#LivePeasant Challenge - Slow Cooked Lamb Shank Stew

I love to slow cook meat so when I was challenged to create a slow cooked recipe along the theme of peasant style cooking I could not wait to get going. I love one pot wonders. One pot meals are not only easy and convenient to make but are so full of flavour. All of the different flavours from the ingredients marry together to create a truly hearty meal.

So what is peasant food?

Peasant food is a style of cooking that really goes back to basics. Peasant style meals are cooked in one pot, using simple ingredients which are cooked long and low. These meals are perfect to fit in with busy family life. They are easy to prepare and can be left all day in the oven or slow cooker and will fill your house with fantastic aromas as it cooks to perfection. For slow cooked meals I use cheaper cuts of meat. But being cheaper cuts does not mean that the quality is any lower. To ensure that you are purchasing the best quality of meat simply keep an eye out for the trusty red tractor logo pictured below.

When you see the Red Tractor label on packets of meat you can be confident in the knowledge that the background of the meat has been quality checked and has met the highest standard.

For my peasant style dish I have used lamb shanks to create a heary stew. Packed with root vegetables, potatoes which are the cheapest vegetables to buy and finished off with rosemary dumplings. This dish is full of down to earth flavours and will please the whole family!

This is what I did...

Slow Cooked Lamb Shank Stew with Rosemary Dumplings

Ingredients

2 lamb shanks (approx 1.2kg)

150g carrots, chopped

200g swede, chopped

300g potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 leek, chopped

1 lamb stock cube

25g plain flour

1 sprig of fresh rosemary

500mls water

Salt and pepper to season

50g suet either vegetable suet or original according to taste

100g self raising flour

1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

5 tbsp water

Method

1 - Pre heat the oven to 150C

2 - To prepare the lamb mix the flour and lamb stock cube together

3 - Coat the lamb in the flour and stock mix and place in a casserole pot with a lid

4 - Add the carrots, swede, potatoes, onion and leek, pour over the water and add the sprig of rosemary and season to taste with salt and black pepper

5 - Place in the centre of the pre heated oven and leave for 4 hours. Over the 4 hours all of the flavours will combine and do all of the hard work!

6 - After 4 hours remove from the oven and stir, replace the lid and leave on one side while you prepare the rosemary dumplings

7 - To prepare the dumplings mix the suet, flour, fresh rosemary and water until you have a rough, dough texture

8 - Divide the dumpling mix in to 8 balls and place in the casserole pot with the stew, return the lid and place back in the oven for 30 minutes

9 - After 30 minutes remove from the oven, serve and enjoy!

The meal is full of goodness and full of flavour. This is a top quality meal that can be easily prepared and made ahead of time giving you some of your valuable time back. We all know that family life keeps us on our toes and time is such a present entity. Whether it is helping with homework, cleaning the house or cooking, there is always something that needs doing. So give yourself a bit of time back by cooking slow. Put the jobs to one side and spend more time together as a family. That is the beauty of slow cooking. All you need to do is add the ingredients and allow the cooking process to develop the flavours. For more recipes and ideas check out Simply Beef and Lamb.

When selecting meat for your dishes always remember to look out for the red tractor symbol. When you select meat that carries the red tractor logo you know that it is quality assured.

Enjoy x

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.