Recipe : Slow Braised Lamb with Gnocchi

15 April 2012

Ingredients

• 1 x lamb leg
• plain flour
• 100 ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra
• 60 g unsalted butter
• 1 brown onion, finely diced
• 1 leek, white part, only, washed and finely diced
• 4 celery stalks, cut into 5 mm thick diagonal slices
• 1 large carrot, halved and cut into 5mm thick diagonal slices
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 375 ml dry white wine
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 400 g can diced tomatoes
• 2 tbs roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tbl spoon tomato paste
• chilli flakes to taste
• 400 g gnocchi
• Parmasan

Method

Trim leg of excess fat and dust in flour and shake away excess. Heat oil and butter over medium heat in a frying pan and brown lamb then remove from pan. Add a little extra oil to the pan then add onion, leek, celery, carrot and garlic. Cook over medium hear for 10 minutes, or until vegies are soft, but not coloured. Add the bay leaves, white wine and chicken stock to the pan and stir to release any pieces stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the chopped tomato and half the parsley.

Add all ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for 4hours. Add tomato paste and chill flakes and then cook on high for 4 hours. Remove leg and allow to cool slightly. Remove meat from bone and tear into 2 cm pieces (don't cut). Return meat to the sauce and check the seasoning. Keep sauce warm while you cook the gnocchi.

Stir remaining parsley into sauce. Spoon the gnocchi into bowls and top with sauce. Grate Parmesan over and serve.

*Optional - add butter and oil into a fry pan and fry off gnocchi to achieve a crisp finish.

Delicious!