Winter Lamb Soup.

Staring at the contents of my freezer last week, and i had the choice of Lamb chops or Lamb chops. I felt like soup for dinner, so this is what i came up with. And I can honestly say this turned out to be one of the nicest soups I have ever made.

I used:

5 x four quater lamb chops - fat trimmed off ( but leave meat on the bones.)
4 stalks celery
4 red rascal potatoes
1 large sweed
3 large carrots
1 sml brown onion
1 clove of garlic ( you could finely dice and add to soup - I removed the skin and left the clove whole, as i removed it before serving // my daughter is sensitive to garlic and as im breast feeding i make an effort not to cook with garlic at the moment.)
1/2 cup of pearl barley ( rinsed well.)
1/2 ltr beef stock
1 ltr of salt reduced chicken stock
approx 1- 2 cups water
seasonings : salt, pepper, and approx 1tsp each of cumin, ground coriander, dried oregano, turmeric and sweet hungarian paprika. ( please note i did not measure these, taste as you go in case any adjustments may need to be made )
1 tbl oil
a good dash of worcestershire sauce

dice all your veggies to a similar size, trim lamb and set aside.
heat oil in large stock pot, and sweat down your veggies and add your seasonings.
once seasonings become fragrant add your stock, water and barley.
bring to the boil, turn down heat and add your lamb chops.
cover and simmer, stiring occassionaly, until veggies are nice and soft and the lamb is coming away from the bones.
before serving, take out the lamb and bones, dice meat and add back to soup - remove all the bones.
add a good dash of worcesteshire sauce
stir and serve with fresh buttered bread or toast.

enjoy,

and happy cooking
Jen

Moroccan Lamb Stew:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp of grated garlic
1/2 tsp of dried chili flakes
1 tsp of ground cumin
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of sea salt
1/4 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
1.5 pounds (700 grams) boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 1/2 cups of water
3 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups cubed (1 inch) pumpkin or butternut squash
1 Tbsp of orange zest
1/3 cup of roughly chopped dried apricots
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves
Cous Cous for 2
Serves 2

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pot over a medium heat. Sweat the onions until translucent, for about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds, stirring continuously. Add the chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper and stir well.
Add the lamb and stir well to coat it in the spice mixture.
Add the water, carrots and orange zest. Bring to the boil over high heat. Then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently, for 30 minutes.
After this time, add the pumpkin cubes and cook for 20 minutes. Add the dried apricots and cilantro (coriander); cook covered for a further 5 minutes.
Prepare the cous cous according to packet instructions. Divide cous cous into serving bowls and ladle on the lamb stew. Serve immediately.