Shake up your slow cooker meals this winter with my delicious lamb and orzo stew. Bursting with comforting flavours this will be a sure fire hit in your house!
Check out my YouTube video for a cooking tutorial on how to cook this dish.
Prep time 30mins
Cooking time 5-6hrs
2tbsp olive or veg oil
Salt and ground black pepper
900g shoulder of lamb
3 celery sticks, cut in to chunks
1 large onion, cut in to wedges
2 medium carrots, cut in to chunks
3 garlic gloves, crushed or sliced
2bay leaves
1.5tsp dried rosemary
2tsp oregano
2tsp fresh or dried thyme
1tbsp tomato puree
300g tinned chopped tomatoes
1tbsp red wine vinegar
300ml lamb stock
300g dried orzo
60g fresh parsley, roughly chopped
100g feta cheese
First heat a frying pan on high and add the oil to heat up.
Season the lamb generously with salt and pepper, we really want to get some flavour in to the meat so don't be shy, at least 1/2tsp of each.
Now brown the lamb all over, this will add more flavour to your meal. Once browned all over, pop it in to the slow cooker.
In the same pan you browned the lamb in, add a little more oil if necessary and sauté your onions for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften.
Add all of the rest of the ingredients, except the orzo, to the slow cooker. This includes;
Celery, onion, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, tomato puree, tinned tomatoes, red wine vinegar, hot lamb stock. (I repeat do NOT add the orzo yet)
Pop the slow cooker on high for 30minutes and then put on low for 4hours, or until the lamb is tender and falling off the bone.
4 hours later......
Now check that your meat is beautiful and soft, carefully remove it from the slow cooker and shred it with a couple of forks.
If there's a bit to much oil on top of the cooking liquor and you'd prefer to get rid of some it use one of the tips below (although fat is flavour)
Once you've tried your best to get rid of any unwanted fat, add the shredded lamb back in.
Add the dried orzo, there should be plenty of liquid left to cook the orzo but if it needs topping up a little just do so with more lamb stock (see my video for how much liquid I have in my slow cooker when I add the orzo)
Cover with a lid and cook for 35-45 minutes until the orzo is just cooked and tender.
Once orzo is cooked stir through most of your chopped parsley reserving a little for garnish. Have a taste and adjust the seasoning, I find a little more salt helps to lift the flavour but that's up to your individual taste.
Serve in to bowls and sprinkle with a little more parsley and some crumbled feta.
