Braised Diced Lamb Shoulder with Farro & Olives

From ‘Meat and Three’ by Kathy Paterson. Kathy suggests serving the lamb with a big bowl of steamed green vegetables and a small bowl of salsa verde for added flavour.

Serves 4

3 tablespoons olive oil

500g diced lamb shoulder

1 onion, finely sliced

1 large stalk celery, strings removed with a vegetable peeler and sliced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

a good splash of dry sherry (about 100ml)

2 cups chicken stock

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs thyme

freshly ground pepper

3-4 anchovy fillets, chopped

butter and flour paste, to thicken (see tips)

1 ½ cups farro, rinsed

2 tablespoons mixed olives

a good handful of fresh mixed herb leaves, such as flat leaf parsley, mint and coriander

Preheat the oven to 170°C.  Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

Rub 2 tablespoons oil over the diced lamb shoulder. In batches, place  lamb in the hot pan and brown on both sides, transferring to a casserole dish as you go.

Lower the heat and add the remaining oil. Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook until they just begin to colour. Deglaze the pan with a good splash of sherry, turn up the heat and reduce liquid by half. Add the stock, bay leaf and thyme and season with freshly ground pepper. Bring up to a gentle simmer then pour over the lamb. Cover the dish and place in the oven to cook for 2 hours until the lamb is very tender.

Half an hour before the end of cooking, remove lamb from the oven. Add the anchovies and whisk in the butter and flour paste. Return to the oven to finish cooking.

Meanwhile, cook the farro in boiling water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain then lightly season.

Serve lamb with farro and top with the mixed olives and fresh herbs.

Tips

• Place a piece of baking paper, cut to fit, on top of the liquid to protect the meat. Cover with the lid.

• To thicken, mix together 25g softened butter and 25g flour to make a paste.

• Roughly chop the herbs if leaves are large.

• Farro is an ancient grain that looks similar to pearl barley but is dried in such a way that once cooked becomes nutty and chewy.

 To purchase your own copy of ‘Meat and Three’ visit Kathy’s website.