Reader recipe: Maltese slow-cooker lamb

Tam West

Simon Portelli is the winner of our slow-cooker reader recipe competition. We loved the ease of this recipe, which is what slow-cookers are all about, right? Just throw it all in the cooker in the morning and finish it off when you get home from work. You can choose to brown the meat in a frying pan first or not. The sprinkle of feta and herbs that finish this dish gives it the edge. Simon says this is a recipe his grandmother used to make. It comes from Malta but there are a few different versions around the Mediterranean, with slight variations on the ingredients and herbs used.

Ingredients

4 Tbsp	Olive oil, plus more if needed
1 ½ kgs	Boned lamb shoulders, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2cm cubes (Main)
2 medium	Onions, sliced finely
4 cloves	Garlic, minced
4 sprigs	Thyme
1 tsp	Dried oregano
3	Bay leaves
3	Carrots, peeled and cut into very chunky pieces
2 cans	Diced tomatoes, 400g each
1 ¼ cups	Stock, lamb or chicken, or use water
1 bottle	Dry white wine
250 g	Pasta, tubular, par-cooked so it still has a few minutes left to cook to al dente
1 serving	Feta, to serve
1 serving	Chopped parsley, to serve
1 serving	Oregano, or basil leaves, to serve

Directions

1. Add all the ingredients, except the pasta, feta and finishing herbs to a large slow cooker.
2. Cook on low for the whole day. The meat should be tender and yielding. When ready, season with salt and pepper and turn the cooker up to high so that the stew begins to bubble.
3. Add the par-cooked pasta. This is meant to be a wet stew, with lots of liquid to cover the pasta for it to finish cooking.
4. When the pasta is al dente, serve in bowls with crumbled feta and finely chopped parsley, oregano or basil on top. Serve with warm crusty bread.

More recipes

For more winning reader recipes,go to this collection.