Lamb scouse with olives and red wine
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
Lamb scouse with olives and red wine
Leave this Greek-inspired take on a comforting Liverpudlian scouse to bubble away slowly, then put your feet up for a spell while the lamb becomes tender and fills the kitchen with mouthwatering aromas
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
Spencer Lengsfield
Our Senior Food Producer Spencer was born in Los Angeles, so has an inherent love for all things Mexican, Japanese, and Korean but is also heavily influenced by her family’s Louisiana heritage. She loves spice, bright flavours, and fusion food, and she has a soft spot for a chocolate chip cookie.
Spencer Lengsfield
Our Senior Food Producer Spencer was born in Los Angeles, so has an inherent love for all things Mexican, Japanese, and Korean but is also heavily influenced by her family’s Louisiana heritage. She loves spice, bright flavours, and fusion food, and she has a soft spot for a chocolate chip cookie.
Ingredients
- 1-1.2kg boneless lamb shoulder, excess fat trimmed and cut into 4-5cm chunks
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve (optional)
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 700g maris piper potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 250ml red wine
- 500ml chicken stock
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 100g pitted kalamata olives
To serve
- ½ red cabbage, cored and shredded
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves (optional)
Step by step
In step 1, use the sear setting on your slow cooker, if it has one. In step 2, reduce the wine to 200ml and add with the onions and carrots to cook off some of the alcohol. In step 3, reduce the stock to 250ml. Cook the stew, covered, for 4 hours on high, adding the olives for the final 20 minutes, uncovered.
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Put the lamb shoulder chunks in a large bowl, add the flour and some seasoning, then toss to coat. Heat the oil in a large pan or flameproof casserole over a medium-high heat, then sear the lamb on all sides until a deep golden crust forms (about 5 minutes). You may need to do this in batches. Remove to a plate.
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Add the onion and carrots to the pan, along with a splash of water to scrape up all the bits from the bottom of the pan, if needed. Cook until softened, then return the lamb to the pan and add the potatoes and tomato purée. Stir to coat. Cook for a further minute, reduce the heat and deglaze with the red wine.
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Add the chicken stock, dried oregano, bay leaf, worcestershire sauce and some seasoning to the casserole. The liquid should just cover the lamb. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar. Cook for 2 hours or until the lamb is very tender and the sauce has thickened. Stir occasionally and gently, to avoid breaking up the potatoes too much, and skim any excess fat that has risen to the surface. Add the olives for the final 30 minutes.
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Meanwhile, to make the pickled red cabbage, put the shredded cabbage in a large bowl and add the cider vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt. Massage everything with your hands, then leave to stand for about 20 minutes.
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Divide the scouse among wide bowls, top with the fresh oregano and an extra drizzle of olive oil, if you like, then serve with the red cabbage pickle on the side.
