Recipe OF THE WEEK

SLOW-ROAST SHOULDER OF LAMB WITH FLAGEOLET BEANS

Serves 4–6 2 tbsp olive oil 1.8kg shoulder of lamb 2 onions, diced 4 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary

bottle dry white wine Salt and pepper 3 leeks, roughly sliced 700g home-cooked flageolets, or 3 x 400g cans flageolet beans, rinsed 250g green beans, topped but not tailed 2 tbsp roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley Dash of balsamic vinegar

1 Preheat oven to 170°C/325°f/gas mark 3. 2 Heat oil in a large, deep roasting pan or cast-iron cooking pot over high heat, and sear lamb until brown all over.

3 Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, wine and a little salt and pepper. Cover with a well-fitting lid, or with foil.

4 Roast for 3 hours, then turn the oven down to 140°C/ 275°F/gas mark 1 and cook for another 4 hours.

5 About an hour before serving, remove pan from the oven and skim off excess fat. Taste the lamb juices and season with salt and pepper. Add the leeks and flageolet beans to the pan, replace the lid or foil, and cook for a further hour. There should be plenty of liquid there for the vegetables to soak up, but add a little stock or water if it seems dry.

6 Remove pan from the oven, lift out meat and set aside to rest for a few minutes while you steam or boil the green beans until just tender. Add to the flageolets, season well and add the parsley.

7 You should now be able to break up the tender lamb with a fork. Spoon the beans on to individual plates, and top with the lamb. Add a dash of balsamic vinegar – you need a bit of acidity – and serve.

■ Super Pulses: Truly modern recipes for beans, chickpeas & lentils by Jenny Chandler, published by Pavilion Books.

Flageolet beans are small, tender, creamy beans with a fine, delicate flavour… perfect with rich roast lamb