Here in rural south west France tradition dictates that lamb which is being roasted or braised, is seasoned simply with parsley or rosemary and garlic, along with a generous amount of salt. Rarely is lamb adorned with gutsy spices or flavourings before roasting; simplicity is key. This delicious slow cooked braised lamb recipe will take advantage of the last of your summer’s capsicum harvest.

Ingredients

• 1 shoulder of lamb on the bone, at room temperature
• ½ cup olive oil, choose one with good flavour
• 3 small onions, peeled and thickly sliced
• 2 each red, yellow and green capsicums, cored and quartered
• 4-6 large cloves garlic, peeled and thickly sliced
• 1 cup light bodied red wine
• 1 bouquet garni
• 1/3-½ cup pine nuts, toasted

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Season the room temperature lamb all over well with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil on a large, flameproof, deep-sided roasting dish and add the onions and peppers and cook over a moderate heat until the vegetables have begun to soften and even taken on a little brown colour. Add the garlic and toss in the hot oil for a couple of additional minutes.
3. Add the red wine and bouquet garni and simmer until the mixture has reduced by half. Sit the lamb in the centre of the dish.
4. Roast in the preheated oven for 2-3 hours. Please note that the lamb shoulder here in France is much smaller than in New Zealand. Ideally the lamb should be well-browned and well-cooked. Do keep an eye on the meat and if it is browning too much, cover with a layer of foil. It is a matter of once the meat has cooked for two hours, to keep an eye on it. Allow the lamb to rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.
5. Warm up any juices left in the dish along with the capsicums before carving or pulling the meat from the bone. Scatter the pine nuts over the lamb when serving. I like to add a handful of fresh rocket leaves to the capsicums when serving them.