Lamb ragout in the Thermomix® is one of the few dishes where we brown the meat twice. First 5 minutes at Varoma with the gentle stir setting, then the full cooking time at 100°C. The reason: lamb fat needs a high temperature to develop roasting flavour, but a lower temperature to avoid turning bitter.
We have been making this recipe at Easter for years, and now more often in winter too. The combination of lamb, cumin and kaffir lime leaves is unusual, but it works: a Mediterranean base with an Asian accent.
Spiced Lamb Ragout, Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 16 ✓
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 sprigs oregano
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 dried chillies
- 3 onions
- 20 g olive oil
- 500 g floury potatoes
- 800 g lamb fillet cut into 3 cm cubes
- salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 10 g tomato puree
- 100 g red wine
- 150 g vegetable stock
- 2 red peppers
- 2 leaves kaffir lime leaves
Instructions 0 / 7
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1
Prepare the herbs.
Wash rosemary, oregano and thyme, shake dry, pick the leaves and place them in the mixing bowl. Peel the garlic and add it to the bowl along with the chillies. Chop for 5 sec / speed 8 and push down with the spatula.
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2
Sweat the onions.
Peel the onions, halve them and place in the mixing bowl. Chop for 4 sec / speed 5 and push down with the spatula. Add the olive oil and cook for 5 min / Varoma / speed 1.
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3
Peel the potatoes.
Meanwhile, peel the potatoes, cut into roughly 2 cm cubes, place in the steaming basket and season with salt.
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4
Cook the lamb.
Add the lamb, 1 tsp salt, cumin and tomato puree to the mixing bowl and cook for 5 min / Varoma / reverse direction / gentle stir setting. Pour in the red wine and vegetable stock. Insert the steaming basket. Close the lid and cook for 40 min / 100°C / reverse direction / speed 1.
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5
Cut the peppers.
Wash and trim the peppers and cut into roughly 1 cm pieces.
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6
Cook the vegetables.
Remove the steaming basket, keep the potatoes warm, add the peppers and lime leaves to the mixing bowl and cook for a further 10 min / 100°C / reverse direction / speed 1.
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7
Serve.
Remove the lime leaves. Serve the lamb ragout with the potatoes.
Tip: As an alternative to lamb, you can also use pork tenderloin.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why lamb fat needs Varoma first, then down to 100°C
Lamb fat has a higher melting point than pork fat. At too low a temperature it stays tough; at too high a temperature it turns bitter. The 5 minutes at Varoma with the gentle stir setting release the roasting flavours without burning the fat. We then cook for 40 minutes at 100°C with reverse direction. This keeps the fibres tender and stops the fat from going rancid.
Pork tenderloin does not need this two-phase approach. If you use pork instead of lamb, you can go straight to 100°C.
Kaffir lime leaves or lemon zest
Kaffir lime leaves provide a sharp, fresh contrast to the rich lamb. They are not an exotic flourish but functional acidity that balances the ragout. We use 2 leaves for 800 g of meat.
If you cannot find kaffir lime leaves, use the grated zest of an unwaxed lemon. Not the juice, only the zest. The essential oils are in the zest, not the juice. Add the zest after cooking, otherwise it will turn bitter.
Using the steaming basket at the same time
While the lamb cooks in the mixing bowl, we steam the potatoes in the steaming basket. 40 minutes at 100°C is enough for 500 g of floury potatoes cut into 2 cm cubes. Waxy potatoes will not be cooked through in that time.
The steaming basket sits above the sauce, not in it. The potatoes absorb the steam, not the liquid. This stops them from going mushy.
Cumin must be ground
We use 1 tsp of ground cumin, not whole seeds. Whole cumin seeds do not release their full flavour in 40 minutes of cooking time. Ground cumin distributes its flavour immediately.
If you only have whole seeds, toast them briefly in a dry frying pan first until they smell fragrant. Then pulverise them in the Thermomix® at speed 10, 10 seconds is enough.
Peppers go in at the end
The peppers only go into the mixing bowl for the final 10 minutes. If we cooked them from the start, they would fall apart and water down the ragout. 10 minutes at 100°C with reverse direction makes them soft without losing their shape.
Cut the peppers into roughly 1 cm pieces. Larger pieces will stay too firm in 10 minutes; smaller pieces will fall apart.
Leftovers the next day
The lamb ragout keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. When reheating, cook for 5 minutes at 80°C with reverse direction at speed 1, so the fat does not separate.
Goes well with: Couscous, flatbread and beetroot salad.
Freezing does not work well. The potatoes turn floury when defrosted and the lamb fat separates from the sauce. If you want to batch-cook, freeze only the meat with the sauce, without the potatoes. Cook fresh potatoes when you are ready to serve.
More recipes that go well with lamb and Mediterranean cooking:
- Spaetzle Basic Recipe, Thermomix®
- Easter Bread with Apricots
- Goulash Soup
- Tomato Soup
