Recipe: Lamb Abgooshte

Abgooshte literally means 'meat water' because this slow cooked Ethiopian casserole is supposed to have a lot of liquid. You can reduce the liquid further and eat it with rice as a stew if you prefer.

I've adapted this recipe from one I came across in 'Vogue Entertaining and Living'.

It's wowed everyone who I've cooked it for.

It's a perfect dish to prepare on a day when you're tucked up on the couch reading or watching reruns of Will and Grace!

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1 can chick peas, rinsed thoroughly in cold water

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 lamb shanks

2 red onions, finely chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste

Juice of two lemons

1 litre good chicken stock

1 teaspoon ground tumeric

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon crushed dried red chillies

4 large potatoes quartered

4 tomatoes peeled, cut into wedges

salt and pepper to taste

bread or rice to serve

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Heat oil in a casserole pot (preferably a Le Creuset dish for best results).Add lamb shanks, season with salt and pepper and turn until well-browned all over.Remove from pot. Add onions and cook until browned. Return lamb to the pot and add tomato paste, lemon juice, spices and a chicken stock. Season well. Cover and simmer very gently (just ever so light bubbles on surface of liquid) for 2 hours. Check quantity of liquid . It should be very soupy.

Add potatoes to casserole and cook for 40 minutes. Add tomatoes and chickpeas and cook for a further 20 minutes until lamb meat is falling off the bone. Spoon into bowls and serve with bread or rice.