Gemma If you are hosting a get together between Christmas and new year and you are looking for a recipe that you can prep in advance, leave to cook all day and that offers a bit if a change to the usual Christmas buffet – this recipe is for you. My slow cooked, spiced lamb and aubergine stew is packed full of flavour and will look great in the centre of the table.
Prep in advance
This is not a mid week meal. Prep time is a good 30+ minutes but once it is in the oven, you can relax, safe in the knowledge that the meal will come together with minimal effort from this point. As your guests arrive you can relax and enjoy the party.
I served this dish with a few different sided. Homemade hummus, flatbread, steamed green beans (dressed in a very garlicky olive oil just before serving). Plus Ottolenghi’s Spicy Moroccan Carrot Salad I used purple and orange carrot and you can make this a day ahead. This spiced lamb and aubergine stew plus sides is a great meal to cook for a party because most of the cooking can be done well in advance of your guests arriving.
Slow cooked spiced lamb and aubergine stew
Ingredients
- 2 aubergines diced in 1 inch chunks
- a good glug of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large red onions diced
- 5 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger finely chopped
- 1 veg stock cube + 250lm boiled water
- 500 g diced lambs neck
- 1 heaped tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 heaped tbsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp tumeric
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- Decent pinch of ground cinnemon
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 tsp safron
- 2-3 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
- A handful of dried fruit I used sultanas, and cranberries
- Toasted almonds
- bunch of coriander chopped
Instructions
- Dice your aubergine into inch thick cubes. Add to a big oven proof dish with extra virgin olive oil and fry on a medium heat for 10 minutes or until golden and starting to crisp on the edges. Keep string to move it around and brown all sides.
- Dice your red onion, chop your garlic and ginger and set aside.
- Add 250 ml of boiled water to your veg stock
- When the aubergine is golden on all sides remove and set aside in a dish. Season with sea salt.
- In the same oven proof dish you cooked your aubergine add some more olive oil followed by your lamb. Brown the meat off for the next 5/6 minutes on a medium heat.
- Measure your spices into a bowl. And add the saffron to the veg stock.
- When your meat is browned remove it from the dish into a bowl and coat it in half the spice mix. Be sure to give it all a good mix.
- Add a drop more oil if needed, then turn the heat down to a low to medium heat and add your onions, garlic and ginger and sweat for 10 minutes until soft and golden. Add more oil if it starts to stick.
- When the onions are soft add the tomato puree and stir in while cooking off for a minute.
- Then add the meat back in, followed by the other half of your spice mix and give it all a good stir.
- Add the stock and saffron, followed by the tinned tomatoes, aubergines and dried fruit> season and then give everything a good stir.
- Put a lid on the dish and move it to the oven on 150ºc fan for 2.5-3hrs.
- Five minutes before serving remove the lid, add a few handfuls of toasted almonds and put it back in the oven for the last bit of cooking.
- Before you take it to the table add some fresh coriander and serve with the sides of your choice.
