Lamb casserole with a mix of green vegetables

When my Dear Mum cooked her casseroles she always said they tasted better when cooked 'slow and low', and this is quite often the case! Our Mums and Grandmothers used to know a thing or two about cooking delicious home cooked real food ... well mine did, I hope yours did too!

Now this casserole dish of tasty lamb and mixed green vegetable does contain some frozen vegetables mixed with fresh, and it works well. Don't worry if you haven't got the exact green vegetables, I always say a recipe can be adjusted slightly to suit what you may have readily available.

If you'd like to give it a try here is what you will need for four people:

Ingredients

Serves Four
50ml oil
500g Diced lamb 
100ml white wine
200g frozen peas, thawed
200g frozen baby broad beans, thawed
150g asparagus spears, trimmed 
150g green beans, trimmed
50g mangetout
600ml (lamb) stock 
1 bay leaf
a few sprigs of thyme
salt
pepper

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 150°C. / 300°F. / Gas Mark 2

2. Heat the oil in a large casserole dish set over a moderate heat until hot. Season the diced lamb and sear in batches until golden brown in colour all over. Remove from the dish and transfer to a colander sat on top of a bowl. Deglaze the base of the dish with the white wine and let it evaporate away almost entirely.

3. Add the lamb back to the dish along with the bay leaf and thyme. Cover with the stock and bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid and transfer to the oven to finish cooking. Cook the lamb for 2 hours until tender and easily pulled apart between your fingers. Remove from the oven and set the dish over a very low heat.

4. Add the asparagus and green beans, then add the peas and broad beans after 2 minutes. Add the mangetout after a further minute, then adjust the seasoning. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

Freezing and defrosting guidelines
Once the dish has cooled completely, transfer it to an airtight, freezer-safe container, seal and freeze for up to 1-3 months.

To serve, defrost thoroughly in the fridge overnight before reheating. Loosely cover with foil and bake until dish is thoroughly heated through. Reheat until piping hot.

Per Serving

Carbohydrate 13.7g Protein 34.9g Fibre 10.1g Fat 24g 
From an original Tesco real food idea here

Did you know that mangetout are also known as the snow or sugar pea, mangetout are a flat-podded variety of pea, eaten whole while the peas within are still very small – hence the French name, which means ‘eat everything’. Crisp and sweet, they can be served raw, or lightly steamed, boiled or stir-fried.

Mangetout are in season from June to September. Look for firm, vibrant green pods that aren’t limp or discoloured.

Mangetout will remain crisp and fresh in the fridge for up to three days. They can be blanched and frozen, but may lose their characteristic crunch when defrosted.

A variety of recipe ideas and articles are found within this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan