Nigel Slater's lamb with asparagus recipe.

Serves 4

Butter, cubed lamb, small onions, plain flour, white wine, stock, asparagus, crème fraîche, chervil

Melt 40g butter in a deep casserole, add 450g cubed lamb (a tender cut, such as leg or fillet) and leave it to colour lightly for a few minutes over a moderate to high heat. Tossing it from time to time will help it colour evenly on all sides. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Peel 250g of small onions or shallots, keeping them whole but halving any that are bigger than an unshelled walnut. Add them to the casserole and let them brown lightly, tossing them occasionally so that they colour evenly.

Return the lamb and any of its juices that have escaped to the pan. Dust two tablespoons of plain flour over the meat and onions and cook for a minute or two, stirring from time to time.

Turn up the heat and pour in 150ml white wine. Leave the wine to bubble away until it is reduced by half, scraping at the crusty bits on the base of the pan with a wooden spatula as you go. Pour in 800ml hot stock (it can be vegetable, lamb or even chicken) and bring to the boil, then lower the heat and leave to simmer, partly covered, for about 30 minutes, until the meat is tender but still has plenty of bite.

Slice 300g asparagus spears into two or three short lengths and add to the pan with salt and pepper. Continue cooking for about five minutes, until the asparagus is tender. Stir in 200ml crème fraîche and a handful of chervil leaves. Check the seasoning and serve. Calm cooking for a spring day.

From The Little Book of Fast Food by Nigel Slater

Recipe taken from Telegraph here. Leave out the flour for a great, easy to make low carb meal.

Eddie