A feast for six.
Ingredients
- 1 tblsp olive oil
- 1.3 kg lamb shoulder (trimmed, boned and tied and stuffed with pine nuts, lemon zest and parsley)
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 100 g smoked pancetta (diced, 1-1½cm)
- 1 onion (finely diced)
- 3 carrots (finely diced)
- 3 celery sticks (finely sliced)
- 1 leek (finely sliced)
- 150 ml red wine
- 300 ml lamb stock
- 400 g can chopped tomatoes
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 400 g cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
- salt and ground black pepper
- potatoes or warm crusty bread to serve
Method
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan and brown the lamb on all sides.
- Remove from the pan and leave to stand until it is cool enough to handle.
- Meanwhile, cut the garlic cloves into quarters. When the lamb is cool enough, make 12 deep incisions all over the meat.
- Push a piece of garlic and a small piece of rosemary into each incision.
- Add the onion and pancetta to the saucepan and sauté for about 5 minutes.
- Then add the carrot, celery and leek to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes until soft, then transfer to a large casserole cooking pot. Stir the red wine into the cooking pot.
- Add the stock and chopped tomatoes to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Add the thyme and bay leaves, submerging them in the liquid.
- Place the lamb on top, cover with the lid and simmer on a low heat for 90 minutes. Using a meat fork or tongs, turn the lamb halfway through.
- Stir the beans into the vegetable mixture and warm through, or until the lamb is cooked and tender.
- Remove the lamb from the cooking pot using slotted spoons, cover with foil to keep warm and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- Remove the string from the lamb and carve the meat into thick slices.
- Remove the thyme and bay leaves from the vegetable and bean mixture and carefully skim off any fat from the surface.
- Spoon the vegetables on to warmed serving plates and arrange the sliced lamb on top.
