Prep Time:

20 minutes

Cook Time:

10 minutes Delicately flavoured lamb meatballs smothered in a mint yoghurt dressing and crammed into a fresh warm pita - delicious!

Ingredients(6)

For the dressing

• 1 cup yoghurt
• 15g mint, chopped
• Zest of 1 lemon

 

• 600-800g lamb mince
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 3 tbsp garam masala
• 1 bunch coriander, chopped (optional)
• 15g mint, chopped
• ½ chili, chopped
• 6 pita breads, halved and sliced open
• 1 red onion, finely sliced
• lettuce leaves
• tomatoes, sliced

Method

1. Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients.
2. Put the mince into a large bowl and add the chopped onion, garlic, garam masala, chopped coriander, mint and chili. Season it well with salt and pepper.
3. Mix all the ingredients well and shape into 12 small patties.
4. To cook, heat the oven to 180 degrees and place the patties in a single layer on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked through.
6. Heat the pitas in the oven for 5 minutes to crisp.
7. Assemble your pitas by layering the lettuce, tomato, patties and the yoghurt dressing on top.

Prep Time:

25 minutes

Cook Time:

45 minutes A traditional Greek Moussaka— baked casserole of brinjal, tomatoes, and minced lamb or beef under a lush layer of béchamel sauce—is one of the most fabulous things you can eat.

Ingredients(4-6)

• 1 SPAR Freshline onion, finely chopped
• 500g Spar lean beef mince
• 30ml SPAR butter or margarine
• 1 x SPAR pasta sauce tomato and olive
• 3 large SPAR Freshline brinjal, sliced
• SPAR sunflower oil for frying

White Sauce

• 30 g SPAR butter
• 60 ml SPAR cake wheat flour
• 400 ml SPAR milk
• SPAR salt and pepper to taste
• 250ml grated SPAR cheddar cheese
• 1 SPAR egg

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180
2. Fry the finely chopped onion in margarine until transparent and then add the mince and brown.
3. Stir in the SPAR pasta sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Slice the brinjal and fry in hot oil until browned. Arrange the fried brinjal and mince in alternating layers in a greased casserole dish.
5. Make a white sauce by melting the butter.  Stir in the flour and cook for a minute.  Remove from the heat and stir in the milk using a balloon whisk to prevent lumps.  Return to the heat and stir until sauce thickens.
6. Season with salt and pepper and stir in half the cheese and the beaten egg.
7. Pour over the mince and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden.

Hints and Tips

This dish freezes well.  Cool completely before covering with SPAR cling wrap.  It can freeze for up to 3 months.  Remove from freezer when needed and allow to defrost completely before warming up.

Prep Time:

30 minutes

Cook Time:

1.5 hours A fresh loaf, hollowed out and filled with fragrant curry. An iconic South African dish.

Ingredients(4)

• 15ml SPAR Canola Oil
• 750 g cubed, boneless stewing mutton or lamb
• 10 ml hot curry powder
• 3 ml turmeric
• 5 ml ground coriander
• 5ml ground cumin
• 3 dried curry leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 3  cardamom, split open to use the black seeds within
• ½  cinnamon quill
• 1  star anise
• 1 ml SPAR Freshline Crushed Chilli (from the 70g combo compartment) or 1 medium green chilli, finely chopped
• 3ml SPAR Freshline crushed ginger
• 5ml SPAR Freshline, crushed garlic
• 5 ml salt
• pepper to taste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 10ml SPAR tomato paste
• ½ can SPAR diced tomatoes (205 g)
• 250ml hot water
• 2 SPAR Freshline potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 SPAR Freshline Carrots, sliced into rounds or 100 g SPAR Freshline Carrot Roundels
• 1 loaf unsliced white bread

 

Method

1. In a heavy-based pot, brown the mutton in batches over high heat in the heated oil.
2. In a small bowl, combine the curry powder, with all the spices, crushed ginger, garlic, salt and pepper.
3. Add this mix to the meat to turn it over to coat well. Add in the onion, tomato paste and canned tomato.
4. Pour on the hot water and simmer covered, until the meat is almost tender, about 1 ¼ hours, adding a little water if it becomes dry.
5. Add the potatoes and carrot, and simmer for a further 30 minutes, again, adding a little hot chicken or lamb stock, if necessary to achieve a generous sauce in good proportion to the meat.
6. During this time, quarter the loaf of bread and in one good handful, pull out their centres as a large ‘plug’, to leave a generous cavity with an even thickness crust still intact.
7. Check the curry for salt. Discard the easy-to-find whole spices.
8. Spoon the curry between the four bread cavities, including a generous amount of sauce.

Hints and Tips

• Provide paper napkins or wet wipes as this is a fun hands-on meal.
• Extend the curry by an extra portion if required, by adding in a can of SPAR Four Bean Mix or 250 g frozen SPAR Garden Peas near the end of the cooking time.
• Cube the meat smaller than if you were serving it in the traditional way with rice, to make it easier to eat with ones hands.

Prep Time:

20 minutes

Cook Time:

1.5 hours Whether you debone the lamb yourself or get your SPAR butcher to do it for you, reap the rewards of a simple yet delicious roast that is easy to carve.

Ingredients(6-8)

• 2 – 3kg SPAR leg of lamb, deboned
• 3 - 6 SPAR Freshline garlic cloves
• ½ SPAR Freshline parsley bunch
• ½ SPAR Freshline bunch fresh rosemary leaves with a few sprigs left whole
• 30ml capers
• 100g SPAR Freshline ciabatta, torn into chunks
• 125ml SPAR flaked almonds
• 200g SPAR manzanilla sliced olives, drained
• 1 SPAR Freshline lemon (zest and juice)
• SPAR sea salt and SPAR freshly ground black pepper
• SPAR olive oil
• 2 SPAR Freshline onions, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 SPAR Freshline carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 sticks SPAR Freshline celery, roughly chopped
• 1 bottle Olive Brook Classic Red Wine
• 30ml SPAR cake wheat flour
• 1 litre stock

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
2. Combine peeled garlic cloves, parsley, rosemary and capers in a food processor and chop finely.
3. Then add the ciabatta and almonds to the processor. Pulse a few times only, keeping it coarse.
4. Mix the breadcrumbs, chopped olives, lemon juice and season.
5. Pack this stuffing into the unrolled lamb, then wrap the meat back over and tie tightly with string, pushing the remaining rosemary sprigs underneath the string. Drizzle over with a little olive oil, pat into the lamb and season with salt and pepper.
6. Place your roughly chopped onion, carrot and celery in a roasting tray with any remaining unpeeled garlic cloves and lay your lamb on top. Roast for about an hour and a half.
7. Baste after 30 minutes by pouring a swig of wine over  the meat and do so approximately every 15 minutes until the meat is cooked.
8. When cooked, transfer the lamb to a board or platter to rest while you make your gravy.
9. Spoon off most of the fat from your tray, then put it on the stove top over a low heat. Add the flour and mash everything together with a potato masher. Add a glass of red wine and bring to the boil to cook off the alcohol. Pour in the stock and bring back to the boil, scraping all the goodness from the bottom of the pan as you go. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
10. Sieve the gravy into a jug or pan, using a ladle to really push all the goodness through. Throw away any veg or meat left behind. Your lamb will have been resting for around 15 minutes and will be perfect for serving.

Hints and Tips

Roast the bone with your lamb.  The bone imparts flavour into the gravy.

Prep Time:

15 minutes

Cook Time:

1 1/2 hours Tender cubed lamb, slowly simmered in a red wine and cream sauce flavoured with ratatouille and cannelini beans.

Ingredients(Serves 6)

• 15 ml SPAR olive oil
• 900 g TENDER and TASTY cubed lamb
• 50 ml SPAR cake flour
• 250 ml dry red wine
• 250 ml chicken stock (prepared with 1 stock cube)
• 2-3 bay leaves
• FRESHLINE thyme
• FRESHLINE sweet basil, chopped
• FRESHLINE rosemary
• 410 g can ratatouille
• 400 g can cannellini white beans, drained
• 125 ml SPAR fresh cream

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 ºC.
2. Toss lamb and flour together to lightly coat the meat. Turn in heated oil in a pot, to brown all over. Transfer meat to the casserole dish.
3. Pour on the wine, stock, all the herbs and ratatouille.
4. Cover dish and cook for 1 ¼ hours until meat is very tender and the liquid is reduced.
5. Remove the bay leaves and rosemary stalks Stir in the cannellini beans and cream, and reheat.
6. Serve with soft polenta or tagliatelle.

 

Hints and Tips

The easiest way to remove the tiny thyme leaves from the stalk, is to pinch the top end and slide your fingers down the length of the stalk - the leaves will drop off easily

Prep Time:

15 minutes

Cook Time:

3 hours and 20 minutes Hearty winter food at its best! Lamb shanks, slow cooked with seasonal vegetables and red wine until the meat falls off the bone.

Ingredients(4-6 depending on number of shanks)

• 30 ml olive oil
• 4-6 lamb shanks  (1.1-1.6 kg total) – 1 per person
• ½ head garlic – cut the head across the centre so the exposed cloves are visible
• 600 g pkt  SPAR Freshline Chunky Veg Soup vegetable mix
• ½ a sachet SPAR tomato paste (60 g)
• 500 ml SPAR chicken stock
• 350 ml red wine
• 4 SPAR bay leaves
• 1 stalk fresh rosemary
• 1  SPAR Cinnamon Quill

 

Method

1. Turn oven to 160° C.
2. Season shanks well and seal them off in a little oil in a large pot, until golden brown all over.  Transfer them into a deep roasting tin, including the garlic.
3. In the same pot sauté the vegetable mix in the heated oil until tender and the spinach as wilted and reduced considerably.  Add tomato paste, hot stock and wine. Bring to a boil. Pour this sauce over the shanks, cover with tin foil or casserole lid, and place in the pre-heated oven. Cook for three hours until the meat is soft and almost falls off the bone.
4. Remove from the oven and move shanks from pan to a serving dish. Strain the sauce ingredients over a pot and cook the resulting strained liquid briskly to reduce to a thin jus.

Hints and Tips

Serve on a base of heated then roughly mashed, canned SPAR borlotti or Cannellini beans and a spicy tomato relish.

Prep Time:

20 minutes

Cook Time:

4 hours Everyone will really enjoy this wonderfully simple but absolutely divine feast of lamb cooked slowly with herbs, wine and stock. It’s about good company and great food!

Ingredients(4-6)

• 2 kg SPAR lamb Shanks
• 45 ml SPAR olive oil
• 1 - 2 heads garlic, halved across
• 200 g SPAR Freshline baby onions
• A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 SPAR Beef Stock cube
• 250 ml hot water
• 250 ml dry red wine
• 125 ml Soft brown sugar
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 120 ̊ C.
2. Trim any excess fat from lamb, season and brush with oil.
3. Place garlic, onions and rosemary in a casserole dish, just large enough to take the lamb. A cast iron casserole dish is ideal.
4. Add the lamb and pour over the stock, sugar and wine. Cover with a tight fitting lid or foil. Bake for approximately 3- 4 hours or until meltingly tender.
5. Remove lamb and keep warm while reducing cooking liquids on top of the stove to a saucy consistency. Carve and serve with SPAR Freshline Mediterranean Roast Vegetables or a simple side salad.

Hints and Tips

Always make sure that the stock you add to meat is warm because adding cold stock or liquid causes the muscles in the meat to contract and toughens it.

Prep Time:

15 minutes (excludes thawing pastry)

Cook Time:

20 minutes Easter and roast lamb have a close association. Here is a quick and easy way to serve lamb if you don’t have the inclination to prepare a roast with all the accompaniments.

Ingredients(6)

• 2 x 400 g rolls frozen puff pastry, completely thawed
• 1 box frozen SPAR Lamb Burger patties
• SPAR Mint Jelly

 

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 220 °C with oven shelf in centre position. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Briefly dry pan-fry the frozen patties on each side, just to half-cook and until browned. Set aside.
3. Unravel both pastry rolls and lengthen each one slightly using hands or a rolling pin.
4. Cut each sheet into 3 equal broad strips.
5. Position a cooled patty in the centre of each strip, topped with a good teaspoonful of mint jelly, and close the parcel securely as if you were wrapping a sandwich, tucking the side closures underneath and placing this way down onto the prepared baking sheet.
6. Brush milk or beaten egg over and bake them for 20 minutes.

 

Hints and Tips

Remember to thaw the pastry well ahead of time, to enable you to assemble and bake the pies quickly.