Slow Cooked Lamb with Aubergine.

After a year in Sydney I have done what everyone said I would do, and started to complain about the cold! When we arrived from the -16 Luxembourgish winter my family and I became the local weirdoes, as we were observed BBQing in thongs, mid winter. We would wave a pair of tongs at our Ugg-and-jumper-clad-neighbours, staring at us through their windows, and entreat them to join us. We would see heads shaking and shoulders shuddering in muffled laughter. A year later, I’ve joined their team. It’s bloody freezing!

 Always one to find a silver lining, I am happy to say that with this weather comes the perfect excuse for some long, slow cooking. Last night I cooked a mighty fine beef casserole with orange zest, star anise, red wine and mushrooms. The house was warmed by the 6-hour oven time I gave my cheap and tasty Bolor blade, and the smells that permeated the air when The Hubby arrived home made him want to renew his vows! The family was so keen to devour the dish that I had no time to take photos. I’ll make it again.

Tonight I have a cheap cut of lamb that deserves a long date with my oven. Usually I’d make a classic Irish stew with such a cut, but as I have aubergines that need to be used I’m going to concoct a Moroccan inspired casserole. It’s cheap, it’s easy, it’s a 1-pot wonder and it takes about 20 minutes to knock up. Winner!

This is what I’ve got

lamb, aubergine and preserved lemons...Yum!

4 lamb forequarter chops (1.1kg)

2 aubergines (cut into rough thick cubes)

1 tin chopped tomatoes (400 grams)

Beef stock (4 cups)

2 large brown onions (roughly chopped)

4 cloves garlic (crushed and chopped)

2 sticks celery (chopped)

Olive oil

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon oregano

2 small preserved lemons

2 teaspoons corn flour

½ cup roasted buckwheat, rinsed (optional) 

This is what I did
Preheat the oven to 140 degrees. Remove the thick fat from the edge of the chops and roughly cut them into pieces leaving the bones in place (3-4 pieces per chop).

Put a thick-bottomed stockpot on a med-high heat and add some olive oil, brown the pieces of lamb. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Add the chopped onions, garlic and celery. Check the bottom of the pan; add a dribble more oil if required and sauté until softened. Remove the onion mix and set aside with the meat. Add the aubergines to the pan and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. Now tip the meat and the onion mix back in with the aubergines to combine.

Cut the preserved lemons into quarters and remove the fleshy interiors (discard these as they will only make your dish too salty) finely chop the skin and add it to the pan with the cinnamon, oregano, stock and tomatoes. If required, add a little water to ensure the liquid is just visible, but not covering the mix.

Put a lid on the pan and pop it in the oven (140 degrees) and cook for 3.5 hours. Slake the corn flour by putting it in a cup with a small amount of the cooking liquid and mixing into a paste. Add the slaked flour back into the pot and stir, this will thicken the sauce slightly. Cook with the lid off for a further 30 minutes.

The stew is basically ready to eat now, and is delicious with crusty bread or couscous. Another idea, and one that I particularly like as it keeps everything in the 1 pot, is to add ½ a cup of roasted buckwheat when you do the corn flour. This adds a lovely nutty flavor and thickens the stew considerably, so it needs no accompaniment other than a deep bowl and a spoon.