Oh summer cooking, let me count the ways I hate thee...

Well, summer has reached us in the Shires. When I say 'summer', it means days of alternating between wearing sweaters and vest tops. For days it has been nightmarishly humid, however today I seem to be digging out jumpers from 2 years ago and sipping coffee while it pours with rain (no change there then) outside.

I'm not quite ready to let go of my slow cooker, either. EVERY kitchen should have a slow cooker. You can lob everything in there at 8AM before work, come back at 6:30 and get in. It's the winter meal essential. I'm sick of seeing chewy, bland chicken caesar salads.

One of my favourites is what I call a Spanish stew...(only one ingredient is of Spanish origin, it just sounds more exotic that way). The vibrancy and colours do lend themselves to summer, but I designed and used this as more of a mildly spicy winter-warmer for 2 or more:

2 fresh lamb leg steaks
1 celery stick
Baby new potatoes, about 200g, halved (peeled or not, its up to you)
Handful of black olives (again, personal choice. If they make you retch, no worries.)
Chorizo sausage (one half) (you can buy these from supermarket delis, but DON'T buy the thin, pre-sliced flimsy version in packets. They disintergrate far too easily and make the stew too rich).
Jar of tomato-based pasta sauce (or tomato puree with added capsicums, your choice), about 200/300 g
2 tsp of tabasco sauce (optional)
1 tsp of paprika
Salt and pepper

Cut the lamb steaks into chunks, trimming any excess fat (feel free to leave a bit on, it contributes to the flavour). Lob into slow cooker. Add sauce and paprika. Wash and pat dry the celery, slicing (don't forget to use a different or cleaned knife to the lamb one) in 2cm chunks. Throw in. Tumble in the halved potatoes. Slice the chorizo in 1.5 cm chunks, and lob along with olives (if using). At this point, if the stew is looking too 'stodgy' for your liking (it will get more liquidy as it cooks) you can add a little bit of water. Sprinkle over some salt and pepper (go easy on the salt, the chorizo is pretty rich in this) and turn on the slow cooker at a low temp. Stir gently after 1.5 hours, taste and add tabasco if needed. Leave for another 2-3 hours. Serve with warmed garlic bread and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

Other stew(s) to follow :)