In my opinion it takes a LOT to beat a
lamb knuckle stew when the weather is moody...
which it was this last Thursday,
and as my mom was coming over for dinner too..
it was the perfect opportunity to make a nice big pot!

Minty Lamb Knuckle Stew

with Sweet Potato, Bell Peppers & Peas

......

So the first thing I do is fry up some roughly chopped
onion, and red and green bell pepper,
along with some salt, pepper and some garlic.

Once that has fried for a couple of minutes,
you can add the lamb knuckles and brown them
nicely for about 5 - 7 minutes...

While that is busy you can chop up
the fresh mint and rosemary...

Lately, my mint looks like it is on steroids...
Due to our massive drought and water restrictions
here in Cape Town, we are not allowed to water our
gardens with municipal water anymore...

So I have resorted to watering my plants with
my old dish water haha!!
It would appear that the mint REALLY likes it! LOL!

ok so...
chop, chop, chop, chop!

The meat should be nicely braised by now,
so you can add the chopped herbs

Once the herbs are in,
I add a packet of brown onion soup (dry)
a chicken stock cube,
about a tablespoon of Chutney (Hive account@rwedegis - see... versatile!! lol)
and then top it up with cold water,
just enough to cover the meat.
(I thicken it later)

Give it a good stir and bring it to the boil.
You can leave it boiling for a few min,
then reduce the heat.
and add the sweet potato cubes.

Once the boiling has reduced to mild bubbling,
then I thicken the broth.

To do this I am generally lazy lol
and will shake up about two heaped tablespoons
of all purpose flour with about 400ml of water / milk...
If I am feeling indulgent I will add 250ml cream
straight to the pot later for extra creaminess...
but I didn't this time.

As you add the thickener, keep stirring,
you will feel the broth thickening.
Once thickened you can pop the lid back on
and leave it to simmer for, well... as long as need be.
In fact a couple of hours is normally good,
as then the lamb is SUPER tender!

And that's a wrap!

Oh, and I forgot to mention...
I generally add the frozen baby peas
about 20 min before serving,
because I like it when they are only just cooked
and they still POP in your mouth :)