Vegetable and Lamb Casserole

So as I was preparing this dish, I had no full idea of what on earth I was doing or how it was going to come out!! I however knew how I wanted it to taste- delicious of course :D. My girls and I enjoyed it for days! Well actually, just 2 days, lol. It’s pretty easy to do and you don’t have to be standing over any pot waiting for it to get ready. You can relax or work on something else as it cooks.

Resources/Equipment You Will Need

• Pot
• Casserole dish
• Wooden spoon
• Bowl
• Measuring jug
• Chopping board
• Sharp knife

Quick Instructions

1. Get all the ingredients you’re going to use ready. (400g lamb (mutton); 3 carrots, cubed; 1 cup sweet corn; 1 cup peas; 4 celery sticks, cut into half; 200ml white wine (I used Carimba); 125ml beef stock; 1 1/4 tsp salt; 3 cloves garlic; 10 leaves fresh basil (you could also use basil blossom)
   1/4 cup pure vegetable oil; 1 tbsp mixed herbs and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper.
2. Also get your lamb ready and cut it into medium sized chunks, trimming off and excess fat.
3. Put the lamb in a pot. Add salt,  fresh basil leaves and whole garlic cloves.
4. Add enough water that just about covers the meat. Close pot and slowly simmer until meat is tender. When meat is cooked through, fry it briefly until browned.  Cut it into bite size pieces and set aside.(You may not need to add any oil to do the frying as the the lamb will have some that would have come through from the cooking).
5. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit/ Gas Mark 5. In a medium bowl, put oil, fresh basil, ground black pepper, salt and mixed herbs, combine. Add the carrots, toss them in the herbal oil and remove using a slotted spoon. Put them in the casserole dish as your first layer. Repeat process for remaining vegetables before layering them in the casserole dish. The next layer after carrots will be the celery sticks.
6. Take set aside lamb and layer it after the celery sticks.
7. Next add the peas and sweet corn (which would have again been tossed in the herbal oil).
8. Toss the tomatoes in the herbal oil and put them as the final layer.
9. Pour the white wine and beef stock into the casserole. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
10. When vegetables are cooked, add grated cheddar cheese, return to the oven for just a few minutes for the cheese to melt. (Please note, this stage is optional)

Pictorial Detailed Instructions

You may serve this with roast potatoes, rice, or even samp! If you don’t have lamb you can even use beef as a substitute.