Hi guys,

Well it is time to admit my little personal passion is the inner chef in me. And with the new series of Masterchef now on TV, my fantasy of having a cooking show is back on my mind. In fact I often say, if I could have my time again, I would indulge my love for food styling and cooking…you know the job Donna Hay has! When I was in high school I was fortunate enough to do work experience in a PR firm and on one of the days I go to help on a photo shoot with the amazing Margaret Fulton – I think this was the moment in life I missed….oh well, not all was lost with my career!

My favourite chef at the moment that I love to stalk is Marion Grasby. I love her casual approach to integrating asian base cooking into her meals, with her spin and with her very funny little Thai mum, which is just delightful. The one thing I love most about cooking is the theatre you can bring to it. And just like actors, what I love doing is taking the time to do my preparation –  reading through recipes for inspiration, shopping for all the right props for my show and then the show begins – the cooking! And the best part of all is when my audience eats and gives me the ultimate feedback….MMMM that’s just yummmm.

In my week of pondering what makes a person exceptional, I was thinking about my inner chef because I do believe this is my little secret to making me an exceptional person, and a person that I love because my inner chef has a strong self esteem and doesn’t worry about whether she nails it or not, its just about the love, the enjoyment and good health. 

So here goes, a little side project so I can indulge my inner chef, I am now going to introduce a weekly blog called “The POP Cooking Coach”, a mix of video and written posts for you to enjoy! 

My first recipe is dedicated to my beautiful Nana Alice, a lady who loved to cook xx

Lamb Stewed in Love

Note – this takes at least 8 hours to cook, just like love it needs some time to settle;)

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg lamb shoulder with the bone in
  • 2 carrots roughly chopped
  • 4 stalks celery roughly chopped
  • 1 large brown onion roughly chopped
  • 2-3 fresh garlic roughly chopped
  • 2 fresh bay leafs
  • 1/4 bunch rosemary
  • 1/4 bunch thyme
  • 2 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup pitted large green olives (i love the ones stuffed with capsicum for more flavour)
  • 4 cups chicken stock (home made best or Massel brand)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Knob of butter

3- Step Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 90 degrees. Heat a large oven proof pot/pan and give it a good glug of olive oil. Gently brown the lamb shoulder on both sides and set aside.

Step 2

In the same pot sauté the carrot, celery, onions, garlic, rosemary, thyme and bay leaf until its all looking translucent (ie a bit of colour). Add the tin tomatoes and tomato paste. Place the lamb back in the pot and add the chicken stock until it just covers the lamb. Add the salt and pepper and pop in the oven to slow cook for at least 8 hours (I often start cooking around 9am for a 6pm dinner…or the night before).

Step 3

To serve, gently remove the lamb and remove the bone. Remove any herb twigs from the liquid and add the olives and knob of butter. If it needs a bit more water, then do so, otherwise bring to the boil, reduce heat and add the lamb (gently tear it apart in chunks). Add the salt and pepper and voila you are done! I like to serve this dish with Pearl Cous Cous as it perfectly soaks in the juices…a little side salad of broccoli and beans is also a noice thing to do 😉

Mmmmm, enjoy! 

Ps- the inspiration is from a recipe found in the Great Australian Cookbook!