Mutton and Ale Stew

Never had mutton before? Always thought it cheap and tough? A poor mans Lamb?

Well you’d be wrong.

Mutton, whilst older and naturally tougher than young Lamb, if cooked properly,  has a really intense and deep flavour that I can only describe as Lamb²

If you get the chance, then please do give it a go. There’s no great mystery to cooking it, just treat it like you would Lamb, just for longer and at a lower temperature. You won’t be disappointed.

Mutton is fairly cheap and stewing it means you can chuck any old veg you've got knocking about the place. This made around 6 portions 

This recipe follows the basic Lamb stew principle and if you’ve seen my lamb stew post, will seem very familiar .

Ingredients 

500g Diced Mutton

2 Medium Onions Chopped

3 Cloves of Garlic Finely Chopped

3 Anchovies Finely Chopped

3 Large Carrots Cut into chunks or large discs

1 Small Swede cut into chunks

6 Shallots peeled, topped and tailed

Any other veg you want to chuck in

500ml of Lamb Stock

500ml of Ale (London Pride in this case)

Large Pinch of Chilli Flakes

Tablespoon of Tomato Puree

80g Plain Flour, seasoned

100g Pearl Barley

Sprig of Rosemary and a sprig of thyme

I found that preparing all the veg then putting in a bowl of water helped keep them fresher

Method 

Put the diced lamb into a bowl with the flour and ensure all pieces are covered

Pre-Heat the oven to 160

In a flame proof casserole dish brown pour in about a tablespoon of olive oil, and then brown the lamb in batches, put to one side for now

In the casserole dish fry the onions until soft then add the garlic and anchovies fry for one min.

Next add the Carrots, Shallots and Swede, stir fry for another min before adding the tomato puree and any remaining flour, make sure the flour is dispersed and stir well

Add in the Ale and deglaze the pan, one the liquid starts to boil add the lamb stock.

Bring to the boil, add the chilli flakes and herbs, cover and place in the oven for 2.5-3 hours. Add the pearl barley 30 mins before you're ready to serve stirring every 20 mins or so until  the mutton is beautifully tender. Season to taste and serve with bread or mash

The Timings for cooking aren't exact its depends on your oven, how cooked the meat is etc ...

Do keep an eye on it though, if its drying out add more water , but remember to keep tasting.