Recipe: Healthy Lamb Mince

For a healthy alternative to beef, lamb mince can be used as a healthy substitute for pasta dishes and other meals, but it must have the fat taken out before serving. Heat a little oil in a pan on a high heat and add some diced onions. When the onions are softened, add the lamb mince and, importantly, keep the mince moving around in the pan so it doesn't form into clumps. After the meat has partially cooked, turn down the heat to low and grate a whole carrot into the mince and, again, keep stirring the mince to evenly distribute the carrot. Add a diced courgette and add some herbs, either herbs du Provence or mixed herbs. For easy colour and added flavour, half a cup of tomato sauce or Worcestireshire sauce can be added. If garlic is desired, now is the time to put it in. Leave on a low heat for about 45 minutes to cook through. Once this is done, put a sieve, or fine strainer, over a heat-proof dish and pour the mince into the sieve. This will take all the juices through the mince and collect in the heat-proof dish below. Allow the meat juices to cool and then put the dish into the fridge to set. After an hour or two the fat will have turned solid on top of the meat juices and can be lifted away from the juices underneath. Remove the fat from the surface by lifting off and throw it away. Put the remaining juices, now a jelly, back with the meat and simply stir through without the need to re-heat. You now have a bowl of mince which can be used for pasta, stuffed peppers, on toast, or anything that your imagination wants. Two pounds of mince can make several meals with little preparation when you want it. Bon appetit.

Posted by Grant McCahon