Cardamom is a spice not often used in savoury cooking. With the added nuttiness of barley, this casserole is sweet and pungent - ideal for winter nights.

Ingredients

• 1 kilogram boneless lamb
• 3 large onions
• 4 cloves garlic or 1 heaped teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 red peppers
• 3 medium fresh parsnips
• 3 tablespoons olive oil for pan frying
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 bayleaf
• 2 cups beef or chicken stock
• ¼ cup sherry
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 50 grams pearl barley

Method

1. Trim the lamb of all fat. Cut the meat into 3cm cubes and season it well with salt and pepper.
2. Peel and coarsely dice the onions and the garlic. Core, deseed and dice the red peppers. Peel and cube the parsnips.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Working in batches, brown the meat well on all sides and transfer it to a cassrole dish.
4. Add the cubed vegetables to the frying pan and brown quickly. You may need to add a little more oil. Add the cardamom and cook 1-2 minutes, the add the bay leaf, stock, sherry and Worcestershire sauce and bring to the boil. Pour over the lamb in the casserole.
5. Cover and simmer at 180ºC for about 1 hour or until the lamb is nearly cooked. Add the barlic and cook for a further 30-45 minutes until the barley is cooked and the lamb is tender. Serve garnished with fresh herbs and mashed neeps.

Cooks Tips

- Neeps are equal quantities of swedes and potatoes boiled together and mashed. Find swedes that come from down south as they're sweetest once they've had the frost on them.