ROAST LAMB WITH TOMATOES AND PASTA

I always like to cook our delicious New Zealand lamb over Easter and this method is great as it pleases all ages and ticks all the boxes.  I am using fresh tomatoes as we still have an abundance at the moment but you can certainly substitute for tinned if not easily accessible.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

2kg leg of lamb

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped

1 Tbsp oil

Sea salt and cracked black pepper

3 onions, finely sliced

1 kg tomatoes, cut into chunks

6 cloves garlic, peeled

2 cups water or beef stock

2 cups macaroni pasta

Method

Preheat oven 220C

Rub the oil all over the leg of lamb and season well with salt, pepper and rosemary.  Place into deep oven dish and roast for 30 minutes turning when golden.  

Remove lamb from the oven and reduce the temperature to 180C.  

Add the sliced onions, garlic and tomatoes and toss them in the juices around the lamb.  Return to the oven and continue to cook for a further 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour over 1 cup of water or stock and stir to get the bits off the bottom. Cover loosely and continue to cook for a further 1 ½ hours. During the cooking spoon the tomato juices over the lamb.

Add the pasta and stir well to coat and submerge in the juice of the tomatoes, season with a little more salt and cracked pepper.  If the mixture is looking to dry add ½ to 1 cup more liquid.  Return to the oven and continue to cook for 30 minutes or until the pasta is tender and the juices have thickened.

Remove from the oven and rest before carving the lamb.  

Serve the pasta and tomato sauce alongside the lamb.