Ingredients

2tbsp olive oil

5 sticks celery

2 white onions 

800g lamb neck/stewing steak, cut into chunks, or 4 lamb shanks

125ml wine (optional)

2 tsp turmeric

3 heaped tablespoons dried mint

Stock/wine

700g Chickpeas

Salt and pepper 

Lemon juice 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 120C. 
2. Heat 1tbsp olive oil in a casserole dish over high heat. Add the meat, browning it off on all sides (to develop the flavour). Remove and keep on a plate nearby for later.  (i love cooking with bones for extra nutrients)
3. Slice up the onions into rounds, and cut the celery up into 3cm chunks. Heat 1tbsp olive oil in the same pan and add in the veg, plus some salt and pepper. Give it all a stir and put the lid on over medium heat for 10 minutes, so the veg can sweat. 
4. Once the veg is soft, stir in the mint and the turmeric. Put the meat, and any juices, back in the pan. Add in the wine, if using - and allow the alcohol to bubble off. Then add in the stock, enough to nearly cover the lamb, and the  chickpeas. 
5. Once the liquid is bubbling, put the lid on and transfer to the oven to cook. If using chunks of lamb this wants at least 2 hours. For shanks, I would do 4 hours. At this low temperature, timing is very forgiving and the longer it is left in, the softer the meat becomes. 
6. Serve up the stew either on its own, or with some roasted cauliflower. Keep it in the fridge for 3 days, or freeze a couple of portions.