The BEST Slow Cooked Lamb Ever

Please note: the title of this post is not an exaggeration or some form of puffery designed to entice you to try this recipe. While it may not be the prettiest, this is easily the best slow cooked lamb I have eaten, no joke. And I have proof: I cooked it for some extremely well-mannered friends, a few weeks ago. At the end of main course, my lovely polite friends hopped up to clear the table and were then caught in the kitchen eating leftover bits and pieces in their fingers straight from the baking dish. I don't want to alarm you, but there was juice dribbling down forearms, much smacking of lips and even more licking of fingers. Yes, I know people do that at home all the time, but when you catch dinner party guests throwing politesse to the wind, you know that you have cooked a winner.

And on this hot summer's day, I grant you that slow-cooked lamb is probably not your immediate thought as to what to have for dinner, but it is actually completely perfect:
- it cooks at 150C for the whole six hours. You really can leave it while you head down to the beach as there is no adjusting of cooking temperatures.
- no basting: into the oven and forget it for six hours. Concentrate instead on basting yourself with the factor 30+.
- it uses bottled capsicums. No reason why you couldn't use fresh, but sometimes, life is all about being easy.
- the chilli flakes soften in the oven to become a flavoursome addition, without any uncomfortable heat or spiciness.
- ditto for the fennel seeds: the lamb has lots of flavour but no obvious aniseed taste
- the recipe feeds a crowd: halve it if you have only a family to feed, and you will probably still have leftovers
- you can make it all again in winter and it will still be perfect

This is the first recipe from Delicious Dec/Jan issue that I have made. Melinda from Melbourne Larder and I are exploring Delicious this month, after our fun with Australian Gourmet Traveller last month. If you are keen on joining in the fun, drop either one of us a line. Or else feel free to play along at home.

Slow-cooked Lamb Shoulder With Capsicum and Olives

2 x 3kg lamb shoulders
1 garlic bulb
1/2 cup chopped rosemary
2 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tbls olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
4 oranges roughly chopped
1 jar roasted red capsicum, cut into strips
2 cups pitted kalamata olives
2 tbls salted capers

Score the fat on the lamb shoulders in a criss cross pattern. Place garlic, rosemary, chilli, fennel and oil in a food processor and process to a coarse paste. (I added a little extra olive oil - about 1 tbl - at this point as I felt my paste was too dry and would not go far enough on the lamb). Spread the paste over the lamb, rubbing in well to work into the scoremarks. Cover and refrigerate for somewhere between 4 hours and overnight.

Preheat oven to 150C. Line a large baking tray with foil, leaving an overhang all around, then cover it with a double layer of baking paper, again leaving an overhang. Sit the lamb on the paper, then scatter over the orange, capsicum, olives and capers. Top with another double layer of paper and more foil. Fold all the overhanging edges of the paper in, then seal all the edges of the foil, so you have a package sitting in your baking tray that is locked pretty tight. Roast lamb for 6 hours or until falling off the bone. Remove from the oven and allow it to rest inside its parcel for 30 mins. Tear lamb into chunks and toss with oranges mixture on a platter. Scatter with parsley if you really want to impress.

Superfast Honey Lamb Skewers With Almond Couscous

As every parent knows, the early evening is when the most stressful time squeeze of the day occurs. Before I had kids, it didn't really matter if we didn't eat dinner till after 9pm. But once you have kids, there is definite pressure to get the meal on the table by a reasonable hour - whatever that may be - depending on the age and stage of your kids. Somewhere between 6-7pm is regarded as reasonable around here. Not sure why. If you are a working parent, and not getting home till about six, or you have been out at some after school activity, the squeeze is even harder. If you haven't yet worked out what is for dinner, harder still. And don't imagine your only focus is dinner. If your life is at all like mine, you will also find yourself:

- suggesting the children to do their homework

- feeding the dog

- looking for the netball skirt

- putting on a load of washing

- hanging out some drying

- reminding the kids to do their homework

- unloading the dishwasher

- signing permission notes for school

- answering the telephone and trying not to swear at some poor call centre guy in India

- attempting to find the chequebook

- yelling at the kids to do their homework

This recipe is for those nights. Buy some narrow backstraps of lamb (look out for them on special because they can be hellaciously expensive). Cut each strap into 4 or 5 pieces and thread them onto skewers. The kids might even help with the threading if the homework is done. Mix up honey, lemon rind and rosemary (if your kids hate herbs, go lightly on the rosemary or leave it out altogether). Brush the marinade onto the skewers, whack them under the grill, and they are ready in a couple of minutes. Served with couscous that also takes 5 minutes, and whatever vegies you have on hand, and it makes a delightful meal. If you want to be fancy, you can even toss some toasted almonds through the couscous and serve the lamb with some greek yoghurt as a sauce. But probably you just want to sit down.

This recipe comes from the 20 minute section of "Food Fast" by Donna Hay. I especially like Donna Hay in general, and this book in particular for recipes for my most frantic nights. And

I think she is being generous with the 20 mins - if you tried you could get it down to about 15 minutes at the most. (Incidentally, this fed two adults and two kids; if you are big eaters, you may want more lamb).

Honey Lamb Kebabs

from "Food Fast" by Donna Hay

500g lean lamb loin or fillets or backstraps

2 tbl honey

2 tsps grated lemon rind (with a rasp grater, you can do this in less than a minute)

1 tbl rosemary leaves

Black pepper to taste

Cut lamb into cubes and thread onto skewers. Combine honey, lemon, rosemary and pepper. Spread onto kebabs, then grill them for 1-2 mins each side.

Couscous:

1 cup instant couscous

1 cup chicken stock

1 tbl good olive oil

toasted almonds, to serve

Heat stock in a small saucepan to boiling. Tip in the couscous, remove saucepan from heat and cover. Let sit for five minutes. Fluff up couscous by raking with a fork. Stir through olive oil. Mix in almonds and serve.

Lamb and Apricot Tagine Because Baby It's Cold Outside

Sydney was 6C (42F) this morning, or more scientifically, "bloody cold". I know that there are other parts of the world where this would be considered positively balmy. But not here. The coldest morning on record in Sydney is 3C, so we are not far from the record. Meanwhile, I have been giggling to myself all morning about the Prime Minister trying to make himself sound like an ordinary Australian by pulling out some very old-fashioned sayings. Among them:

"fair shake of the sauce bottle", "rough end of a pineapple", "fair crack of the whip" and "don't come the raw prawn". It is particularly amusing because from him it all sounds so forced, however, I do love a bit of our old-fashioned slang. Which then, with the weather made me think that it was "cold as a witch's tit". I had presumed that this was an australianism, but a quick bit of internet research suggests not. In fact, the expression is amusingly explained on inmyopinion.org (whoever they may be) as "Witches don't freeze since they have to travel high speed on their brooms. Thus their nipples get very cold." Now there's a thought to carry with you today....

I made this lovely tagine earlier in the week, having read about it on the blog of the baking queen herself, Dorie Greenspan. The tagine was a good warming meal, however the leftovers were fantastic. Next time I will make this a day ahead then store it in the fridge to let the sauce flavours develop before I serve it. After a day of rest, the sauce has turned into something that is pretty high on the lick your plate clean scale.

PS I have a final question: why does the US call coriander cilantro, but still call the seeds of the herb, coriander seeds?

LAMB TAGINE WITH APRICOTS AND ALMONDS

from Dorie Greenspan

Makes 4 servings
2 chicken bouillon cubes or 1 3/4 cups chicken broth

1/4 pound moist, plump dried apricots

About 6 tablespoons olive oil

About 1 3/4 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, fat removed, cut into cubes about 5cm on a side

4 medium onions, peeled, trimmed and coarsely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, peeled, trimmed, germ removed and finely chopped

400g can diced tomatoes, drained, or 4 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and crushed

1 tablespoon coriander seeds, cracked (I do this in my mortar and pestle)

2 pinches saffron

1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

About 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves

1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

Couscous or rice, for serving

Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 160C.
If you're using the bouillon cubes, drop them into a medium-size bowl and pour over 1 3/4 cups of boiling water; stir to dissolve. If you're using chicken broth, bring it to the boil, then pour it into the bowl. Add the apricots to the bowl and let them soak and plump while you prepare the rest of the tagine.

Put the base of a tagine, a heavy, high-sided skillet or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and pour in 3 tablespoons of the oil. Pat the pieces of lamb dry between sheets of paper towels, then drop them into the hot oil - don't crowd the pan; work in batches, if necessary - and brown the meat on all sides, about 4 minutes. Lift the meat out of the pot and onto a plate with a slotted spoon. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Pour out the fat that it's in the pan, but leave whatever bits may have stuck to the base.

Return the pan to the stove, adjust the heat to low and add 2 more tablespoons of the olive oil. When the oil is warm, stir in the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, just to get them started on the road to softening. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook, stirring often, for another 10 minutes, adding a little more oil, if needed. Add the chicken bouillon/broth to the pot as well as the coriander, saffron - crush the saffron between your fingers as you sprinkle it into the pot - ginger, cumin, cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of the chopped cilantro leaves. Stir to mix and dissolve the spices, season with salt and pepper and spoon the meat over the base of vegetables. Top with the plumped apricots, seal the pan with aluminum foil and clap on the lid. Slide the pan into the oven.

Bake the tagine for 60 minutes before carefully lifting the lid and foil and scattering the almonds over the meat. Recover the pan and allow the tagine to bake for 15 minutes more. (NB If you are not serving straight away, hold the almonds until you are about to serve, then mix in and sprinkle with the last of the coriander).

Slow Roasted Lamb Shanks With Parmesan Mash

The weather is shivery and miserable. Everything feels damp, and chilled to the core, even inside. Without being overly dramatic about it, the day is too revolting outside to even contemplate leaving the house, and a long weekend looms ahead. So be smart about it - race out and grab your provisions today and hunker down for the weekend. I promise if you make these shanks, you will feel a whole lot better about the weather. In fact, it might start to feel a bonus that the rain is driving in horizontally, and the wind is screaming around the neighbourhood. Warming, comforting and easy, this meal will warm you to the core. It is really easy to pull together too. All you need is time for a nice slow braise in the oven. They even taste fantastic reheated, so put them together in the afternoon. You'll have loads of time for a kip on the couch before serving them up for dinner, or even lunch tomorrow.

The recipe comes from a nifty recipe book called "Madison Entertains" by Bridget Palmer, and is the first thing I have made from it. If everything else lives up to this recipe, it will be a winner. The thing that drew me to buying the book in the first place is that unlike many entertaining type books, this is food that doesn't demand an indecent amount of time or attention. After all, you want to give that to your friends or family, or even that afternoon kip. I made this for 12 recently, with 16 shanks - I tripled the sauce ingredients to cope with the extra shanks. And the sauce has so many vegetables that apart from a green salad, there is no need for any other sides. It was perfect for everyone from the kids to the more aged around the table. You'll be glad to know the leftovers were sensational too. Incidentally, the recipe below is for 4.

Slow Simmered Lamb Shanks With Parmesan Mash

from "Madison Entertains" by Bridget Palmer

Preparation 25 minutes Cooking 3 hours

4 lamb shanks

1 cup plain flour

4 tbsp olive oil

1 large red onion, peeled and chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 red capsicum, seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 x 400g tin diced tomatoes

1 cup (250ml) red wine

1 cup (250ml) beef stock

2 bay leaves

3 sprigs thyme

salt and pepper

2 tbsp chopped parsley, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Coat the shanks in the flour, dusting off any excess. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat; add the shanks and cook until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Place the remaining olive oil into a large baking dish or flameproof casserole dish. Add the onion, celery, carrot, capsicum and garlic and toss to coat. Top with the browned shanks then pour over the tomato, wine, stock and herbs and season. Cover with aluminium foil or a lid and transfer to the oven for 2–3 hours (the longer the better), turning the shanks halfway through cooking.

To serve, spoon some parmesan mash on to 4 plates and place a shank on top. Spoon over the vegetables and sauce and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Parmesan Mash

1 kg mashing potatoes (such as desiree), peeled

²⁄³ cup (185ml) milk

50g butter, chopped

½ cup (45g) parmesan, finely grated

sea salt

Roughly chop the potatoes and cook them in a saucepan of boiling water until tender. Drain. Return the potato to the saucepan and place over low heat. Add the milk and mash until smooth. Add the butter a few pieces at a time, whipping with a wooden spoon until well combined. Stir in parmesan, season and serve.

Old-Fashioned Roast Lamb and Vegetables With Gravy

Roast lamb was a staple of my childhood. Always cooked medium rare. Always served with roast vegetables. Always swimming in gravy. To me, this is a meal that feels to me like an embrace from my childhood, and this was definitely a week for embraces. Many of the people I care about are doing it tough in one way or another at the moment. The economy, health issues, and other problems, both big and small, have lent the week a very sombre feel. Like many others, I also have a sense of foreboding about what else is in store this year. I feel like we all should be bracing ourselves for more trouble (which is most unlike me; I am famously Pollyanna-ish most of the time). So scoop up your loved ones and sit down for a meal. Whether you are laughing or crying is up to you. What counts is who is sitting there with you.

This lamb roast is a mixture of ideas from three writers: Neil Perry, Stephanie Alexander and Donna Hay. I timed it with my new digital meat timer (!), to make sure it was just perfect. If you don't have a meat timer, lamb on the bone will take

PS The potatoes cooked on the rack alongside the lamb, but I pulled them out before I remembered to take a picture. So just pretend you can see them there at the back.

Classic Lamb Roast
1 leg of lamb, 2.5 kg
Bunch of rosemary
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup seed mustard
4 parsnips, peeled and halved lengthwise
4 carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
4 onions, skin on, halved horizontally
4 potatoes, halved and tossed in some olive oil
1 tbl plain flour
1 tbl tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups of stock

Remove the lamb from the fridge two hours before cooking, season with salt and allow it to come to room temperature (Stephanie suggests only 30 mins for this step. I would aim for at least 30 mins). Rub lamb with olive oil.

Preheat oven to 220C. Place potatoes directly on the oven rack. Arrange remaining vegetables in a stove-proof baking tin filled with about 1 cm of water. Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over the vegetables and water. Sit the lamb on the oven rack on a bed of the rosemary with the potatoes and the baking dish below it. After 30 mins, reduce the oven temperature to 200C. Meanwhile mix together the honey and mustard to make a glaze. Half an hour before the lamb is due to be ready, remove the lamb from the oven, brush the lamb with the glaze and then return to the oven. Continue cooking until lamb is ready.

For pink lamb, allow 10-15 mins of total cooking time per 500g. Medium lamb will take 15-20 mins per 500g and well done lamb will take 20-25 mins per 500g. If you have a thermometer, an internal temperature of 60C will give you perfect pink lamb.

Once cooked remove the lamb from the oven to rest (about 15-20 mins), covered in foil. Remove the vegetables to a serving platter and keep warm (I usually urn off the oven, leave the door a little ajar and sit them in there). The baking dish that held the vegetables can now be used to make gravy. Tip off any excess fat, leaving just a little with all the nice crispy brown bits. Place baking tin over medium heat and scatter in flour. Stir and cook for two mins, scraping up as many charred or dark bits on your baking dish as possible (they have all the flaour). Add the tomato paste and wine. Stir again then slowly add the stock until you have a smooth gravy. Bring to the boil. Add water to thin it if it is too thick. Check seasonings and strain into a serving jug.

Lamb With Provencal Vegetables

Mea culpa. I'm offering an apology to anyone who may subscribe to this feed, and felt they were revisiting some old posts today. I was shifting things around a bit and relabelling some items and I have discovered that any editing (even adding a label) means a re-distribution of an old post. Won't make that mistake again in a hurry.

And now to the lamb. As a good Aussie girl, I love roast lamb in any form, and I have been trying to put together some lamb recipes for this blog. Unfortunately, my incompetence with the camera left me with a couple of recipes that resulted in such horrible shots that I binned them. Time to search for a pretty lamb recipe, and where better to find a pretty recipe than a Vogue cookbook, called "Wickedly Winter". Unfortunately I can't find a link to this book - it was published in 2000 and sometimes shows up on Ebay, so maybe try that if you are interested. Anyway, this roast combination creates a lovely vision on the plate - just carve the chops 2 by 2, pink if you like it that way, and lie beside the very pretty vegetable braise, which I am still enjoying as leftovers. Easy and delicious and pretty, and after all, if it doesn't look good no one will want to eat it.

Rack of Lamb With Roasted Nicoise Vegetables
adapted from "Wickedly Winter: A Vogue Entertaining Cookbook"

1 tbl olive oil

1 brown onion, peeled and chopped roughly

500g zucchini chopped

750g potatoes, chopped to rough 3cm cubes

3 tomatoes peeled and chopped roughly

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 tbl finely chopped fresh parsely

1 rack of lamb with 8-10 cutlets (fed 2 adults and 2 kids - get another rack if you are serving more people)

Heat olive oil in a large pot (or a very large frying pan), and saute the the onion, zucchini and potato for 5 mins over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and herbs, season and cook for a further five minutes. Tip the vegtables into a roasting tin.

Preheat oven to 220C. Place the lamb racks on top of the vegetables. If you want to keep the racks looking pretty, wrap each bone in some foil to stop them from charring. Roast the racks for 10mins, then reduce the temperature to 180C and roast for 20-30 mins or until cooked to your liking. Remove from the oven and rest the meat, loosely covered with foil for 5-10 mins. Seve with the vegetables.