- 2 lamb leg steaks
- 1 onion
- 1 celery stick
- 1 carrot
- 1 garlic clove
- A handful of thyme
- A 100g bag of cavolo nero
- A 400g tin of butter beans
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 500ml boiling water
- Pan with a lid
- Measuring jug
- Colander or sieve
- 1.
Chop the lamb leg steaks into small chunks about 2cm across. Warm 2 tsp oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the lamb. Fry for 8-10 mins, turning once or twice till the lamb is browned all over.
- 2.
While the lamb cooks, peel and finely chop the onion. Finely slice the celery stick. Trim and peel the carrot, then finely chop. Peel and crush the garlic.
- 3.
Add the onion, celery and carrot to the lamb. Season well with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 5 mins till the veg are soft and glossy looking.
- 4.
Add the garlic to the pan with most of the thyme sprigs. Cook and stir for 1 min.
- 5.
Pour in 500ml boiling water. Cover. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 45 mins till the lamb is tender.
- 6.
Shred the cavolo nero. Drain and rinse the butter beans. Fish the thyme sprigs out of the lamb stew. Add in the cavolo nero and beans. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 mins.
- 7.
Taste the stew and adjust the seasoning if you think it needs more salt and pepper. Ladle into warm bowls. Scatter over the last of the thyme leaves to serve.
- Tip
In the black
Did you know cavolo nero is a type of kale? Literally meaning “black kale” in Italian, other names for it include Tuscan kale, dinosaur kale (because of its knobbly leaves) and lacinato kale.