Lamb, Kale and Potato Saag

We eat a lot of curry at our house.

There are endless variations & styles of curries and I never get sick of them.

Some are hot and spicy.

Some are fresh and zingy.

Some are slow cooking and unctuous.

Some are crisp and fresh.

I love eating curry for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Melbourne is deep into Autumn.

My fave season of all.

Crisp, chilly starts sometimes with a descending fog which lifts to reveal a crystal blue sky and a delightfully warning sun.

It is also Brassica season.  My favourite veggies come from this family.
One of which is Kale- it hit the runway big time at the Veggie Fashion awards a couple of years ago jaunting it's rebellious ways like a classic Vivienne Westwood strutting it's stuff.

It has become a bit of a hipster veg and so it is also in the firing line for abuse. I am here to stick up for it. I won't have a bad thing said. Let it be known here that......

I LOVE KALE!

I fell in love, in particular with Cavolo Nero or Tuscan Kale, when we lived in London in the late 90's.
We were lucky enough to live near an amazing 'hole in the wall' Italian deli where we could buy incredible ingredients.  I bought a bunch from there one day and was instantly smitten. I wanted to cook it and use it in everything.

When we returned to Australia it was nearly a decade before I saw it here- my long lost love! I was so happy to be reunited.
Now you can find it everywhere & this makes me very very happy.

My boys all LOVE green veg and are also very happy to eat this any old way.

This curry is more usually made with Spinach but seeing as my Kale is growing super happily at the moment it made sense to give it a try using Kale.

It did not disappoint.

LAMB & POTATO SAAG (using Tuscan Kale):
While this recipe includes meat- there are far more veggies than meat as you will see by the quantities I use.
You could very easily remove the meat all together and make this a Potato & Kale Saag.
This recipe heartily fed 7 people.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• 3 chump Lamb chops, chopped into large chunks 
• 8 potatoes, diced into large chunks
• a bunch of Cavolo Nero, chopped (no need to remove stems) 
• 3 teaspoons fenugreek leaves (available at Indian Grocery stores)
• 1 heaped teaspoon Cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes (omit if you like)
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 2 inch piece ginger, chopped finely or grated
• 1 large brown onion, diced
• 1 cup stock 
• 2 tablespoons ghee (substitute a mix of butter with a little oil if you don't have any)
• S & P

Add 1 tablespoon Ghee to a non-stick pan on medium high heat.

Sear the meat so it is brown on both sides (doesn't need to be cooked through).
Set aside.

Place a large heavy based pan on medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of ghee.

Add onion and cook till browning on edges.
Add garlic & ginger and stir for a minute.

Add spices & combine. And then add the chopped Cavolo Nero.

Add stock and bring to boil & cook for 8-10 minutes.

At this point you can blitz the Kale mix with a stick blender if you want a smooth sauce (I do this but it is entirely up to you).

Add the reserved Lamb and the potatoes.

Reduce the temp to low and cook for an hour.

Season well.

Serve with steamed rice.

It was all over when the Bearded Lady sang.
It was the best thing I have seen all year.
I introduced my big kids to the joy of Eurovision this weekend- an event that belies words.
To say we were THRILLED about Conchita Wurst winning would be an understatement.
How GREAT!!!!! So so happy!
It was also a proud parenting moment when my boys were happy, proud & thrilled that a bearded drag lady won this International award.
Did you watch?