Mint Sauce
·     A few Springs of fresh Rosemary
·     Salt & Fresh Black Pepper
·     1 tsp Olive Oil
·     1 tsp Garlic Granules
·     1 tsp Smoked Paprika 

METHOD

·     Preheat the oven to 140 degrees.
·     Wash and chop all of the vegetables into bite-sized chunks, and peel the garlic cloves.  Set aside.
·     Rub the lamb neck fillets with the garlic granules, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper.
·     In a wide bottomed cast iron casserole dish, heat the oil over a medium heat on the hob.
·     When the oil in hot, brown the lamb for a few minutes each on each side.
·     Turn off the heat and add the red wine, tinned tomatoes and all of the chopped vegetables.
·     In a small bowl, whisk together the vegetable stock, mint sauce and mint jelly and combine well.
·     Pour this mixture over the lamb and give the vegetables a stir.
·     Add the fresh rosemary, put the lid on the casserole dish, and pop in the oven.
·     Cook for 3-3½ hours until the lamb is tender and falls away easily.
·     Don’t forget to remove the hard woody rosemary sprigs before serving.

NOTE: I like to sprinkle in a pre-cooked grain pouch for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking to add some wholegrains to the meal. 

TIP: If you like your stew more sticky, with less sauce; then simply take off the lid and turn up the temperature on the oven. Cook at 200 degrees for 15 minutes with the lid off until some of the sauce has evaporated.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Calories – 435
Protein – 32g
Carbohydrates – 21g
Fibre – 3g
Fat – 23g
Vitamin A – 117% 
Vitamin C – 58%
Calcium – 13%