Things have been a bit crazy in my world down here at present and not in a bad way I might add! I've taken on new responsibilities at works lately (don't you just love getting your head around something else to while away those 8hours? I do!), we're having fun planning the pretty bits n pieces for our wedding next year, where I've been having heaps of fun exploring a few of my fave wedding blogs online

here

,

here

and

here

if you want some gorgeous wedding inspiration, or heck just an awesome party!

We're loving the process of putting 'us' into our big day.

There have been some exciting foodie projects in the pipeline that I'm working on for a client and

I've been thinking about a 2012 edition of the

Gluten Free Scallywag Christmas Magazine

. The first edition from last year was and still is read often and I received great feedback on it, so I need to organise my game plan now if I want to share with you all another batch of delicious gluten free christmas  ideas!

I'd love to know what you think

- Would you like to see Issue 2 of the

Gluten Free Scallywag Christmas Magazine

? What's a recipe that you'd like to see in it?

So, with all of this happening, I've not had time to labour over the stove, so, I throw a few things in the pot, let it

simmer away for a few hours

and ta-da delicious lamb and lentil ragu! All you need is some gluten free spaghetti with mounds of parmesan and you'll

have a delicious feast with minimal effort

(and cost - cheap cuts are a wonderful thing).

The Gluten Free Scallywag's Lamb & Lentil Ragu

Feeds 4-6 hungry bellies

700-750g lamb stewing pieces, preferably with bone in for more flavour

1 brown onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 small carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and chopped

1 piece celery, cut into small pieces

2 x 400g tinned tomatoes

1/2 cup brown lentils soaked for 6-12hours and drained or 1 x 400g tin brown lentils, drained

1/2 cup red wine (plus a glass for yourself while it simmers)

1 cup gluten free vegetable stock

2 bay leaves

pasta to serve (be sure to choose an egg and dairy/lactose free one if required)

Heat a tablespoon of your preferred cooking oil in a large heavy based pot (in my case our beloved le creuset) brown the lamb pieces on each side and set them aside.

Sauté the onion, add a little more oil if none left in the pot, until translucent and softened. Add the garlic, carrots and celery and cook for a minute or two to soften. Add the remaining ingredients along with the browned lamb and bring to a low simmer with the lid on and cook for 3hours. You can do this by continuing on the stove, or if your pot is oven safe transfer it to a 140degree oven and cook for 3hours with the lid on. Be sure to stir your ragu a couple of times to ensure nothing is sticking and there is enough liquid in there to keep it all stewing away, if not add a half cup of water or stock. 

After 3 hours the lamb should be soft, so remove the pieces from the stew and with a fork carefully pull the meat off of the bones and break into bite sized pieces, if you chose a boneless cut then simply shred the meat a little.

I recommend dark clothing and an apron here it can get messy if you are on a slippery surface!

Discard the bones and return the meat to the pot. Cook on low for another 30minutes or until the juices have reduced to your liking, season with salt and pepper to your liking and remove the bay leaves.

Serve on top of gluten free pasta or some soft polenta – Donna Hay’s recipe here is always a winner in our house. Delicious with a good mound of soft, freshly grated parmesan on top. 

Delicious prepared a day ahead and reheated as, like a good spaghetti bolognese the flavours get better over time. 

Need this recipe to be egg, lactose or dairy free?

Check your gluten free pasta’s ingredients (or make the polenta) and use a suitable dairy or lactose free cheese alternative.