Lamb with Cannellini Beans

I think most casseroles benefit from being started a day before they are required, particularly if the meat used has fat. While it's easy enough to trim the fat from beef cuts, lamb shoulder chops are more difficult to trim if you want to serve them in larger pieces.

I trim the fat from the edges of the chops and try to remove the central pieces. But by making the dish ahead and allowing it to chill in the refrigerator overnight, it is easy to remove any congealed fat before reheating..

Instead of serving potatoes with this dish, I opened a can of cannellini beans I had bought at my local Mediterranean Warehouse, and drained and added these towards the end of cooking.

4-6 lamb shoulder chops
1 can Italian tomatoes in tomato juice
2 large onions
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 chilli, seeds removed, chopped
1 tablespoon Moroccan spice mix
1 tablespoon powdered cumin
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 425g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Place all the ingredients except the beans in a casserole dish and bake in a preheated 180C oven for 90 minutes. Remove, allow to cool a little then refrigerate overnight.

Next day skim off any congealed fat and reheat the casserole for an hour, adding the beans during the last 15 minutes. Thicken the gravy with a little flour and water.

Serve with bright vegetables such as spinach and carrots rings.