Neck of lamb has a good flavour, and is cheap, but it's very fatty. If you make this the day before and put it outside overnight, the fat will solidify on the top and you can lift it off before reheating gently in a medium oven (160c) for about an hour.
Sometimes the fat comes off in one solid disk, which is very fun, but a bit scary when you think that if you had cooked that tomorrow you'd have eaten it. Also you then have to walk about for half an hour with a disk of slowly melting fat, wondering what to do with it. DON'T PUT IT DOWN THE SINK (see previous reference to blocked sewer in yellow curry recipe).
Ingredients
700g lamb neck fillet, cut into chunks of about 3cm
1 tbsp oil
2 large onions, roughly chopped
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
25g chunk fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 fresh red chilli, chopped (deseeded if you like)
3tbsp curry paste
500g carton passata
350 waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (Cyprus are good)
350ml chicken stock or water
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp caster sugar
3 ripe, medium tomatoes, quartered (optional)
100g fresh spinach leaves (washed well, and destalked)
Handful of fresh coriander, chopped.
Ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 165c / 140c Fan / Gas 5.Parboil the potatoes to soften them very slightly. If you don't do this give the curry an extra half an hour in the oven, with 100ml more water or stock.
Blitz the onions, garlic, ginger and chilli in a mini processor to make a paste.
Season the lamb and fry it in half the oil, and in two batches until browned all over. Remove to a plate.
Heat the other half of the oil in the same pan fry the onion mixture for two minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, for another two minutes.
Add the browned lamb to the spiced onion puree in the dish and cook over a gentle heat for two minutes, stirring. Add the passata, potatoes, water, bay leaves, tsp of salt and the sugar. Bring everything to a gentle simmer, then cover with a lid and palce the casserole in the oven for two hours or until the lamb is tender and the sauce has thickened. Give it a good stir after one hour.
Take the dish out of the oven and remove the lid. Stir in the quartered tomatoes and spinach. Cover and return to the oven for a further five minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and the spinach has wilted. Serve hot, sprinkled with coriander.
Serves six
Season the lamb and fry it in half the oil, and in two batches until browned all over. Remove to a plate.
Heat the other half of the oil in the same pan fry the onion mixture for two minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, for another two minutes.
Add the browned lamb to the spiced onion puree in the dish and cook over a gentle heat for two minutes, stirring. Add the passata, potatoes, water, bay leaves, tsp of salt and the sugar. Bring everything to a gentle simmer, then cover with a lid and palce the casserole in the oven for two hours or until the lamb is tender and the sauce has thickened. Give it a good stir after one hour.
Take the dish out of the oven and remove the lid. Stir in the quartered tomatoes and spinach. Cover and return to the oven for a further five minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and the spinach has wilted. Serve hot, sprinkled with coriander.
Serves six
No comments:
Post a Comment