To be honest I can’t really see anything Polynesian in this recipe, but I think the marinade does sound tasty. You get much the same result if you use a casserole dish instead of the oven bag, but the good thing is you don’t have to wash it afterwards.
Lamb is such a versatile meat. You can roast it, casserole it, grill and bbq it, whatever you have the time or the taste for. The page of lamb recipes that Mum kept from July 1997 showcases this versatility. This recipe give a basic lamb chop a real lift and makes a change from just eating it with tomato sauce.
Mum keep a page of lamb recipes from the Herald Sun dated July 1, 1997, this recipe baking the lamb in chilli and beer caught my eye. Not sure if I’ll give it a try, but you might like to.
Winter is only four days away here in Victoria, so it’s time to start thinking of hearty winter casseroles. The combination of tomato sauce, vinegar, curry powder and brown sugar in this recipe reminds me of another one I make, which has pumpkin instead of the potato in it. The good thing with this recipe is that you probably have all the ingredients in the cupboard so it can be a last minute decision to make it.
There was a time when racks of lamb were a lot cheaper than they are now, so using them in a casserole was probably OK, but with the price they are now I think I’d make this recipe with a cheaper lamb cut – chump chops would work just as well.
This hearty lamb casserole comes from an Australia Meat Board leaflet published back in 1970. Mum and I have both made in many times, it’s a great winter warmer
I get the impression that this recipe is one Mum wrote down while she was on the phone with a friend. It’s written on the type of notepad Mum kept by the phone and it has that abbreviated feel of being hurriedly written down.
This is one of Mum’s classic handwritten recipes. Firstly, it’s written on a scrap of paper that comes from the minutes of meeting she had attended and secondly it’s rather short on detail. It also has a mix of Imperial and Metric measures. I’ve rewritten it to give you a clearer idea of how it should look.
LAMB CHOPS WITH BEANS
Heat oil in frying pan and brown chops, remove and place in casserole dish. Cook onion and bacon in frying pan, then add to casserole. Add the other ingredients and bake in a moderate oven 180o for 1½ hours.
Lamb and beans must have seemed like a good combination when Mum cut this recipe out of the Woman’s Day in September 1998. I think it is still a good combination for a cold winter’s night in 2015.
Now the weather is starting to cool down again it’s probably time to start thinking of more hearty meat dishes. This one should fit the bill.
Beb's Recipe Drawer 