- 500g butterflied lamb shoulder
- 2 onions
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery sticks
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 x 400g tins of cannellini beans
- 1 bay leaf
- A handful of thyme
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 400g chopped tomatoes
- 100g baby leaf spinach
- 200-400ml cold water
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2-3 tbsp water (optional)
- Vegetable peeler
- Large frying pan or casserole dish
- 3½ ltr slow cooker
- 1.
Warm a large frying pan (or deep pan or casserole dish if you’re cooking on the hob) over a medium heat. Add ½ tbsp oil and the lamb. Fry for 10 mins, turning now and then, till browned all over.
- 2.
While the lamb fries, peel and finely chop the onions. Peel the carrots and roughly chop them. Trim the celery sticks and finely slice them. From this point, follow the method for either the slow cooker or the hob.
- 3.
In the slow cooker^ Add all the chopped veg to a 3½ ltr slow cooker, then lift the lamb out of the frying pan and add it. Peel and crush the garlic. Add it to the slow cooker.
- 4.
Drain and rinse the cannellini beans and tip them into the slow cooker. Drop in the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Crumble in the chicken stock cube. Pour in the chopped tomatoes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Pop on the lid and set the slow cooker to medium, Cook the stew for 6 hrs. Or set the slow cooker to high and cook for 4 hrs, or try 8 hrs set to slow.
- 5.
When the stew has finished cooking and the lamb is tender, carefully lift the lamb out of the slow cooker with tongs and pop it on a board. Roughly chop the lamb, then stir it back into the stew with the baby leaf spinach.
- 6.
Taste the lamb stew and add a pinch more salt or pepper if you think it needs it. Ladle the stew into large warm bowls and serve.
- 7.
On the hob^ Lift the lamb out of the pan and set aside on a plate. Add the chopped veg to the pan, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and fry for 5-6 mins, stirring now and then till the veg have browned.
- 8.
While the veg fry, peel and crush or grate the garlic. Drain and rinse the cannellini beans. When the veg have browned, stir the garlic into them. Cook and stir for 1 min.
- 9.
Return the lamb to the pan and tip in the beans. Drop in the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Crumble in the stock cube. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, half-fill the tin with around 200ml water and pour into the pan. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Pop on the lid and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and gently simmer for 1 hr.
- 10.
When the stew has finished cooking and the lamb is tender, carefully lift the lamb out of the slow cooker with tongs and pop it on a board. Roughly chop the lamb, then stir it back into the stew with the baby leaf spinach.
- 11.
Taste the lamb stew and add a pinch more salt or pepper if you think it needs it. Ladle the stew into large warm bowls and serve.
