Slow cooked lamb with rosemary and garlic, classic lamb flavors with jus

Here I have used a 10g pack of rosemary, leave whole, plus a tonne of chopped garlic and 1 cup of broth from the freezer and some salt and pepper. You can use a leg or shoulder.

Put on low for the day with the fatty skin side facing up.

When done carefully lift out-watch out it doesn't fall apart! Then you can put under a medium heated grill to brown the top and render the fat down some more. Gently scrap off the rosemary and garlic first (garlic will burn otherwise)

To make the jus

With all the juices in the slow cooker strain into a pot (you can add some spare red wine here too if you wanted (what is this spare wine you speak of?)

SImmer these juices until reduced right down and is thickened and tastes amazing. I reduced by about 3/4, this means if you start with 500ml, reduce down to 125ml. I threw in some chopped mint at the end too, for some freshness.

Gravy is really just broth and pan juices which is thickened with a flour, good but not as good as jus!

A jus, is broth that has been reduced, or simmered continuously until it is thick, the flavors will concentrate and you get that smooth gelatinous feel in your mouth.

Lamb and rosemary sausages

Makes 10 sausages

Ingredients

500g lamb mince, you could sub for beef, veal, chicken or pork

½ brown onion, peeled

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

Small handful of parsley, you can leave out if you like

3-4 small stems of rosemary leaves taken off the stem, about 2 tbsp or so of leaves

1 tbsp corn flour or other starchy flour such as arrowroot, tapioca, potato or rice flour

Method

Put the onion, garlic and herbs in a food processor until rough chop. Add your mince and flour and pulse until the mince is fine like sausage meat. It will be sticky.  Add ½-1 tsp of pink salt or to taste. Pulse again.

Take out and form into 10 balls, then roll out on a flat board to sausage shape, use your fingers to bring the ends in so the sausage is even and roll so it is nice and smooth. Continue until you have your sausages all done. Place in the fridge until you need them.

Pan Fried Lamb chops with golden cannellini bean puree and turmeric veggies

The humble legume, shunned by some, embraced by others!

They are high in protein as a plant food with 8.5g protein per 100g cooked and 8.4g fibre!

They are a low glycaemic load (GL) so this means they are a steady steam of energy and won’t spike your blood sugars.

The GL is different to the GI (glycaemic index) in that GI is measuring how much 50g carbs in a certain food raises your blood sugars. So this means you would need to eat 250g cannellini beans to get 50g carbs (per 100g there is 20g carbs) this will give you a GI of 31 which is still low. The GL on the other hand is a measure of a typical serving size which I think gives you a better indication as you are unlikely to be eating 250g cannellini beans!

Example

An 85g serve of beans has an available carb content of 17g and the GI is 31.

31x17/100= 5.2

Low: 10 or less

Medium: 11 to 19

High: 20 or more

You can use this to work out all carb containing foods. But remember we usually eat a mix of protein, fat and carbs so the outcome will be different! Remember the bigger the portion size the greater the GL and the higher the calorie content smile emoticon So if you want rice but don't want to eat as its high GI then just have less of of it and you will decrease the GL

Coat your chops in your favourite spice mx, I have used Jamie Olivers range (again!) You can use any meat or chop you like you don't have to do anything I do. Cook fat side down to render down and crispen up, then cook each side of the chop.

Finely chop 1 tbsp turmeric and 1 tbsp of garlic, mix together and put 1/2 tbsp aside (leaving you with 1.5 tbsp) In a small pot add your 1/2 tbsp garlic/turmeric mix plus a little olive oil and butter and a 425g can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans, fry off for 1-2 minutes and then add 1/2 cup of broth (I used chicken) season with salt, simmer for 5 minutes and then use a stick mixer to blend until smooth. With the other 1.5 tbsp of your spice mix fry off with some chopped bacon, green beans, zucchini, cook for 5 minutes and then add some shredded cabbage and spinach, cook until wilted. Season if needed.

Lamb, zucchini and feta rissoles

Serves 6

Ingredients

500g lamb mine

2 zucchinis, grated, squeeze out excess juice

150g greek feta or other crumbly feta, 1 cm dice

Method

Knead the mince until it is sticky, this is what binds the mince together. Then add your zucchini and feta, mix through and season well with salt and pepper. Form into 6 rissoles and fry off in a large pan for 3- 4 minutes each side or until your liking. Sere up with extra veg or salad..

Asian pulled lamb with carrots and a side of cavolo nero, green bean, sesame and almonds

Serves 6

 

Ingredients

1 kg whole lamb shoulder or similar

5 slices ginger

Lots of peeled garlic

3 star anise

½ cup of broth or water

 2 tbsp tamari, soy, or coconut aminos

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, you can leave out if you want

3 carrots -cut in half

Method

Chuck it all in your slow cooker and cook for the day. Pull apart with a fork when done.

The side dish is 500g ( you can use depending on how many people you are feeding) green beans, tops and tailed and 1 bunch of washed and chopped cavola nero, you can use spinach or kale. In a large pan or wok stir fry the beans in some coconut oil/ghee for 3 minutes and then add the cavolo nero and then add tbsp each of sesame seeds and slivered almonds, stir fry another 1-2 minutes until your greens are wilted