LAMB AND RED PEPPER RAGOUT

LAMB AND RED PEPPER RAGOUT

Serves 6

(This is a variation of a Geoffrey Smeddle recipe).

Syn Free

8 plum tomatoes - could use tinned, if you didn't want to blanch and peel the fresh ones but, don't forget to drain off the juices. Haven't tried it with tinned but presume it'd work. 
1 kg lean, diced lamb - leg or shoulder, preferably
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
1 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. thyme leaves, chopped
2 tsp. rosemary leaves, chopped
2 red peppers, deseeded and chopped
725ml chicken stock
500g penne pasta

If using fresh plum tomatoes, bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the tomatoes for 10 seconds, then lift them out and put into a bowl of iced water. Leave to cool for a while, then remove from the water and peel off the skins. Chop the flesh but throw away the seeds and set aside the chopped tomato.
Sprinkle the lamb with a teaspoon of salt.
Spray a pan well with Frylight and place over a medium heat. Fry the lamb until browned all over, probably in batches. Put the browned lamb to one side on a plate.
Re-spray the pan and fry the onions and garlic, with a pinch of salt, until soft.
Once soft, add the herbs, paprika and peppers and fry for 5 minutes.
Pour in 100ml of stock and bring to the boil.
Once boiling, stir in the tomatoes and lamb, along with any juices from the lamb.
Season with pepper and pour in the rest of the stock.
Bring to a simmer, turn down the heat and leave to simmer gently for about an hour or until the lamb is tender.
Ten minutes before the ragout is ready, cook the pasta according to pack instructions, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick together.
Drain and rinse the pasta with boiling water and add to the ragout, stirring gently to combine.
Serve on warmed plates.

LAMB AND RED PEPPER RAGOUT

 

LAMB AND RED PEPPER RAGOUT

 

Serves 6

2 Syns per serving, if using olive oil/Syn Free, if just using Frylight (works better with the oil)

8 fresh plum tomatoes
1kg lean, diced lamb - leg or shoulder are good for this
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. thyme leaves, finely chopped
2 tsp. rosemary leaves, finely chopped
2 red peppers, deseeded and chopped
725ml chicken stock
2 tbsp. olive oil - 12 Syns

Put a large pan of water on to boil. Add the tomatoes for 10 seconds, then lift out and put immediately into a bowl of iced water. Leave to cool a little, then remove from the bowl and peel off the skins. Chop the flesh and discard the seeds. Set aside. (It really is worth the small amount of effort to use fresh tomatoes for this recipe).
Season the diced lamb with a pinch of salt.
Put a pan over a medium heat and add a tbsp. of oil (or spray well with Frylight).
Once hot, fry the lamb until browned all over - best done in batches. Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside.
Add more olive oil to the pan (or re-spray) and fry the garlic and onion, with a pinch of salt, until soft.
Once soft, add the herbs, paprika and some black pepper and fry for 3-5 minutes.
Pour in 100ml of stock and bring to the boil. Once boiling, stir in the chopped tomatoes and lamb, along with any juices. Season with pepper and pour in the rest of the stock.
Bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat and leave to simmer gently for approximately 1 hour or until tender.
Ten minutes before the ragout is ready, cook about 500g dried pasta, for about 9 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick together.
Drain the pasta, then add to the ragout. Stir gently together.
Serve on warmed plates immediately, with lots of veg.