Spicy Lamb & Lentil Casserole with Herby Dumplings

The biggest problem with cooking this meal was that as it cooked in the slow cooker and I sat there trying to study for next's week biology exam, the amazing smell was very distracting!  I managed to get the study done in the end, as well as cook an amazingly nutritious dinner.  The best bit is that you literally throw all the ingredients into the slow cooker (or into the oven if you don't have a slow cooker) and leave it to cook.... just stirring every couple of hours and adding in the dumplings in the last half hour of cooking!

Ingredients:
Casserole:
1kg free range lamb, diced
1 cup lentils, rinsed (I used a mix of red lentils and Beluga lentils)
1 onion, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
400g can diced tomatoes
2 cups stock (I used chicken stock made as per Quirky Cooking's recipe)
OR 2 cups Campbell's vegetable stock
OR 2 cups water + 2 tsp TM vegetable stock concentrate
3 cups diced veggies - I used 1/2 a zucchini, 1 carrot, half a green capsicum, jap pumpkin and some mushrooms
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Juice of half a lemon
Sea salt, pepper and Herbamare

Dumplings:
1.5 cups spelt flour
30g butter, cubed
1 tbsp each chopped fresh parsley, dill and basil (or 1 tsp each of dried)
1/4 cup water
Sea salt and pepper

Method:
1. Into a slow cooker, add all the casserole ingredients and give it all a good mix.  Cook on "low" for up to 8 hours, stirring every now and then.  If you don't have a slow cooker, preheat your oven to 150 degrees, add all the ingredients into a casserole dish, mix, cover and cook for around 3 hours, stirring occasionally. 

2. Half an hour before the casserole is ready, make the dumplings.  To a food prcoessor or Thermomix, add all your dry ingredients.  Pulse a few times until they ingredients are all incorporated.  Add the water and process for a few seconds until it all comes together (8sec/sp6 in Thermomix).  Shape the dough into dumplings and pop the dumplings on top of the casserole.  Put the lid back onto the slow cooker (or if cooking in the oven, pop the lid back onto the casserole dish and return to the oven for 30min).

Layered Vegetable & Spicy Lamb Pie

Don't be put off by the amount of ingredients in this recipe.  There are a few components to it, but this makes quite a large pie and it is really delicious.  It's also a great way to get the kids to eat veggies they may not normally eat - my kids call this "lasagne pie"!

Ingredients (serves 6-8)
100g pecorino or parmesan (block)
2 large potatoes
1/8 jap pumpkin
2 baby eggplants
1 zucchini
20g butter (block) or ghee
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
500g lamb mince
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp Herbamare
Juice of 1/2 lemon
400g tin diced tomatoes
Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste

White sauce:
3 tbsp butter (block)
2 tbsp cornflour (gluten free)
500ml milk of choice (I used Bonsoy)
Salt to taste
Pinch of ground nutmeg

Method
1. Grate the cheese and set aside.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

(In Thermomix, grate 10sec/sp9.  Set aside)

2. Prepare the vegetables - thinly slice the potatoes, pumpkin, eggplant and zucchini (I did this by using the thinnest setting on my v-slicer).  Set aside. 

3.  Prepare the white sauce:  in a small saucepan on medium heat, melt butter and then whisk in cornflour.  Gradually add the milk, whisking the whole time.  When sauce has thickened slightly, add salt and nutmeg.  Set aside.

(In Thermomix, prepare a quantity of white sauce by using the EDC recipe)

4.  Prepare lamb mince: in a medium saucepan on medium heat, melt butter.  Add diced onion and minced garlic. Saute until onion has softened.  Add lamb mince and cook, stirring, until browned.  Add spices, Herbamare, lemon juice and tin of diced tomatoes.  Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every now and then.

(In Thermomix, add halved onion and garlic cloves.  Chop 5sec/sp5.  Add butter and cook 2min/100deg/sp2.  Add lamb mince and cook 3min/100deg/rev+sp1.  Add spices, tinned tomato, Herbamare and lemon juice and cook 10min/100deg/rev+sp1).

5.  Grease a large glass baking dish with butter.  To assemble the pie, line the bottom of the dish with half the sliced potatoes and pumpkin.  Season with salt and pepper.  Top with half the mince.  Top the mince with all of the eggplant and zucchini slices.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour over the remainder of the mince.  Arrange on top of this the remaining pumpkin and potato slices.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour over the white sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese.

6.  Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through and the top of the pie is golden.  Serve with a green salad.