A family favourite
A no fuss slow cooker meal with all the goodness!
This is one of my favourite winter recipes so I just had to share it with you. Growing up in New Zealand I think lamb is one of our most popular meats, it’s definitely my favourite.
One of my most favourite things about winter are slow cooker meals like hearty stews…it’s super easy to throw in the slow cooker in the morning and then you come home to amazing aromatics as you hurry inside from the cold. Then dinner takes just minutes to serve and you can all tuck in together as a family, heaven!
Lamb necks are the new lamb shanks in my book…remember when lamb shanks were cheap as and an easy meal, then they became quite the trend in restaurants and the price of lamb shanks shot up! So let’s welcome in lamb necks as our next cheap and tasty cut of meat.
The bonus of lamb necks is that delicious morsel of marrow in the centre of each neck. Bone marrow is so good for us…let me tell you why;
- high in collagen which is great for the health of our joints, skin and hair
- contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a type of fat that could decrease inflammation and enhance immune function.
- may contain several other key compounds, including glycine, glucosamine, and chondroitin which are also good for joint health
- contains vitamin B12, and trace amounts of other B vitamins and vitamins E and A
By slow cooking the meat and bones you will be getting all the mineral benefits just like a bone broth.
Finally, I love a good stew because you can totally load up on vegetables, herbs and spices making an extremely healthy meal.
Lamb Neck Stew recipe:
(feeds 4)
700 grams of lamb necks
1 x onion diced
3 x cloves of garlic diced
1 x Tablespoon smoked paprika
1 x Tablespoon ground cumin
1 x teaspoon oregano
1 x tablespoon of pomegranate molasses (optional, but blimmin worth it!)
1 x teaspoon of chilli flakes (or more if you like it spicy)
1 x kumara (sweet potato) diced
1 x carrot diced
3 x cubes of frozen spinach
1 x can of diced tomatoes
1 x can of cannellini beans (or chickpeas)
Salt & Pepper
Throw all into the slow cooker, stir and cook on medium for 6 - 8 hours or high for 4- 6 hours.
Serve with a side of sauerkraut, a drizzle of pomegranate molasses over the top and a crusty sourdough or toasted pita bread and hummus. Or wild rice and quinoa is a lovely option too if you’re gluten-free.
Kids Hint: You can remove the bones prior to serving, but make make sure you scoop out that yummy marrow and mix it through their meal!
If you are looking for a winter immune boosting tonic; I’ve got you covered here
