Slow Cooked Lamb, Artichoke & Olive Stew

This is a hearty, yet not at all heavy, amalgam of seasons - chunks of lamb shoulder are braised until meltingly tender in white wine and tomatoes while artichokes, vibrant green olives and the mint scattered over keep it fresh and lively.

This is perfect really for that between season time of later winter and early spring when warmer days start to feel a reality. But honestly, as I post this in the middle of summer it would be pretty good now too.


Lamb, Artichoke & Olive Stew
serves 2

400g lamb shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-2 in. chunks
1-2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
tin / carton chopped plum tomatoes
75ml dry white wine
125ml lamb stock
pinch of cinnamon
50g green olives (I used Nocellara del Belice), pitted halved
tin artichokes rinsed and halved
zest and juice of ½ lemon
2.5g fresh mint leaves, julienned

Season the lamb with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat about ½ tbsp of olive oil in a heavy bottomed frying or sauté pan over a medium heat and brown the meat on all sides in batches, adding a little more oil to the pan between batches if necessary. Transfer to the slow cooker.

Add another tbsp of oil to the pan and over a low-medium heat, sauté the onion with a little pinch of salt for about 5 minutes until the onion is slightly browned. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for a minute or two until fragrant.

Turn up the heat and add the wine, allowing it to bubble up. Scrape up any stuck on bits to the pan and after a minutes or so add the contents of the pan to the slow cooker.

Add the tomatoes, cinnamon and stock to the slow cooker and put on low for 6 hours.

After 5 hours stir in the olives.

Finally, add the artichokes, lemon zest and juice in the last half hour.

Adjust the seasoning as needed and serve, dividing the stew between warmed bowls and garnish with the fresh mint. The stew can be served on its own with a good piece of bread to mop up the juices or over polenta, couscous, potatoes...

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Slow Cooker Picadillo

Picadillo, a traditional dish in Spain (the name comes from the Spanish word "picar," which means "to mince" or "to chop") and many Latin American countries as well as the Philippines is something that I’d been wanting to cook for ages and when I saw this recipe on Skinny Taste I thought “yay! 2 birds, 1 stone!”

Picadillo is made with minced beef, tomatoes and other ingredients that vary by region and is generally also supposed to have alcaparrado which is a special mix of manzanilla olives, pimientos and capers. Unfortunately I couldn’t source any so just used olive stuffed with pimento and separately capers which I think worked fine. Also, I think a green pepper should be used but we only had a yellow one left so that went in instead!

Other frequent additions include diced potatoes and raisins. I didn’t want to double carb as I would be serving over rice and I’d been bloating a lot at the time (pregnancy hormones!), although I have to say that versions I’ve seen with potatoes look delicious. But of course I do not like raisin / sultanas in savoury food (or anything cooked actually) so that’s never going to be a goer with me.

I’d be interested in getting hold of some alcaparrado and making this again to see if it makes a big difference but somehow I doubt it.

This can be served over rice as we have or for example as a filling for empanadas (maybe I should have done that with the leftovers actually).


Slow Cooker Picadillo
serves 4

1 tbsp light olive oil
500g beef mince
1 banana shallot, finely chopped
½ yellow pepper, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
small tin chopped tomatoes
75ml dry white wine
100ml pasatta
½ cup (4-6 tbsp) pimiento stuffed green olives
1 ½ tbsp capers
¾ tsp dried Mexican oregano
½ tsp ground cumin
⅛ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
⅛ tsp cayenne
1 or 2 bay leaves
sea salt, to taste
a little chopped coriander, to serve

Brown the meat in a large deep skillet on medium-high heat; season with generously with salt and black pepper. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat up into small pieces and when the beef is no longer pink, drain all the liquid from pan.

Add the shallot, garlic and yellow peppers to the meat and cook for 3-4 minutes more.

Turn the heat up a little, add the wine and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes.

Transfer the meat and veg to the slow cooker, then add the chopped tomatoes and passata, spices and herbs, stuffed olives, capers and 150ml water.

Set the slow cooker to high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 (I actually cooked it on high for about 2 ½ hours and then low for a further hour). Before serving taste carefully for seasoning and adjust as needed.

Discard the bay leaves and serve over rice.

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Lamb, Bulghur & Butter Bean Stew

Despite having thrown a little shade at Martha Stewart not that long ago it seems that I have found myself adapting one of her recipes: it is something I repinned onto my lamb recipe inspiration board and didn’t even realised it was Stewart until I decided to cook it the other day. It’s good though and dead easy so I’m glad I did.

You’ll have noticed that due to the lag of cooking / writing up blog I am totally out with my seasonal cooking and in the summer was posting a lot of stews, casseroles and the like. And recently I seem to have posted some lighter and more salady fare. The fact is though that I don’t often take much notice of what I should cook when - if I fancy quiche and salad in the dead of winter that is what I will have. And if I fancy a lamb & bulghur stew in August, as was this case with this recipe, then that is what I will bloody well have.

By the way, the original had oregano in it which I have omitted here simply as I forgot it. I didn’t miss it and in honesty I’m not sure it is necessary but if you do want to add it, do so at the stage where you stir in the spinach and feta: 1 tablespoon of fresh or 1 teaspoon of dried. 

I’d added olives to the recipe which I think was a good call as they added a nice salty tang to the finished dish: the feta does a similar job and they complement each other well so I’d probably add a little more of that sprinkled on top next time.


Lamb, Bulghur & Butter Bean Stew
serves 2

1 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
200g lamb mince
75g bulghur wheat
½ tsp red-pepper flakes
coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp harissa paste
small tin chopped tomatoes
125ml water
½ tin white beans, drained & rinsed
5-10 kalamata olives, stoned and roughly chopped
75 g spinach, chopped
50g feta cheese, crumbled, plus a little extra to serve

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pot (that has a lid) over a medium heat and add the onion, lamb, bulgur wheat, red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring to break up lamb, until the lamb is cooked which will take about 5 minutes.

Add the paprika and harissa, stirring for a minute until fragrant.

Add the tomatoes and water, bringing to a fierce simmer then turn the heat down to low and cover. Let the stew gently simmer, with the occasional stir, until the bulgur is tender, about 25 minutes.

Add the beans & olives at about 20 minutes in.

Once the bulgur is tender, stir in the spinach and feta and cook until feta is almost melted and the spinach wilted, about 2 minutes.

Serve in bowls garnished with a little extra feta if you like.

 

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Italian Sausage & Chilli Pesto Pasta

This was inspired by a picture I saw on Pinterest that looked delicious but had no real accompanying recipe as such. The sauce has a base of fresh chilli pesto, bought from a stall at a weekly farmer’s market in the quadrant bit at the back of Guy’s Hospital (its a lovely space actually, a hidden part of London). I also grabbed some Italian sausages there, skinned them and crumbled up and fried the meat. Not much more to it really, some black olives (I used kalamata but I think those wrinkly, very salty cured ones that come in jars would be excellent in this), toasted pine nuts, a bit of basil and some Pecorino.

So thank you for whosoever pinned that particular picture: this is simplicity itself, and delicious with it.


Italian Sausage & Chilli Pesto Pasta
serves 2

2 Italian sausages, skinned and roughly crumbled
1 tsp garlic olive oil
glug red wine
4 tbsp chilli pesto
handful black olives, pitted and roughly chopped
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
small handful basil leaves, torn
200g wholewheat spaghetti
Pecorino, to serve

Put the pasta on to boil in salted water in a large pan.

Meanwhile fry off the sausage in the garlic oil until browned and resembling coarse mince. Add a glug of wine and let it bubble down before throwing in the olives and pesto.

When the pasta is al dente drain, reserving a little cooking water, and then mix the pasta in with the sausage and pesto sauce. Combine well and add a little of the cooking water to loosen the sauce slightly.

Serve immediately scattered with pines nuts, basil and Pecorino.

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Marinated BBQ Lamb Chops with Greek Salad

Back from my Grandmother’s 90th birthday shindig in Wiltshire the weather was absolutely glorious and I really fancied a nice crisp and refreshing salad. But I also fancied cheese. And meat.

BBQ lamb chops with a Greek salad (minus cucumber as of course I pathologically detest it) seemed to fit the bill perfectly so we scooted up to the supermarket to get the necessaries.

Ideally of course the lamb would marinate for a good deal longer than an hour but this was all the time I had. Regarding the marinade, use fresh normal thyme rather than lemon thyme by all means and if you can’t get Greek basil try fresh oregano or even dried (only use 1 tsp if the latter).

To my Greek salad as well as omitting cucumber I wanted to add some leaves to bulk it out a bit as we were both starving. You can add it or leave it out as you like but I found a Nigella recipe that I have used here which does include lettuce.

Greek Salad
serves 2-3

½ red onion
1½ tsp dried oregano
black pepper
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
2-3 medium tomatoes
½ tsp caster sugar
small pinch sea salt (I used celery sea salt)
1 ruby gem (or normal gem) lettuce
12 kalamata olives
200 grams feta cheese, crumbled into rough chunks.
juice of ½ lemon

Peel and finely slice the red onion then sprinkle over the oregano and grind over some pepper.

Pour in the vinegar and oil and toss well, cover with clingfilm and leave to steep for as long as possible - it should be for at least two hours but I forgot so it was only for about 30 mins!

When you are ready to eat, get the BBQ on and get started with the rest of the salad.

Cut the tomatoes into quarters, then cut each quarter into quarters lengthwise again and then crosswise. Sprinkle the sugar and a pinch of salt over them and leave to one side.

Tear the lettuce into big pieces and put into a large, wide salad bowl.

Add the olives and the feta and toss well.

Now add the tomatoes, the red onion along with its marinade-dressing and the lemon juice. Toss gently, but thoroughly, so that everything is well combined.

Serve alongside the lamb chops.

Marinated BBQ Lamb Chops
serves 2

3 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp fresh lemon thyme leaves
2 tsp Greek Basil, finely chopped
sea salt & black pepper

4 lamb loin chops

Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic and thyme in a small bowl.

Put the lamb chops in a freezer bag and pour over the lemon juice / oil mixture plus a few grinds of salt & pepper, turning the chops around to coat.

Pop in the fridge marinate for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the chops from the refrigerator 20 minutes before grilling. Heat the BBQ to high and grill the chops for 5 to 6 minutes per side for medium doneness. Remove and rest for 2 minutes.

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Cauliflower Puttanesca

There isn’t a huge amount to say about this dish really. Ultimately I love the punchy & rugged flavours of puttanesca: salty olives, piquant capers, tangy tomatoes and whereas my usual (and much loved) version of this has tuna, on this occasion i wanted something vegetarian. Of course I do have a bit of a soft spot for cauliflower as well so I thought this may fit the bill quite nicely. And it did.


Cauliflower “Puttanesca”
serves 2

175g pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
½ head cauliflower, cut into small florets
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
150g tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp sun-dried tomato paste
60g black olives, pitted & roughly chopped
1 tbsp capers, rinsed
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
Parmesan, grated, to serve

Cook the pasta according to the package directions

Meanwhile, heat the oil in sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook tossing occasionally for about 5 minutes, until golden.

Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute until fragrant. 

Add the tomatoes, olives, capers, tomato paste and crushed red pepper.

Cook stirring occasionally until the cauliflower is tender and the tomatoes are breaking down. About 10 minutes more.

Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water and toss the pasta with the sauce, adding a little of the drained water to loosen.

Serve topped with the parsley and Parmesan.

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Chicken, Butternut Squash & Quinoa Stew

This is another dish I cooked when I was 5:2’ing and this one in particular was adapted from a US based website: I upped the spices content and also added some spinach into the mix.

This is seriously good for you and, luckily, also delicious. A great thing about it is that you can adjust the ratios depending on what you fancy or how much you’re watching your calories. The olives for instance can be cut down or out completely for instance: they pack a big punch flavour wise though so even including a few is going to make a big difference to my mind.

I’ve used a quinoa & bulghur wheat mix but feel free to just use normal white quinoa if that is easier.


Chicken, BNS & Quinoa Stew
serves 2-3

340g butternut squash, peeled, seeded & chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
450ml chicken stock
310g chicken breast
½ tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp coriander
¼ tsp cayenne
200g tin chopped tomatoes
75g uncooked white quinoa, bulghur wheat & red quinoa mix
85g pitted and quartered kalamata olives
large handful baby spinach, chopped
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Place the squash cubes in a microwave safe bowl with a splash of water, put a lid on top and microwave for 5-6 minutes or until the squash is just barely tender. Remove half the squash and set aside. Continue microwaving the other half until it’s very soft, about 3-4 additional minutes.

Drain, then mash with a fork. Set aside.

In a large saucepan heat the olive oil until hot. Add the chopped onions, oregano, cumin & coriander, cayenne and garlic. Saute for 5-10 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is softened.

Add the stock and bring to a simmer then add the chicken and poach in the broth until cooked (about 10-15 minutes).

Remove the chicken to a plate and when it has cooled slightly shred with 2 forks. Keep to one side.

Add the tomatoes & quinoa to the stock in the pan and simmer for 10 minutes then add the cubed and mashed squash. Simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Add the shredded chicken & olives to the pot and season carefully.

Simmer for a further 5 minutes then stir in the spinach and cook for a minute or two until the spinach is wilted.

Stir in the parsley & serve in bowls.

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Baked Chicken with Tomatoes & Brown Rice

This is adapted from an HFW recipe which I saw on the Guardian website and by all accounts is his version of a one pot (well two really, if you’re being picky) chicken cacciatore.

I used brown rice which meant that the total cooking time was at the longer end of the scale but use what you fancy and to ensure a quicker cooking time basmati is a good option or you could try a short grain rice such as arborio.

We really enjoyed this and it is especially good with a nice big, lightly dressed, green salad on the side. 

Baked Chicken with Tomatoes & Brown Rice
Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
4-6 bone-in, skin-on chicken portions - I used drumsticks & thighs, seasoned with salt & pepper
1 med-large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
scant tsp dried oregano
100g brown (or white) rice
125ml dry white wine
2 tsp tomato purée
400g chopped tinned tomatoes, crushed
350ml chicken stock
100g green (or black) olives

Heat the oven to 180C.

Put a large frying or sauté pan on a fairly high heat and add the oil. Brown the chicken pieces well in two batches. Transfer to an ovenproof dish, skin side up, and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, turn the heat down to low under the frying pan, pouring off any excess fat if necessary so you have around a tablespoon left.

Add the onions and cook gently for 10 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, chili and oregano and cook for a few minutes more.

Stir in the rice for a minute or two then turn the heat up and add the wine. Simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated.

Stir in the tomato purée, then add the tinned tomatoes and stock, and bring back to a boil.

Season carefully to taste.

Tip the tomatoey rice into the chicken dish, scraping off any grains of rice that may be on top of the chicken (they won’t cook up there).

Scatter in the olives, and roast for 30-60 minutes longer (as I mentioned this will be type-of-rice dependent).

When the rice is tender remove from the oven and leave to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

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