Everyone loves a lazy Sunday, or at least a Sunday when you are not slaving away in the kitchen all day long. To me its a day to catch up on everything that I don’t get to do during the week and to find time to take a long walk by the canal, bake a cake or read a book.

Whilst I love to cook, I don’t always want to exhaust myself in the kitchen but I want something delicious and fresh to eat. I’m not asking for much? So this recipe took me about half an hour to prepare and then I placed it all in the slow cooker to blip away for about 5 hours. If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can always leave the pot on a low heat on the hob or in the oven.

I love to slow cook anything! You are always left with something that is so tasty, comforting and tender. As its freezing outside (yes I think its freezing!), I love to eat something that is warming and cosy. This lamb stew is exactly that. Served with some crusty bread, its a big hug in a bowl.

Here’s how its made:

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 200g lamb leg (boneless and cut into 1″ pieces)
• 1 large chopped onion
• 1 large chopped carrot
• 1 large chopped celery stick
• 200g chopped mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 small red chilli, sliced
• 2 sprigs chopped rosemary
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 teaspoon tomato puree
• 1 splash red wine (optional)
• 1 pint chicken stock

Method:

• Add the lamb pieces to a pan with a teaspoon of oil and fry on a medium high heat until brown. Add a tablespoon of flour and mix through. Once brown, remove from the pan and leave to rest on the side.
• In the same pan, add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, garlic and chilli and fry until soft. Then add the chopped mushrooms and rosemary.
• Add the splash of wine and cook until evaporated. Next, add a teaspoon of tomato puree and mix through.
• Place the lamb pieces back into the pan. Add the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper.
• Place the entire dish in a slow cooker and cook on a low heat for 4-5 hours or until the meat is soft and tender.
• Serve with some fresh rosemary and crusty bread.

Tips:

• Stir the dish every now and again and add a splash of water if it has reduced too much.
• Don’t chop the carrots too small or they will disintegrate.
• Add extra chilli flakes if you like it spicy.

And that’s it! Nice and easy. You can leave the stew to cook away while you go and do whatever you want. Sunday evening has never been more exciting! Enjoy!

Thanks for reading and check out my website www.jbimagery.co.uk