Lamb Stew
New Zealand chef Peter Gordon is renowned for his unique fusion cooking style which focuses on the best quality and tasty ingredients, no matter where they originate from. This spiced lamb and orange stew is deliciously warming. Serve with the couscous for a hearty, warming dinner, perfect for a cosy valentines night in.
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 3 hours
You will need
For the stew:
1kg boneless lamb leg, diced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3 onions, peeled and sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 x 5cm piece cinnamon
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 orange
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
100g unpitted olives - a mixture of green and black
For the couscous:
80g instant couscous
110ml tepid water
200g broccoli florets, cut into chunks
A handful of fresh mint leaves
A handful flat parsley leaves
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Method
1. Cut the lamb into two centimetre thick slices and mix with the thyme, rosemary and garlic and leave to marinate for an hour.
2. Heat up a heavy based pot and add a tablespoon olive oil.
3. Caramelise the onions, cumin, coriander seeds and cinnamon over medium heat.
4. Add two strips of orange peel (no pith) and its juice, then cook until the liquid has evaporated.
5. Remove the onion mixture from the pot and put back on the heat.
6. Add another tablespoon olive oil and add the lamb then cook until browned all over
7. Return the onion mixture to the pot, along with the carrots, soy sauce, sweet potato (which breaks up as it cooks and thickens the sauce), olives and enough water to cover by one centimetre.
8. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook with a lid on for 90 minutes – either in the oven at 170*C/ gas mark 3 or on a very low heat on the hob
9. After an hour, take the lid off the pot and cook until the sauce has thickened, around another 30 to 40 minutes.
(If it isn't as thick as you'd like you can mix one tablespoon of flour into a quarter of a cup cold water to a paste and then stir it into the stew making sure you don't create any lumps)
10. Taste for seasoning and it's ready to serve.
To make the couscous:
1. Mix the couscous and water with half a teaspoon of salt, and leave it to absorb for 10 minutes.
2. Boil or steam the broccoli for one minute then drain and immediately put into a large bowl of iced water.
3. Drain well and place in a food processor with the mint leaves, parsley and olive oil and blitz in several short bursts, scraping down the side of the bowl each time, to produce coarse crumbs.
4. Mix into the couscous with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, adding salt to taste.
Prefer to watch and learn? Simply play the videos below:
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 3 hours
You will need
For the stew:
1kg boneless lamb leg, diced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3 onions, peeled and sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 x 5cm piece cinnamon
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 orange
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
100g unpitted olives - a mixture of green and black
For the couscous:
80g instant couscous
110ml tepid water
200g broccoli florets, cut into chunks
A handful of fresh mint leaves
A handful flat parsley leaves
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Method
1. Cut the lamb into two centimetre thick slices and mix with the thyme, rosemary and garlic and leave to marinate for an hour.
2. Heat up a heavy based pot and add a tablespoon olive oil.
3. Caramelise the onions, cumin, coriander seeds and cinnamon over medium heat.
4. Add two strips of orange peel (no pith) and its juice, then cook until the liquid has evaporated.
5. Remove the onion mixture from the pot and put back on the heat.
6. Add another tablespoon olive oil and add the lamb then cook until browned all over
7. Return the onion mixture to the pot, along with the carrots, soy sauce, sweet potato (which breaks up as it cooks and thickens the sauce), olives and enough water to cover by one centimetre.
8. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook with a lid on for 90 minutes – either in the oven at 170*C/ gas mark 3 or on a very low heat on the hob
9. After an hour, take the lid off the pot and cook until the sauce has thickened, around another 30 to 40 minutes.
(If it isn't as thick as you'd like you can mix one tablespoon of flour into a quarter of a cup cold water to a paste and then stir it into the stew making sure you don't create any lumps)
10. Taste for seasoning and it's ready to serve.
To make the couscous:
1. Mix the couscous and water with half a teaspoon of salt, and leave it to absorb for 10 minutes.
2. Boil or steam the broccoli for one minute then drain and immediately put into a large bowl of iced water.
3. Drain well and place in a food processor with the mint leaves, parsley and olive oil and blitz in several short bursts, scraping down the side of the bowl each time, to produce coarse crumbs.
4. Mix into the couscous with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, adding salt to taste.
Prefer to watch and learn? Simply play the videos below: