Inauthentic Greek Stew

Ingredients

• 1 large onion
• 500 g ground lamb
• 400 g chopped tomatoes (1 tin)
• 400 g tinned chickpeas
• 200 g frozen spinach
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

1. 1

   Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the onion, finely chopped.

2. 2

   Allow the onion to soften on a medium heat for about 10 minutes. Slightly caramelise but don't allow to become brown or crispy.

3. 3

   Add the minced lamb to the frying pan and turn up the heat a bit. Fry the mixture, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes until the lamb is browned. Or you could use quorn in which case omit this step- see step 5.

4. 4

   Drain off some of the oil and put the mince and onions into a large saucepan.

5. 5

   Add the tin of tomatoes, the purees and the spinach. If you are using quorn add at this stage, and you'll need a bit more water. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes until the spinach is defrosted and heated through, stirring often (or you can use fresh spinach, which may be quicker).

6. 6

   Drain and rinse the tin of chickpeas. Add them, and the lemon juice, to the pot and continue to simmer until they are warmed through and the sauce has thickened to your preferred consistency.

7. 7

   Taste and season to your preference. You might like to use a little sugar to balance the sharp flavours, but the tomato puree should hopefully have done that already. Serve with hearty bread if you like. My soda bread is perfect! This also tastes great reheated the next day.