Greek lamb stew

I cooked this for ginny and matt for saturday lunch and it seemed to go down well.  The only thing greek about it was the feta crumbled over the top - a bit weird for a stew but tasted pretty good.  It was slightly dominated by the small pasta (shaped like rice as you can see), so i have suggested using slightly less than nigella.

- In a large pan that will also go in the oven, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil and brown 2 1/2 kg lamb shoulder, cut into large cubes, in batches.
- Remove to a plate, then add 750g finely sliced onions, adding more oil if needed, season with salt and cook until soft.
- Add 4 cloves minced garlic, 2 stalks finely chopped celery, 4 sprigs thyme and 1 teaspoon dried oregano.
- Remove half the mixture after a few mins, add the meat on top, and put the other half of the mixture back on top.
- Add 3 bay leaves, 2 carrots halved, 3 400g tins of chopped tomatoes, 300ml lamb stock, and a bottle of dry white wine.
- Bring to the boil, remove the scum, bubble for 3 mins then transfer to the oven and cook for 2 hours.
- If you are doing this in advance, let cool in the fridge, and before re-heating, skim the fat off the top.
- Add 500g small pasta (such as ditalini or macaroni) partially cooked beforehand, and then finish off cooking it in the stew, adding more liquid as necessary.
- Crumble 300g feta cheese in a bowl with some parsley, oregano or basil, and let people sprinkle it on top.

This feeds about 10 people.



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