Lamb Casserole Stew

Nothing is better in my view than slow cooked lamb, and these two lamb casserole dishes will have you drooling. They both use the shoulder of lamb, one of the cheaper cuts but still succulent.

Lamb with Italian sauce

1.5 kg shoulder of lamb

black pepper

5 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves sliced garlic

1 large tin tinned chopped tomatoes

2 pinches dried oregano

tablespoon of salted capers, rinsed off

3 tinned anchovies

Method

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Gas 4.

Season the lamb with salt and freshly ground pepper then rub the lamb with

1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Place the lamb in a casserole dish and add half a pint of water. Cook the lamb for 1and a half to 2 hours, checking regularly.

Test with a skewer to see if the juices run clear.
Ten minutes before the lamb is ready, make the sauce:

Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan. Fry the garlic over medium heat, stirring often, for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes, oregano, capers and anchovy fillets, mixing well.
Season the tomato sauce with salt and freshly ground pepper and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring for 5 minutes.

Serve the lamb with the Italian sauce poured over it.

Side dishes of vegetables are optional.

Lamb casserole

1 shoulder of lamb.

1 litre vegetable or chicken stock

3 tbsp olive oil

2chopped carrots

1large diced onion

2 stalks chopped celery

chopped rosemary, chopped sage and chopped parsley

1 large tin of tomatoes

freshly ground salt and black pepper

Put the lamb in a casserole dish and cover with the stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer for ten minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a separate pan, and cook the carrots, onions, and celery for ten minutes until softened.

Add the herbs, and season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Preheat the oven to 180C or gas 4.

Add the tomatoes from the can to the casserole dish with the lamb but

keep the tomato juice separate.

Add all of the cooked vegetables.

Cover the casserole dish and put it in the top of the oven for an hour and a half.
If the sauce in the casserole gets a bit low, top it up with the tomato juice.

Slice the lamb into portions and serve with vegetables or rice.

Now you will need some dessert.