FARMHOUSE LAMB STEW
- 1½ kg stewing lamb, such as knuckles
- cake flour, for dusting
- oil, for frying
- 200 ml water
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) vinegar
- 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 x 410 g can chopped or whole peeled tomatoes
- 10 ml (2 teaspoons) sugar
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) soy sauce
- 1 small chilli, finely chopped or 5 ml (1 teaspoon) hot sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 ml (½ teaspoon) ground cloves
- 10 ml (2 teaspoons) ground sage or 15 ml (1 tablespoon), fresh and chopped
- 10 ml (2 teaspoons) dried rosemary or 15 ml fresh and chopped
- 3 potatoes, cut into chunks, peeled or unpeeled
- 3 carrots, sliced, optional
- 10 ml (2 teaspoons) salt, or to taste
- black pepper, freshly ground and to taste
Heat large pot until quite hot. In meantime, dip meat into small bowl of flour. When pot is really, really hot, add a film of oil and then let the oil reach a very high heat (if you do this every time you fry meat, the meat will not stick to bottom of pot). Lightly fry meat in batches, using wooden spoon to turn the pieces. Be careful of spattering fat. Add water, vinegar and onion to pot, lower heat, put lid on and simmer for about 45 minutes – more if meat is tough. Do peek now and then, as water might boil away, although heat should be low enough to prevent this from happening.
Add tomatoes, sugar and soy sauce, and simmer with lid on for about another 30 minutes. Add chilli, garlic, cloves, herbs, carrots if used and potato chunks.
Boil stew over a fairly high heat, without lid, until potatoes are cooked and sauce is reduced.
By the time sauce has reduced, the carrots (if used) and potatoes will be tender. Taste and season with salt and pepper. You may need to add a little extra sugar.
Tip stew into ovenproof dish, cover with foil and keep warm until ready to serve. The flavour will improve upon standing (“resting”).
Recipe and photo: Willie Bisschoff
