Everyone has that dish that they remember from their past. Trying to recreate a dish from your past is very hard to do. There are various reasons for this. Written recipes are not always 100% accurate, people change their recipes all the time and add small changes that can have a drastic impact on the flavor of a dish. Also, the cookware that people use influences the taste of the dish. There are various other reasons as well, but I think most people will understand when I said that your mother's (or father's, or family's) cooking will always taste better than your own attempt to recreate a dish from your past. It does not prohibit you from trying!
I am lucky enough to have access to the pot that my family used for a generation or two now. It is well seasoned and imparts a unique flavor to the food. I also have my dad close by to ask his advice on how he made the family's recipe.
So here is my rendition of our family recipe, a great dish for the cold winter months!
Recipe:
- Lamb rib (I cut my own pieces from a full rack)
- Baby potatoes
- Baby onions
- Various marrows (pumpkins)
- Water
Method
This is a slow-cooked meal. It takes from start to finish about 3 hours. The meat stews for about an hour, and the potato and onion cook for 20-30 minutes, and the marrow pumpkins for 10 minutes. So please see the images below for a step-by-step method of this awesome dish!
Step 1
This step is additional. We buy lamb bulk packs so the lamb rack is not cut into smaller pieces. I just cut them into bite-size pieces.
Step 2
I use a traditional South African pot, maybe it is also available elsewhere in the world. But this is traditionally used in South African cooking across cultures. We normally use it outside on a portable gas bottle.
Step 3
Brown the meat like always. This creates exceptional flavor. Do not worry about burning the meat, but keep an eye on them! The darker (but not burned) the meat gets at this stage, the more meaty flavor you will impart to the dish.
Step 4
Brown the onions (not the baby onions, but a finely chopped onion) in the rendered fat from the lamb. This will also release all the brown bits of meat from the bottom of the pot.
Step 5
After the onions are browned, add all of the meat and accumulated juices back into the pot. Add Worcestershire Sauce and wine. Do not add too much water. I added too much. It remains an art to judge how much water you need to add.
Step 6
Boil with the lid closed for an hour. (The picture below is after an hour of stewing.)
Step 7
Add the potato and onion. Boil for a further 20 minutes or until the potatoes are 85% done. They need to cook with the marrow pumpkins as well for 10 minutes. Factor that in.
Step 8
Add the marrow pumpkins, and boil until cooked. If you did your calculations correctly, the potatoes will also be perfectly cooked.
Step 9
Dish up. You now have a hearty South African-style stew to keep you warm in the cold of winter!
Please give this recipe a try! It really is something special.