A cassola is a traditional slow cooked dish from Spain. I’ve used diced lamb shoulder, chorizo, tomatoes and chickpeas in my version, and although a cassola takes a few hours to cook, the smells that will fill your home at the end of that time will be worth the wait.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 red onion, peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp fennel seeds

2tbs olive oil

2tbs tomato paste

750gm tomatoes, blanched, peeled and diced (or 2 x 400gm tins diced tomatoes)

2tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp smoked paprika

1tsp ground coriander

2 bay leaves

1 cup beef stock

300gm chorizo, sliced into 1cm rounds

1kg diced lamb shoulder

1 x 400gm tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley

salt and pepper

Method:

Sauté the onion, garlic, and fennel seeds in the olive oil until soft.

Add the tomato paste and fry, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

Add the diced tomatoes, paprika, smoked paprika, coriander and bay leaves and cook over a medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes become “jammy”. Add the beef stock and chickpeas and season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Fry the slices of chorizo until lightly browned, drain and place in the bottom of an ovenproof casserole dish.

Season the diced lamb with salt and pepper and fry in batches until well coloured all over. Drain off any excess fat and add to the casserole dish.

Pour the sauce over the lamb and chorizo and cover with a tight fitting lid or foil.

Cook for 3 hours at 150°C for 2.5 – 3 hours or until the lamb is tender.

Check the seasoning and stir through the chopped parsley.

Serve with a simple green salad and lots of crusty warm sourdough bread.