This hearty, country-style one-pot meal is full of great flavours that your family and friends will all enjoy.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups dried baby lima beans
• 750 grams pork mince
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1½ tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh rosemary or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2-3 thick slices pancetta or bacon steaks, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 8 cups chicken stock
• ½ savoy cabbage, shredded
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or thyme or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary or thyme

Method

1. Soak the baby lima beans in cold water overnight. You will require 3-4 times the amount of water to beans, Drain, rinse and drain well again.
2. Mix together the mince, garlic, thyme and rosemary and season with salt and pepper. With wet hands, shape into 30-40 meatballs. Set aside.
3. Turn the slow cooker on to low to pre-warm while gathering and preparing the ingredients.
4. Place the beans into a large saucepan, cover with clean cold water and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly for 30 minutes. Drain well and scatter into the pre-warmed slow cooker.
5. Heat a good dash of oil in a frying pan and brown the pork meatballs and pancetta or bacon well on all sides.
6. Add the meatballs to the slow cooker with the pancetta or bacon, celery, carrots, onion and stock. Use a large spoon to mix the ingredients together as well as possible. Cover with the lid.
7. Cook on low for 5-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, or until the beans are tender. Add the cabbage, sage and rosemary or thyme. Stir, cover and cook a further 30-45 minutes on high or until the cabbage has wilted. Serve in deep bowls and garnish with herbs if wished.

Cooks Tips

- All cabbage needs to be cooked until just crisp tender, otherwise it looks grey and tastes horrid. Savoy cabbage is a variety of green cabbage with thick, crinkled leaves. It is milder in flavour and the leaves are a bit more tender than the standard green cabbage and therefore require less cooking. Standard green cabbage can be used here if wished. Look for cabbages that are unblemished and have not wilted leaves. Savoy cabbages will nto keep as well as standard cabbages so buy and use within a few days.