Sticky spring lamb stew

Somewhere between a soup and a stew, this recipe is chock-a-block with yummy vegetables and spring Lamb. This is just delicious ladled over fluffy cous cous, serve with a Brunello di Montalcino and some handmade artisan Bread.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 brown onion
• 2 celery stick
• 2 carrots
• 1 leek
• 60ml olive oil
• 4 medium lamb shanks or 2 Loins 400grms
  
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground fennel
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 tbsp harissa
  
• 1 1/2 litres chicken stock
• 400g jap pumpkin
• 2 parsnips
• 2 large potatoes
• Cous cous to serve
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves

Method

- Preheat oven to 180C fan forced. Chop onion, celery, carrot and leek into medium-sized dice.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy-based casserole dish and brown lamb on all sides.
- Remove and set aside. Add diced vegetables to the pan and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, fennel, cumin, cinnamon, harissa and saffron and cook for a further minute. - - Return shanks to pan, add stock and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and place casserole in oven, uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, until lamb meat is tender and falling off the bones.
- Dice the pumpkin, parsnip and potato and place in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss to coat well.
- Place in the oven for 1 hour or until the vegetables are soft.
- Remove the lamb and other roasted vegetables from the oven. When cool enough to handle, gently pull away the lamb meat from the shanks and break into large pieces. Discard the bones. Mix the roasted vegetables with the lamb.
- Place a large spoonful of cous cous in a shallow bowl and ladle over the lamb and vegetables. Scatter over coriander and serve.