Epic Greek Lamb Stew

Ingredients

for the lamb stew
• Splash of olive oil or knob of butter
• 1 large onion - chopped
• 2 sticks of celery - sliced
• 2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
• 400g diced stewing lamb
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp fennel seeds - ground using pestle and mortar
• 2 carrots - chopped
• 150ml white wine
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes
• handful of black olives - roughly chopped
• 1 heaped tsp dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 250ml chicken or vegetable stock
• salt & pepper to season
to serve
• juice of a small lemon
• 100g feta cheese crumbled
• handful of roughly chopped flat leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 170C.
2. Add a splash of olive oil or knob of butter to a hob/oven safe pan (one with a lid) Add the chopped onions and celery to the pan and fry for 10 minutes over a low heat until softened.
3. Tip in the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the diced lamb, cinnamon and fennel seeds and cook gently stirring frequently until browned.
5. Pour in the wine and allow to sizzle for a minute or two.
6. Tip in the carrots, chopped tomatoes, olives, oregano and bay leaves.
7. Pour in the stock - season with salt and pepper to taste, then bring the stew to the boil and then pop on the lid and put the stew into the oven - cook for around 2 hours 30 or until the meat and vegetables are tender. Check the stew around 1 hour into cooking just to check it doesn't need any further stock adding.
8. Once the stew is cooked and you're ready to serve - stir in the lemon juice and then sprinkle over the feta cheese and chopped parsley.