This dish takes it's time, about 3 hours and no less, to mature and become soft and succulant, but it's worth it. I use the shin part of the back and front legs and the meat just above the knee, basically the bits that have the sinue as that's what makes the meat sticky and tender, falling apart.
Ingredients: serves 6-8 portions
1kg diced leg, keep it really chunky
4 small brown onions or 2 large diced finely
2 tbs oilive oil or couple knobs of butter
4 big sprigs of thyme
2 big sprigs of rosemasy
2 bay leaves (optional)
1tbs Worcester sauce
1/2 tbs tomato puree
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbs red current jelly
2 large carrots cut chunky, into 3 or 4 bits each
2 large parsnips cut really chunky, leave the core in
1 bottle red wine
1/2 pint water
1tbs thickening granuals or 2 tsp cornflower
3 rich beef stock pots or 2 pints of game stock
Finely dice the onions and sweat off in a large pot until the onions translucent. Add the diced meat and all the other ingredients, keeping the parsnips, carrots and cornflower aside for later. I tie my herbs together or you can pick the thyme leaves off and chop the rosemary really finely. Bring everything to a simmer and put in a pre-heated oven at 150 degrees and cook for 2 hours. Then put your chuncky parnips and carrots in and cook for a further 60 minutes. If you put them in sooner they will turn to mush. At this point either stir in your thickening granuals or 2-3 tsp of cornflower that you've added a 1 tbs of water to and mix through to thicken. The granuals will take a bit of a stir. Best to ust a wooden spoon as a metal one will break the veg and meat up, which you don't want. Make your dumpling mix from a packet following the instructions and cook on a higher heat of 180 degrees for 20 minutes or until dumplings are spingy to touch or when you pierce them the prod comes out clean. If you are re-heating this make sure to stire regularly as when it is a thicker mixture it can stick to the bottom of the pot. Serve with steamed veg and mash and enjoy.
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