I know we’re all hanging out for warmer spring weather so apologies for serving up a slow lamb dish! I actually made this a few weeks back for the rugby and with the forecast not looking too flash this weekend I think we could squeeze in one last wintery dish. Best of all it can be made ahead and reheated. Perfect served with pasta or in a pot pies – we did both. Enjoy x
Serve 4-6
3 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 kg boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 3cm chunks
Salt & pepper
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
2 cans tomatoes
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
¾ cup red wine
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 bay leaves
1 cup large black olives
200g feta, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Warm olive oil in a large heavy-bottom pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Season lamb generously with salt and pepper and cook in batches until each piece is well browned all over. Transfer pieces to a plate as they brown.
Pour off half the fat and add onions, garlic, oregano and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and thyme, scraping browned bits from the pot. Add wine, stock, vinegar and bay leaves and bring just to a boil.
Return lamb to pot and reduce heat so mixture is bubbling very gently. Partly cover pot and cook, stirring every 20 minutes or so, until lamb is very tender, about 2-2.5 hours. Discard bay leaves and thyme stalks. Stir in olives and cook another 10 minutes to heat them through. Stir in most of parsley and half the feta, seasoning more if needed. Sprinkle remaining feta and parsley on top. Serve with crusty bread or pasta.
Gretchen Lowe, Food Stylist Auckland
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