Lamb Cobbler

This is really a post in hindsight, so no photos.

This weekend, V and I have had a second honeymoon - of sorts. 'Salina has been with the Wild West relatives for most of the Easter holidays - I was out there with her for about half, and then returned to a pining V with Paris.

Our last honeymoon didn't have the factor of a baby there. It does make a difference. Especially when said baby had a horrid time with the spectre of teeth rolling around in her gums (from the sinuses through to her toes, it seemed) and a tummy upset by saliva, medicine for gums and general "give me a new life right now" rage.

Its weekends like those when you realise you are truly blessed when life is normal with the almost perfect child.

I actually had to wake up during the night!

When 'Salina is away, we tend to lash out and eat real grown-up food. Things with tuna and onion, with chilli and flavour - things 'Salina would not eat. You will note that I didn't include the possibility of this with Paris' tummy upset, and that is because her bowels actually IMPROVED when I ate a really hot curry on Saturday!!

However, as I didn't have this data available when I was planning last night's dinner, I thought I might tone down our wild meals and pondered the lamb I had anticipated turning into something spicy and turned over more sedate options.

This is the result.

Lamb Cobbler

Ingredients

• 400g lamb chump chops (as they were on special - you could use the unidentified bits after you have bagged a side of lamb) (if you are vegetarian, I have done similar stuff with chick peas)
• 2 onions
• 3 cloves garlic
• oil
• Veges - I used 1 sweet potato, 2 potatoes, 1 cup frozen peas, 1 cup frozen spinach, 1 head broccoli - but only because that is what there was, not by design. Its one of those meals...
• 1 sachet French Onion Soup (there were thoughts of ground cumin, ground coriander, sage, other stuff - I must go through the list of herbs I use V herbs I got and do a shop, it seems!) (I had the sachet from some long forgotten recipe that didn't eventuate and it was approaching that "do something with or toss" moment in its life)
• Water
• 3 tablespoons Tomato Relish (one of those "I can't find the tomato paste jar - what is this" inspired moments)
• 1 1/2 cup SR flour
• 1 cup fresh parsley (okay, that was a skite because I actually harvested about 4 cups of this - if you want any we have plenty - otherwise use whatever herbs float your boat, some dried at a pinch)
• 75g Butter
• 200ml Milk

Instruction

1. Brown lamb in oil (if vegetarian, you don't need to brown the chick peas. Of course, ensure you are using pre-soaked, pre-cooked chick peas - it really won't be edible if that step has been avoided. Get them in a can if you haven't done that, 'kay?)
2. Take out the meat and cook roughly chopped onion and garlic until translucent. (Although, if the baby wakes and needs you at this point and "translucent" becomes "gently browned" it doesn't matter, apparently.)
3. Throw in the chopped and/or frozen veges at this time (but not the broccoli - hold off on stuff that will get soggy until further down the list)
4. Put the meat back in (and yes, you can do this, the above and the below steps with a baby in one arm - just make sure you extend the other arm to keep baby out of "'arms" way! I crack myself up - too much time in my own head here.)
5. Sprinkle the French Onion Soup mix over it all and pour in enough water to just cover the mass
6. Stir, put a lid on it and turn the heat right down
7. Simmer for however long you have - at least 1/2 hour, at most a few...
8. When the baby has settled or is playing with Daddy, make a scone dough
   • rub the butter into the flour and herbs
   • mix in enough milk to make a soft dough
   • roll out and cut sconish shapes
9. Stir through chopped broccoli
10. Top with scone shapes
11. Put in 200 degree oven for 20-30 minutes (why yes, you could glaze that topping if you remembered - apparently it doesn't really matter, though, because some people forget that step as they rush through it trying to not have the baby cry too long)
12. Eat

Actually, this is probably good enough for a 10 year old's palate - and there is enough there to feed two adults twice over and a few snack attacks!!