Greek Lamb with Gigantes Beans
– How to cheat

If you haven’t got time to cook, what you most need in your life are ready-prepared ingredients of the finest quality – and as it happens I have recently tasted some of the very finest I’ve come across. They are made in Greece, imported by a company called Odysea, and they are called gigantes beans. Because price-driven supermarkets often turn down or overlook products of supreme quality, some other Odysea ingredients are not that widely available, so alas I cannot offer you ideas for using things like tomata perasti (pressed vine-ripened tomatoes) or the range of meze which they also produce. But thankfully Sainsbury’s Special Selection do stock these gigantes beans.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

1 largish onion
1 lb (450 g) neck lamb fillet
1 dessertspoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
about 7 fl oz (200 ml) dry white wine
4 sprigs fresh thyme
a couple of bay leaves
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 x 355 g jar Odysea Baked Gigantes Beans
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 1, 275°F (140°C).

First roughly chop the onion, and trim any excess fat from the meat, cutting it into quite big chunks. After that season with salt and freshly-milled pepper. Next heat the oil in a fairly large flameproof casserole, and when it’s very hot, brown the meat in two batches and, using a draining spoon, transfer it to a plate.

Now add the onions to the pan, turn the heat down to medium and after about 10 minutes, when they have softened and browned a bit round the edges, add the garlic. Toss that around for a minute or so then add the contents of the tin of tomatoes. After that, half-fill the empty tin with wine and add that as well.

Give everything a good stir, and when it begins to simmer return the meat to the casserole along with the thyme, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and a bit more seasoning.

Cover with a lid and transfer the casserole to the oven. Cook for one hour before adding the contents of the jar of beans. Now, with the lid back on, give it another 30 minutes. Some new potatoes would be good with this, or else some pilau rice.

How to Cheat Hero Ingredients: