Slow-cooked lamb with blood orange

THERE are many things that make me a fan of slow cooking. I love the fact that you can slip a casserole dish into the oven at a low temperature and leave it there with minimal fuss. Any work is in the prep. Heat and time do the heavy lifting. It’s also just the kind of food I want to eat during the bleak winter months: warm, hearty and sustaining. I also love the fact that it can transform a tough, less expensive cut into something tender and sublime. This slow-cooked lamb stew is a perfect example. It’s made with lamb neck fillet, which is a good bargain at the butcher shop. You could cut the meat into cubes, but I like to slice it into medallions. Either way, the result is moreish.

I marinade it overnight in some pomegranate molasses and blood orange juice. The oranges are in season now so it’s a shame not to take advantage of them while they’re here. I place the lamb in a resealable bag and pop it in the fridge overnight, but a few hours would do the trick.

And best of all, you could cook this one day and serve it the next, it will only improve with flavour. Serve it with some couscous, bulgur wheat or rice and curl up by the fire (real or gas) and you’re armed to meet another winter day.

Slow-cooked lamb with blood orange and pomegranates

If you can’t find blood oranges, then by all means use a regular orange. Either way the taste will be a bit sweet and tart, ideal to cut through the fattiness of the lamb. I cook this in a very low oven, but if you have a slow cooker it would work a treat. Makes 2-3 servings

INGREDIENTS:

2 lamb neck fillets, about 600g in total Juice of 1 blood orange, about 3 1/2 tbs 1 tbs pomegranate molasses 1 tbs olive oil 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

TO GARNISH: Pomegranate seeds Coriander leaves

METHOD: Pre-heat oven to 110 C. Cut the lamb into 2 1/2cm medallions. Mix the juice, molasses, olive oil and cumin and place in a resealable bag or a glass bowl. Marinade the lamb for a few hours or overnight.

Heat a heavy skillet on medium high heat. Remove the lamb pieces from the marinade, but save the marinade. Sear the lamb in the frying pan. You want it nicely browned on both sides. Remove the lamb and place it in an oven-proof casserole dish with a lid. Pour the marinade into the frying pan and heat until it bubbles. Pour on to the lamb and add enough water so the liquid comes halfway up the lamb, but don’t cover it completely.

Place the lid on and put the casserole dish in the oven. Cook for 2-3 hours until the lamb is completely tender and flakes apart easily. Reduce the cooking liquid if it’s very thin. Serve with couscous, bulgur wheat or rice.

Top with a bit of the cooking juices and garnish with pomegranate seeds and coriander leaves.