(All Recipes have Gluten-Free Options)
Lamb, Date & Chilli Stew (Serves 4-6)
From the cookbook Persiana Everyday by Sabrina Ghayour, this stew will please most taste buds; the chilli is a very mild addition, it simply rounds off the dish by cutting the sweetness off the dates. Serve with rice or couscous.
Vegetable oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
800g boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1.5cm cubes
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 heaped teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon chilli flakes (or ½ teaspoon if you’re less brave)
4-6 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly bashed but kept whole
250g best-quality dates (I use Medjool), pitted and roughly chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Sea salt and black pepper
- Place a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and pour in enough vegetable oil to coat the base of the pan. Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent. Add the lamb and spices and stir well to coat the lamb in them, then season generously with salt and pepper.
- Add garlic cloves and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Now stir in the dates, followed by the vinegar. Cook for 5 minutes or so, stirring regularly.
- Pour over enough boiling water to generously cover the contents of the pan. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to ensure it isn’t sticking on the bottom.
- Check the liquid volume, topping with water if necessary, and check and adjust the seasoning to taste, then cook uncovered for another hour or so until the meat is beautifully tender. Serve with rice or couscous.
Spiced ‘Shepherd’s Pie’ with Butterbean Crust (Serves 6)
This is a recipe from Ottolenghi’s cookbook, ‘Simple’. And yes, despite being a ‘Shepherd’s Pie’ it’s incredibly easy to make as there is no need to boil and mash potatoes – the topping is simply canned butterbeans which are roughly mashed with a fork; it couldn’t be easier! In addition, it explodes with flavour, there’s spice from the harissa, sweetness from the apricots and a touch of bitterness from the green olives – it’s wonderful!
90ml olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 banana shallots (180g), thinly sliced
600g lamb mince
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon ground allspice
2 lemons, finely grate the zest to get 2 teaspoons
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons rose harissa (I use ‘Belazu’)
100g dried apricots, quartered
280ml chicken stock
220ml white wine
80g pitted green olives, halved lengthways
3 x 400g tins butterbeans, drained and rinsed
4 tablespoons tahini
Sea salt and black pepper
- Put 3 tablespoons of oil into a large pan, for which you have a lid, and place on a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and shallots and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and golden.
- Increase the heat to high and add the lamb, cumin, allspice, half the lemon zest and ½ teaspoon salt. Fry for 5 minutes until browned, stirring every now and then, then add the tomato paste, harissa and apricots. Fry for another 2 minutes then pour over the stock and wine. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, covered for 30 minutes.
- Once cooked, set aside to cool and add the olives. Spoon into a 20x25cm ovenproof highsided dish and refrigerate for at least half an hour. This will firm up the meat making it easier to spread the mash on top.
- Meanwhile make the mash. Mix the butterbeans in a bowl with the remaining lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the tahini paste, 3 tablespoons of water, ¾ teaspoon of salt and a grind of black pepper. Use a potato masher to mash the beans, they don’t need to be completely smooth, just spreadable.
- Spread the mash over the lamb, then use a spoon to make a few shallow dips. Drizzle over the remaining tablespoon of oil and bake in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 30 minutes until nicely coloured and bubbly. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Spiced Lamb Meatballs with Peas (Serves 4)
This is chef, Simon Hopkinson’s take on a Indian ‘Keema Curry’ – a deluxe version; these subtly spiced meatballs are wonderfully moreish. It makes a great family supper or doubled up it’s perfect for feeding a crowd so it’s a good option for a casual get-together…
*I find it easier to brown the meatballs in the oven as this helps to keep their shape, however you could, as the original recipe suggests, brown them in the pan with the butter (stage3/4).
350g onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil (plus a little more to grease)
750g minced lamb
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 tablespoon garam marsala
½ teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint (plus an extra handful, coarsely chopped)
1 egg, beaten
50g butter
½ stick cinnamon
4 cloves
4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
350g frozen peas
150ml plain yogurt
Juice of 1 lemon
- First of all dry roast the coriander and cumin seeds in a frying pan until fragrant, then grind with a pestle and mortar. Leave to one side.
- Fry the onions and garlic in the oil until golden brown, allow to cool before mixing into the lamb together with the all the spices, salt, the tablespoon of chopped mint and the beaten egg.
- Form the mixture into balls the size of a walnut, then place on an oiled baking tray and brush with a little more oil. Bake in a preheated oven, 220’c fan, for about 15 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden brown (*see note above). Remove to one side.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the meatballs, cinnamon and cloves, stir over a medium heat for a minute or two before adding the tomatoes and peas. Allow the tomatoes to collapse and exude their juices then stir in the yogurt. Cook for a further 20 minutes.
- Finally add the lemon juice, a handful of coarsely chopped mint and a little salt if necessary. Serve with rice.
Conchiglie with Lamb Ragù (Serves 4)
This is a delicious ragù, the lamb makes a lighter flavoured sauce than those traditionally made with beef and is all the better for it. Naturally, you can make it with other pasta shapes, but the conchiglie with its shell shape picks up the sauce particularly well. The recipe is from Gordon Ramsay’s cookbook ‘Healthy Appetite’ which first came out in 2008; this is one of the recipes that definitely stands the test of time!..
3 tablespoons olive oil
500g lean minced lamb
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 rosemary sprig, leaves only, chopped
A few sage leaves, chopped
125ml dry white wine
700g passata
250ml hot water
Pinch of sugar
300g dried conchiglie (shells) or other pasta shapes (gluten-free if required)
Sea salt and black pepper
A good olive oil to serve
- Heat a large frying pan and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When hot add the mince and some salt and pepper. Fry, stirring for 8-10 minutes until evenly browned. Tip into a colander or sieve over a large bowl/sink to drain off the excess oil.
- Meanwhile, in a large wide pan (with a lid) heat the remaining olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot and cook, stirring, over a high heat for 4-6 minutes until lightly golden brown. Stir in the tomato puree and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the chopped herbs and wine, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Let the wine simmer until it has reduced to a syrupy glaze.
- Add the browned lamb, passata and hot water. Stir well and bring to a low simmer. Partially cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 1-1½ hours, giving the mixture a stir now and again, until the lamb is tender. Taste for seasoning, adjust, adding a pinch of sugar if necessary.
- When ready to serve, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, until al dente. Drain and immediately toss with a drizzle of olive oil. Divide between warm bowls and spoon over the ragù.
Lamb and Saffron Tagine (Serves 6 and the rest!)
This tagine is from Marcus Wareing’s cookbook ‘Marcus At Home’, I’m not sure how authentic it is, but it’s delicious; I find its sweetness immediately comforting. This generous recipe will no doubt give you leftovers, so if you make it at the weekend it will also give you a good week day dinner, plus it freezes well! Before you start cooking, remember to marinate the lamb for up to 48 hours beforehand, in this way the meat will be wonderfully flavoured. You can serve it simply with rice or, if you can tolerate gluten, couscous.
1.8 kg diced neck or shoulder of lamb
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
800ml passata or tinned chopped tomatoes
750ml chicken stock
2 teaspoons saffron strands, soaked in 1 tablespoon warm water
200g dried dates, halved
100g golden sultanas
75g pistachio nuts, chopped
Sea salt and black pepper
Fresh Mint, chopped, to serve
For the Marinade:
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons groundnut oil
- Up to 48 hours before or at least the night before cooking this dish, place the marinade spices in a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the oil and lamb, mix well to coat the lamb. Cover and leave in the fridge to marinate.
- Put a large casserole over a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Saute the onions for around 10 minutes until they are softened but not coloured. Add the garlic and ginger for the last 3-4 minutes.
- While the onions are cooking, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the lamb, in batches, and brown on all sides
- Pour around half the stock into the lamb to deglaze the pan and transfer this with all the lamb to the casserole with the onions.
- Add the passata or tomatoes, the remaining stock, saffron and soaking liquid, dates, sultanas and most of the pistachios (reserving some for decoration).
- Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and transfer to a preheated oven, 150’c fan, for 2½ hours until the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened. Serve sprinkled with chopped mint and the remaining chopped pistachios.
Casserole of Lamb & Pomegranate Molasses (Serves 4)
This is my new favourite casserole, taken from my new favourite cookbook (yes, another!!), ‘French Countryside Cooking’ by Daniel Galmiche. The secret to the wonderful flavour of this casserole is the addition of the pomegranate molasses, their tangy sweetness really adds incredible depth to the dish. This recipe is quick enough to cook midweek for the family but special enough to serve to guests – a great dish to have up your sleeve! It is delicious served with ‘Creamy Garlic Mashed Potato’ (recipe here).
20g unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 kg boneless shoulder or neck of lamb cut into large cubes
500ml lamb or chicken stock
1 sprig of rosemary
1 handful of good-quality stoned black olives
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Sea salt and black pepper
- Heat the butter and oil in a casserole dish over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5-8 minutes until soft but not coloured.
- Turn up the heat to high, add the lamb and sauté for 12-15 minutes until golden brown on all sides. Add the stock and rosemary and bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid without closing it completely (a little gap will allow the condensation to escape so that not too much liquid is produced) and simmer over a gentle heat for 1¾ hours, making sure that the liquid is barely simmering rather than bubbling.
- Check that the lamb is tender and that the liquid is reduced by half, no more, (if not continue to cook for a further 15 minutes). Add the olives and pomegranate molasses and cook gently for a further 10 minutes until the sauce is lovely and shiny. Finally, add the lemon zest to taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with ‘Creamy Garlic Mashed Potato’ (recipe here).
Lamb Fricassée (Serves 4-6)
This is a beautiful mustardy lamb dish; a wonderful comforting recipe which is simply prepared on the stove. This dish is even better reheated, when the flavours have had time to develop, so it’s worth making ahead of time if you can. It is delicious served simply with rice or alternatively with roasted potatoes, also some green beans on the side would be good!…
900g lean lamb (leg steak or boned chump chops) cut into cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
250ml lamb or chicken stock
150ml dry white wine
3 tablespoons baby gherkins, chopped
3 tablespoons capers in brine, rinsed and drained
2 sprigs rosemary
1 generous tablespoon Dijon mustard
30g chilled butter, diced
Sea salt and black pepper
- Add the oil to a large frying pan and fry the lamb in two batches over a high heat, stirring for 5-8 minutes, until browned all over. Set aside on a plate lined with kitchen roll.
- Reduce the heat and add the onion and garlic to the pan, fry, stirring for 5 minutes until softened. Pour in the stock and wine, bring to a simmer.
- Return the lamb to the pan with the gherkins, capers and rosemary. Stir, then partially cover, cook for 30 minutes on a low heat so that it is barely simmering.
- Remove the lamb and set aside, discard the rosemary. Turn up the heat and allow the sauce to bubble to about 3 minutes to reduce a little. Stir in the butter and mustard, taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Return the lamb to the pan, reduce the heat and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Serve with rice or roast potatoes and green beans.
Lamb Kofta Curry with Rice (Serves 4)
This Kofta Curry is taken from Simon Hopkinson’s wonderful cookbook, ‘Roast Chicken and Other Stories; Second Helpings’. It is an absolutely delicious, mildly spiced dish with a creamy finish, the flavours have real depth; don’t be alarmed by its slightly oily, separated look, as, as Hopkinson himself says, “this is a sure sign of its authenticity”. Admittedly, although a very straightforward recipe, it’s not the quickest meal for midweek, as you have to make the meatballs and fry them before adding them to a sauce, so you might prefer to make this at the weekend – but do try it, as it is very tasty! I like to serve this with white long grain rice, it is also good with some poppadoms and chutneys on the side!
4 onions, finely chopped (to save time I use a food processor for this!)
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
700g minced lamb
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 tablespoon garam masala
½ teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
1 egg, beaten
Flour (gluten free if required)
50g butter
½ stick cinnamon
4 cloves
4 cardamom pods
4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 limes)
12 fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
400ml coconut milk
(To serve: rice, poppadoms and chutneys)
- Fry the onions and garlic in the oil until golden brown. Place on a plate to cool.
- Meanwhile, in small frying pan, dry roast the coriander and cumin seeds until fragrant (a couple of minutes), then grind in a pestle and mortar.
- Place the lamb in a bowl, adding the fried onions and mixing in the ground coriander and cumin, the turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder, pepper, salt, mint and egg. Form the mixture into walnut sized balls (koftas), roll in the flour and fry in the butter, in batches, until golden brown all over, remove to a plate.
- Add the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom pods to the pan, fry for a minute or so, then stir in the chopped tomatoes and top with the koftas. Cook gently for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes are softened and pulpy.
- Add the lemon or lime juice, roughly chopped mint leaves and the coconut milk, stir gently.
- Bring to a simmer and gently cook for 20-25 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Taste for salt.
- Serve on a bed of rice, with chutneys and poppadoms on the side.
‘My Favourite’ Shepherds Pie (Serves 4)
If you have grown up in the British Isles there is no doubt that you have eaten numerous variations of this traditional dish. Shepherds pie is the perfect winter comfort food, and this recipe by Delia Smith is my all time favourite, the addition of the cheese and leeks, slightly caramelised on top of the mashed potato takes the dish to a higher level!…Serve simply with peas.
450g minced lamb
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
75g swede, peeled and chopped
75g carrot, peeled and chopped
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 tablespoon plain flour (gluten free if required)
275ml lamb stock
1 tablespoon tomato purée
Salt and black pepper
For the topping:
50g mature Cheddar, grated
2 medium leeks, cleaned and cut into 1cm slices
900g floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper or King Edward)
50g butter
Salt and black pepper
(You will need a buttered baking dish approx. 19cm square x 5cm deep)
- Gently heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onions, fry for 5 minutes until slightly browned. Add the chopped carrot and swede and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove all the vegetables to a plate.
- Now turn up the heat, and brown the meat, stirring to break it up.
- Add a good seasoning of salt and pepper, return the vegetables to the pan along with the cinnamon, thyme and parsley. Next stir in the flour and gradually add the lamb stock, stirring to incorporate. Finally stir in the tomato purée.
- Cover the pan with a lid and turn the heat to low, cook gently for about 30 minutes .
- While the meat is cooking, make the topping. Peel the potatoes and cut into even sized chunks, steam until they are completely tender.
- Drain the cooked potatoes and mash with the butter and some seasoning (you can use an electric hand whisk, on a low setting, to do this)
- When the meat is ready, spoon into a baking dish, level it out, then top, evenly, with the mashed potato. Sprinkle over the leek slices and finally with the cheese.
- Bake in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for about 25 minutes, until the top is crusty and golden.
Lamb Biryani (Serves 4)
This is a lovely ‘one pot’ recipe, great for using up leftovers – you could make it with other roast meats such as chicken, beef or pork. It’s definitely a recipe that you will want to make again and again, an easy Monday option!
200g basmati rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2cm piece ginger, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 handfuls baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon plain flour (gluten free if required)
2 tablespoons mango chutney
200g leftover roast lamb, or whatever you have left (see note above)
1 cup lamb or chicken stock
50g almond flakes
50g butter, melted
Sea salt and black pepper
Greek natural yogurt to serve
Fresh coriander, chopped, to serve
- Cooke the basmati rice according to the instructions on the packet, and set aside.
- Place the oil, ginger, garlic and onion in an ovenproof dish and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Add the spinach and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Add the curry powder, flour, chutney, and the chopped lamb, season with salt and pepper then stir well. Pour in the lamb stock. Top with the reserved, cooked rice, sprinkle with the almonds and drizzle with the melted butter. Cover with a lid (or tin foil) and place in a preheated oven, 200’c fan.
- After 20 minutes remove the lid and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes.
- Serve topped with the yogurt and the chopped coriander.
Menu Mistress 