Lyndey Milan's Spanish lamb with honey is a sweetly-spiced dish that pairs nicely with spicy red varieties like Sangiovese or Tempranillo.
Ingredients
2 tbsp (40ml) extra virgin olive oil
750g boneless lamb, cut into 2-3cm cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 red capsicum, deseeded and sliced
1 yellow capsicum, deseeded and sliced
1 green capsicum, deseeded and sliced
2 medium red onions, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp hot smoked paprika, or to taste
¾ cup (180 ml) amontillado sherry
1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes
large pinch of saffron threads (optional)
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp (20ml) sherry vinegar
2–3 tbsp ironbark, blackbox or warm flavoured honey
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp finely chopped continental parsley
2 tbsp toasted slivered almonds
Recipe by: Lyndey Milan
Photography by: John Paul Urizar
Styling by: Michaela Le Compte
Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 175°C.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium/large ovenproof dish. Season lamb with salt and pepper and cook over a high heat in three or more batches until well browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce heat to medium, add remaining oil and cook capsicum and onion until softened, at least 5 minutes. Add the garlic and paprika, and cook for a further minute or two, then add the sherry and bring to a simmer.
3. Return lamb to the pan with any juices which have gathered, with tomatoes, saffron, sherry vinegar and 2 tablespoons honey. Bring to the boil, cover and place in pre-heated oven for 1 hour. (Alternatively cook on stove top over low heat, stirring occasionally.)
4. Check the lamb for tenderness. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes or so, adding the beans for the last 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and assess if it needs the remaining honey. Remove bay leaves. Scatter the parsley and almonds on top. Serve with braised silverbeet if desired.
Lyndey’s Note
You can cut up a boneless butterflied lamb shoulder or small leg. If using the shoulder, trim off excess fat. Australian lamb is tender and high quality and takes less time to cook than it may in other countries.
Wine Match
Tempranillo