Does rosemary cure Monday-itis?

I must admit that it took me a while to get "into" today. I woke up with a slight headache, which was perhaps due to not enough water (and maybe too much sugar) over the weekend. Or perhaps it was a case of Monday-itis? The weekend really did pass too quickly...

The Mystery Box, however, was not suffering from any Monday lethargy and provided a great ingredient this evening...

  

Rosemary!

Did you know? Rosemary is rich in antioxidants. It can aid in digestion, help relieve water retention and has a calming effect on the nervous system.

Sounds like the perfect cure for a case of Monday-itis to me ;)

When I drew out rosemary, lamb immediately came to mind. For those two little ingredients really do make a sensational pair. And, with the cool weather, a lamb and rosemary stew seemed like the most logical dinner choice ...veggie-fied of course. Served with rosemary and spelt dumplings, which were an afterthought but a nice addition to the stew.

I browned diced lamb (that has been lightly floured in cornflour) with garlic, rosemary, onion and white wine.

Followed by zucchini, carrot, mushrooms and celery.

Plus a tin of tomatoes and some beef stock.

Covered and placed in the oven for 1.5 hours.

While the stew was bubbling away (and making our house smell divine might I add), I mixed together a batch of rosemary dumplings which I placed on top of the stew for the last 20 minutes.

Served together on a bed of steamed greens – beans and spinach.

 

A rich and comforting start to the week. Rosemary may very well be a cure for Monday-itis....

Lamb and rosemary stew - with rosemary spelt dumplings

Ingredients

• 300g lamb, diced
• 1T cornflour
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 zucchini. chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 8 button mushrooms, halved
• 1 tin tomatoes
• 1 cup beef stock

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
2. Sautee onion and garlic in a little olive oil.
3. Dust lamb in cornflour, then brown in pan with onion and garlic.
4. Add the rosemary and wine, and deglaze the pan.
5. Add the vegetables, tomatoes and stock.
6. Stir, cover and bake in the oven for 90 minutes or until the lamb is tender.
7. Add the dumplings in the last 20 minutes of cooking time (see below).

Rosemary spelt dumplings

Ingredients

• 1 cup spelt flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup rice milk
• 1T rosemary, chopped

Method

1. Combine flour and  baking powder.
2. Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add milk and rosemary, and stir until just moistened.
3. Divide the mixture into 6 portions and spoon onto the stew.
4. Cover tightly and cook in the oven for 20 minutes.

With some pineapple, banana and coconut soft serve for dessert.

Delish!

What about you? What is your favourite way to cook with rosemary?

Happy baking :)