Lamb and tomato hotpot

Serves:

Ingredients

• 6 tblsp vegetable oil
• 4 tblsp plain flour
• 1 kg lamb, diced into large chunks
• 2 large onions, cut into segments
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
• 4 ribs of celery, chopped into large pieces
• 6 fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tsp chicken stock powder
• 6 cups water
• 1 bouquet garni

Method

Place lamb into a large ziplock bag with the flour and salt and pepper and shake until all pieces are coated.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large fry pan and brown meat in batches and set aside.

In the same pan fry onions, carrots, celery and tomatoes with garlic.

Stir in tomato paste and stock powder continually stirring for 2 mins.

Add water and stir making sure you scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze.

Return meat to the pan and bring to the boil.

Pour the contents of the pan into a slow cooker and push bouquet garni under the surface.

Set to high until you see the contents boiling and then turn to low for 4 hrs or 2 hrs on high if you are short on time.

If the sauce looks too thin leave the lid off your slow cooker for the last hour. Discard the bouquet garni.

Serve with mash potatoes in a circle on the plate and ladle the hotpot into the centre.

Notes

• This is a great winter warmer dish and is packed full of flavour.
• Bouquet garni is a bundle of herbs that cooks used to tie into a little bag and leave in the pot. When you buy it in the herbs and spices section it looks like a tea bag. Do not break the bag. Just immerse it in the dish and discard it when you’ve finished cooking.
• I used fresh tomatoes because I had a whole case but they can be replaced with 2 tins of diced tomatoes.
• Don’t be alarmed about using the oil to seal the meat. During slow cooking all the oil comes to the surface and you can skim it all off with a spoon.
• This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.

Serving Suggestions

Note