In her new cookbook My Irish Kitchen Table, Eunice Power celebrates the heart of the home with seasonal meals and celebratory feasts.
Speaking about this recipe, Eunice says: “This is a wonderfully warming casserole, perfect for colder days. Red wine gives an unparalleled richness to the dish, the chilli a singular warmth and the thyme hits the perfect aromatic note. A great do-ahead dish, as like most casseroles it’s better when made a day or two before, allowing the flavours to fully develop.”
Serves 6
Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
1.2kg lamb shoulder, cut into large dice
2 onions, finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
4 anchovies
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
250ml red wine (I like to use Chianti)
400g tinned chopped Italian plum tomatoes
Large pinch of dried chilli flakes
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
125g black olives, pitted
Sea salt and black pepper
For the polenta
150g polenta
600ml milk
300ml water
50g Parmesan
50g butter
Sea salt and black pepper
METHOD
1 Preheat the oven to 150°C fan.
2 Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a heavy casserole or saucepan (with a lid) over a medium heat. When hot, add the lamb and fry in batches until sealed and browned on all sides. Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside.
3 Add rest of the oil to the pan. When hot, stir in the onions, garlic, carrot, anchovies and celery and cook until softened and turning lightly golden – about five minutes. Pour in the wine and bring to the boil. Vigorously scrape up any crusty caramelised juices from the bottom of the pan and let the wine boil hard for a minute or two, so that all the alcohol bubbles away. Stir in the tomatoes, then adjust the heat so that the liquid barely simmers.
4 Return the lamb to the pan and sprinkle over the chilli and rosemary. Bring to a simmer, put a lid on the casserole and put in the preheated oven for one hour and 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve hot on warmed plates with mashed potato.
5 Meanwhile, make the polenta. Warm the milk and water in a saucepan until simmering. Slowly tip the polenta into the milk and water mixture, stirring all the time, and whisk for 5 minutes until thick. Stir in the butter and Parmesan, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
6 Remove the lamb from the oven and season with salt and pepper to taste, stir in the olives, then serve hot on warmed plates with the creamy polenta.NOTE: If you are making this in advance, reduce the cooking time by about 20 minutes, as it will take 20 minutes to reheat from cold.
