Lamb,Vegetable and Lentil Soup with Nettles
A warming soup with cubes of lamb shoulder or lamb neck fillet, seasonal vegetables, red lentils, hot lamb stock and foraged blanched nettle leaves. It take just over 2 hours to cook, but will simmer away quite comfortably on the hob.
prep time
20 mins
cook time
2 hours 10 minutes
serves
6 people
Ingredients
- 675g/1½lb lean boneless lamb shoulder or neck fillet cut into 2.5cm/1inch cubes
- Salt and freshly milled black pepper
- 30ml/2tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
- 100g/4oz red lentils, rinsed
- 700ml/1¼pints good, hot lamb stock
- 1 large sprig rosemary, roughly chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
- 225g/8oz carrots, peeled and sliced
- 225g/8oz swede, peeled and roughly chopped
- Handful blanched small nettle leaves or baby spinach leaves, rinsed
Method
- Place the lamb in large plastic food bag and season.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan and brown the lamb in batches for 5-6 minutes.
- Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the lentils, stock, rosemary and half the thyme leaves. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat then cover and cook for 2 hours, or until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally.
- 1 hour before the end of the cooking time add the carrots and swede.
- Garnish with the remaining fresh thyme leaves, nettles or baby spinach leaves and serve with crusty bread.
