Galloping Green

The main squeeze is in New York and Mum is here to help out as I’ve got a bunch of stuff on this week with the new job. Still, there are hungry mouths to feed. So here’s a recipe I tried earlier tonight to satisfy the hungry gang… Lamb Casserole in Shortcrust Pastry.  First off, here’s what you’ll need (to serve 4 adults)…

• A good sized pot with a lid
• 500g Diced lamb
• 2 sticks of celery washed and chopped
• 4 good sized carrots, topped and tailed, cut into medium chunks
• 2 red onions chopped into medium chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped nice and fine
• tablespoon of tomato puree
• Olive oil
• 2 Chicken Stock cubes (Bouillon is better) to make 500ml stock
• A good mug full of Sauvignon Blanc
• Sprig of Rosemary and spring of Thyme
• Black Pepper (freshly ground is always better)
• Two rolls of shortcrust pastry (if frozen, leave to thaw before you start anything else)
• 1 Egg

Just in case…

• Bisto or Gravy granules for thickening (Sssh, don’t tell!)

Method – Part One

• Turn on an oven to 180 degrees celsius (we’ll cook off this lot in the oven in a bit, the rest is on the hob)
• Heat a tablespoon’s worth of olive oil in a large pot on your hob and add the the chopped vegetables. Fry off until you see a colour been taken on by the veg.
• Add a good tablespoon’s worth of tomato puree, stir in well and continue to stir for a couple of minutes
• Now add the mug of wine, stir well but gently for another 3-5 minutes then add the 500ml of chicken stock (leave a little bit though, a couple of tablespoons worth is fine) and stir again for 3 or so minutes.
• Reduce the heat to minimum and leave simmering to one side
• In a bowl, throw in your diced lamb and add a teaspoon of olive oil, massage in until you’ve covered the meat with the oil.
• On a worktop, sprinkle some plain flour and black pepper and throw the meat on top, work the flour into the meet by tossing it gently around for a bit. Be gentle, essentially we want the dices to be coated in flour and pepper.
• Throw the meat into a very hot pan (with a tablespoon of olive oil) and cook until the meat takes on a brownish (but not burnt) colour. This can take 5 mins or so and you’ll notice the floor sticking to the bottom of the pan – that’s OK!
• When the meat is cooked, throw it into the simmering pot of vegetables and stir in well. The browned meat will help to colour the stock.
• Add the remaining chicken stock to the still hot pan and work the cooked flour into the stock. When you’ve got this mixture nice and smooth, pour it into the pot and stir in well (this should thicken the mixture to a gravy like consistency). If this gravy isn’t thick enough then feel free to add bisto (mixed with cold water first) or gravy granules till you get a better consistency that’s to your liking.
• Now pop in the sprig of rosemary and thyme (you can chop these if you want but that’s not essential), put the lid on the pot and transfer to the oven.
• Set your timer for 60 mins and go pour yourself a glass of wine (you should have some left!)

Method – Part Two

• Remove the pot from the oven and ladel a good portion of the mixture into small round bowls (about 8-10cm in diameter and 4-5cm deep). Make sure the herb springs don’t end up in the bowls
• Cover the top of these pots with a layer of shortcrust pastry and press into the sides of the bowl. Prick the pastry with a fork a couple of times.
• Beat the egg and brush the egg across the top of each of the pots.
• Place on a tray and transfer to the oven for 35 mins at 180 degree celsius

That’s it. When cooked, the pastry should have a nice golden brown colour.  Allow to cool for a bit and then you’re ready to serve and dive in. It’s nice to serve this with a side salad or a mix vegetables (roast baby potoatoes, mashed carrots/parsnips with coriander etc).

Enjoy!