Braised lamb ragu

Serves 8

1kg lamb shoulder, diced 3cm
100g bell peppers, roasted
1 large onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, roasted
100g green olives, pitted
Pinch of saffron threads
1kg cherry tomatoes (fresh or tinned)
100g paprika
50g plain flour
15g sea salt
10g black pepper
Orecchiette pasta, to serve
Rocket leaves, to serve
Pecorino cheese, grated, to serve

Preheat oven to 150°C. In a hot pan, sauté the diced onion and garlic and transfer to a deep casserole dish. Combine paprika and plain flour and coat lamb generously. Sauté the lamb in the same hot pan with a little oil until crispy and caramelised, then add to the casserole dish. Add the cherry tomatoes, pitted green olives, saffron threads and roasted peppers, and then cover and cook for 2 hours with the lid on. Remove lid and cook for a further 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Season to taste. Serve on cooked orecchiette pasta, garnished with rocket and pecorino.

Recipe kindly supplied by:

Chef James Waite
Olivers Restaurant
34 Sunderland Street, Clyde
03 449 2805