Tender Lamb in rich Puttanesca Sauce
Serves: 4-5
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 3 hours
Puttanesca is a traditional and much-loved Italian sauce usually served with pasta. I’ve put a Kiwi spin on it by adding lamb and serving it over a buttery kumara mash. I won’t tell you what the word ‘Puttanesca’ actually means in Italian (you can Google it if you must) – all that matters is that it’s loaded with flavour and couldn’t be easier to make. The oven does all the work to make the lamb ‘fall-off-the-bone’ tender.
Ingredients
1kg – 1.5kg Quality Mark lamb shoulder chops, trimmed
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 onions, finely chopped
4 anchovy fillets, chopped
1½ tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes in juice
½ chilli powder (optional)
1 cup salt reduced chicken stock
2 teaspoons sugar
¾ cup olives
1 tablespoon capers, drained (optional)
Kumara mash
4-5 orange or gold kumara, peeled and chopped
25g butter
¼ cup grated Parmesan
½ cup chopped parsley
To serve
Extra fresh parsley, chopped
Extra grated Parmesan
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Method
Lamb
Preheat the oven to 150C.
Heat a little oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over a very high heat.
Pat the lamb dry with a paper towel, trim any fat and season with a little salt and pepper. Add 2-3 chops to the pan and cook until browned on one side. Turn over and cook another few minutes. Transfer to a warmed plate and repeat with the remaining chops.
Tip any fat from the pan and return to a medium heat. Add a little oil and the garlic, onion, anchovies, oregano and rosemary. Cook for 7-10 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the tomato paste, tinned tomatoes, chilli powder (if using), stock and sugar. Stir to combine and nestle the chops in so they’re covered. Bring to a boil then turn off the heat straight away.
If your pan is ovenproof, cover and cook in the oven for 3 hours. If not, transfer everything to a covered casserole dish before placing in the oven.
With 15 minutes to go, add the olives and capers (if using).
Remove from the oven, stir, and then check the seasoning. If the sauce seems a little thin, remove the lamb then simmer rapidly in an uncovered saucepan for 5-10 minutes to thicken it.
Mash
Steam or simmer the kumara pieces in a covered pot until tender – about 15-20 minutes. Drain the water off and place back over a low heat, uncovered, for a few minutes to evaporate the excess moisture. Add the butter, Parmesan and parsley and mash well to combine. Season to taste and keep warm.
To serve
If you like, you can pull the meat off the bones before you serve it. Spoon some mash into warmed serving bowls or plates, then top with meat and a few spoonfuls of the sauce. Sprinkle with parsley, Parmesan and a splash of balsamic vinegar if you like.
Alternate cuts
Diced lamb shoulder, lamb necks
Tips
- Lamb chops don’t always have to be fast-fried on the BBQ – when they’re slow cooked like this, the meat becomes meltingly tender. Chops have a great flavour too.
- Bring the chops to room temperature if you can before frying them, so they brown up better resulting in more flavour.
- This sauce is also goes well with pasta – try it with cooked fettuccine, pappardelle or penne.
- Be careful not to add salt until the very end until you’ve tasted it – olives and anchovies are all salty and you probably won’t need any more.
- If you like a spicy kick, double the amount of chilli powder you add – or pop in a fresh red chilli.
- This dish can be made in a slow cooker.
Chelsea, I have several of your books and whenever I need to cook something special that I know will never fail I turn to you. This recipe in “Scrumptious” appealed and I cooked it to celebrate my birthday – 73 since you ask – and it was superb. Melted in the mouth and so full of taste. I’ve frozen the left-overs and am very happy to know that I have many enjoyable meals to come. I’d really like you to know that your Crazy Italian Chocolate cake recipe has bought a great deal of enjoyment to the people at our local hospital and Hospice. Every year I bake this for the amazing people in commemoration for the care that they gave my late wife and every year they enjoy it. Best wishes for you and your new family and many years of inspiration for all of us that rely on you!
How lovely, thank you x
can you use lamb shanks instead?
Hi Chelsea – this is delicious. Wanting to do next time in the slow cooker. How long will it take.
I made this recipe and my kids asked what we were having for dinner. I said lamb chops in a tomato sauce. You should have seen their faces!!!! Once they took their first mouthful, my goodess, what a different reaction! Gone in 10 mins. Now that is really saying something as they are often at the table for a good half hour with dinner. I told them this morning that I will make the lamb chops in tomato sauce again and they were jumping up and down saying yeah, yeah Mum! They are 8 and 6 year old girls. Thank you so much for an awesome recipe.
That’s so wonderful to hear. Thank you!
This sounds amazing! How long should this be cooked for if using a slow cooker?
can you leave out the anchovies? not sure about anchovies
Yes you can but you can’t taste them!
Found this recipe in mEat magazine Autumn 2014. Didn’t have anchovies the first two times I made this recipe so substitued fish sauce..Bought some anchovies for 3rd incarnation but not sure it made too much of a difference, Used lamb osso bucco cut (from lamb shanks); chilli was in the form of flakes and I didn’t bother with the garnishes although next time I will throw in a splash of balsamic at the end. Yes, there will be a next time, and a next and a next because this heart warming recipe is truly delicious. It was very nice with rosemary roasted potatoes.Thank you Chelsea.
Wow, just tried this recipe out of the Issue 11 Meat mini mag I picked up at Pak ‘n Save a couple of weeks ago. It’s the first of your recipes I’ve tried and I’m an instant fan! The dish was absolutely DIVINE!!! And it was a huge hit with the family too, especially the fussy hubby. The flavours in this are so warm, honest and luscious and the meat literally melted off the bone. It made enough for six serves so we’re going to have the rest with parpadelle tomorrow night! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes (Steak, Cheese and Mushroom Melts are on the menu for this weekend and Tasty Mince with Creamy Mozzarella & Basil Parcels next week).
LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe! I make mine in a slow cooker, makes such a beautiful meal, from the anchovies to the chilli to the olives and capers, such a fantastic combination of flavours in this meal that’s made even more spectacular by kumara mash, which I’m so pleased you’ve introduced me to cos wow, way to fancy up good old mash, thanks for sharing another stunning recipe!
Another delicious sounding recipe that I can’t wait to try! I just have one problem with many slow cooker recipes – when I want to use the slow cooker it’s usually because I’m getting home late so want to come home to a meal already done, so I also don’t have a lot of time in the morning to throw it all together. Many slow cooker recipes tell you to brown everything first, soften onion etc etc, I was just wondering if this is vital? Would it still work if you just threw everything in the slow cooker? Thanks
Browning is a pretty important step in terms of flavour – personally I’d never skip it. You can if you want to, though – the flavour at the end just won’t be quite as rich.
What kind of olives would you use?
Kalamata :)
Was so amazingly delish! Thanks for the awesome recipe.
I made this recipe for my family and they loved it! Chelsea’s recipes are winners in my household
She truly is the peoples chef
Thanks, Golden Apron winner!
How much chilli powder?
Sorry Angela, 1/4 tsp.