Slow-cooked lamb with pumpkin and eggplant recipe

Definitely a labor of love, but absolutely delicious. The sweetness of the squash pairs beautifully with the spice of the harissa. We were generous with red wine to deglaze the browned bits of meat and onion/celery. We also added a tablespoon of flour and baked an additional ten minutes to thicken, and finish cooking the squash.

Preheat oven to 170°C/150°C fan forced. Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a large flameproof, ovenproof dish over high heat. Cook the eggplant, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add lamb to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until browned. Transfer to the plate with the eggplant and set aside. Step 2 Heat the remaining oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the onion and celery. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, cinnamon and harissa. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until aromatic. Add the tomato and stock. Return the lamb and eggplant to the pan. Bring mixture to the boil. Cover. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. Add the pumpkin. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin and lamb are very tender. Sprinkle with mint and coriander. Serve with steamed broccolini. Or creamy mashed potato or couscous. Or bulghur.

I love lamb, and a rich, warm comfort stew with a health score of 9.7 is about as good as it gets.