A hot pot is a fabulous and easy one-pot dish that cooks pretty much by itself and is the perfect sustenance for a hungry family.
SERVES 3-4
1 carrot, finely diced
2 celery sticks, finely diced
1 onion, finely diced
1 small leek, finely diced
Half a swede, finely diced
1 turnip, finely diced
150g button mushrooms
50g unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
500g diced lamb leg, cubed
500g diced lamb shoulder, cubed
75ml dry white wine
500ml lamb or chicken stock
25g plain flour
1 heaped tbsp tomato purée
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Pre-heat your
oven to 160C/gas 3. In a large sauté pan cook the diced vegetables and
mushrooms in the butter with the garlic and rosemary for a few mins until
softened. Drain and keep to one side.
2. Generously season the diced lamb and fry in small batches until browned nicely on all sides. Remove each batch from the pan and drain off any excess fat. When all the meat is sealed add the white wine to the pan and boil to reduce until almost dry. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Then strain through a sieve.
3. Place the lamb into a braising dish, add the plain flour and tomato purée and allow to cook for 2 mins before adding enough of the hot stock to cover. Place in your pre-heated oven and allow to cook for about 60 mins until the meat is nearly cooked.
4. For the final stage of cooking add your cooked vegetable and mushroom mix from earlier. Stir through your lamb and return to the oven for another 15-20 mins until cooked through, this time without covering as this will concentrate the flavours further still. The meat needs to be tender and the sauce rich and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
5. If at this stage your sauce still seems a little thin, simply strain the majority of the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and reduce separately until the desired thickness is reached, mixing back through the cooked meat and reheating as required. If a little thick, more stock could also be added.
6. Ladle into hot bowls with plenty of the sauce around. Perhaps serve with some Boulangere potatoes and seasonal vegetables or serve it simply with buttered cabbage as the Irish do.
The Jack Cook Book by Matthew Mason, edited by Well Seasoned PR