Chanfana (lamb)

A gorgeous Portuguese peasant recipe for lamb, which becomes incredibly tender after its bath in wine and paprika followed by slow cooking. Find the right pot and the work is done – it marinates, it cooks and you eat. What could be simpler. Serve with new potatoes boiled in their skins.

• serves

  6

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  3 hours

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, finely chopped 
• 1 large head garlic, cloves separated, peeled and bruised 
• 3 kg lamb shoulder, trimmed of excess fat, cut into large chunks 
• rock salt 
• white pepper 
• dried bay leaves 
• sweet paprika 
• 2 x 750 ml bottles red wine (or enough to cover the meat) 
• 80 ml olive oil 
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley

Marinating time 4 hours

Instructions

Scatter some of the onion in the base of a large casserole pot, followed by some garlic and a layer of lamb chunks. Sprinkle with rock salt, white pepper, a torn bay leaf and 1 teaspoon of paprika. Repeat the layers until all the lamb is used. Pour in red wine to cover the lamb. Cover the pot and leave to marinate for at least 4 hours, unrefrigerated.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Check the wine level you may need to top it up as the meat soaks some up while marinating. Pour over the olive oil and place the stems of parsley on top. Cover with a tight-fitting lid or foil, making sure the pot is well sealed around the edges. Cook for about 45 minutes (or until you can smell the wonderful aroma), then reduce the heat to 180°C and cook for another 2¼ hours.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.