Waterblommetjie Bredie

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg lamb neck or shoulder, on the bone
• 500 g waterblommetjies (or green beans, topped and tailed)
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 500 ml lamb or chicken stock
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
• juice of 1 lemon
• a handful of sorrel leaves (suring), or 1 extra tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar

Before you cook

• Cut the lamb into 5 cm pieces, trimming off heavy fat, and pat the surfaces dry
• Soak the waterblommetjies in cold salted water for 30 minutes, then rinse, drain and pull away any stringy stalks
• Slice the onions, chop the garlic, and peel and quarter the potatoes

Steps

1. Heat the oil and butter in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat until the butter stops foaming.
2. Brown the lamb in two batches, about five minutes a batch, until the pieces are deeply coloured on every side, then lift them onto a plate.
3. Turn the heat down to medium and cook the sliced onions in the same pot for eight minutes, until soft and golden at the edges.
4. Stir in the garlic, ground coriander and bay leaves and fry for one minute, until they smell fragrant.
5. Pour in the vinegar and scrape the base of the pot clean with a wooden spoon.
6. Return the lamb and any juices from the plate, add the stock, salt and pepper, and bring everything to a simmer.
7. Cover the pot and cook gently for one and a half hours, until the lamb pulls away from the bone at the touch of a spoon.
8. Add the quartered potatoes and cook uncovered for fifteen minutes.
9. Lay the drained waterblommetjies over the top, cover again, and cook for twenty minutes until they are tender but still holding their shape.
10. Stir in the lemon juice, sorrel leaves and sugar, then taste and add salt if it needs it.
11. Let the pot stand off the heat for five minutes, then serve over white rice.