Growing up in South Africa, Mark ate A LOT of “rys, vleis en aartappels” (or rice, meat, and potatoes) for breakfast, lunch and dinner. To give you an idea, the most typical “snack” in Cape Town is a big bag of dried meat aka Biltong. My family was more of a pizza, pasta, chicken and Chinese takeout kind of household. BUT… For whatever reason when I was pregnant I couldn’t get enough meat and potatoes. Ok fine, mostly cheeseburgers and french fries! Based on what he consumed in the womb it’s no surprise that baby boy still loves a big bowl of meat and potatoes.
The inspiration for this Lamb & Butternut Stew comes from an old South African classic cookbook called Cook & Enjoy. Mark adapted the recipe for the instant pot and we all devoured it for dinner tonight which in our house means – two spoons up!
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 large butternut, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
2lbs stewing lamb pieces
2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
handful of chopped parsley
EVOO
salt
black pepper
Add the garlic, butternut, onion and lamb to the pot.
Throw in a few lugs of olive oil, salt, pepper and the beef stock.
Stir until ingredients are mixed.
Cook under pressure for 35 mins and allow to depressure normally.
Once the stew has finished cooking in a small bowl mix the tapioca flour with a few tablespoons of cold water to make a smooth paste. Stir this into the stew to thicken up the sauce. Check seasoning and adjust to taste.
Garnish with the parsley and serve over a bed of brown rice.
Fam to Table 