On our rare family weekends, when we all drive from our faraway homes and meet somewhere in between, dad (that would be me) is required to cook lamb, at least once. So, even at the coast in Arniston, out came the family-size potjie and in went a brace of necks of lambs reared in the Eastern Cape Midlands Karoo. And one or two other things.

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

Olive oil

2 lamb’s necks

1 large red onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped finely

2 large carrots, diced

2 leeks, sliced

1 celery stick, chopped

3 oregano sprigs

1 tsp chilli flakes

Peel of 1 orange (no pith)

Peel of 1 lemon (no pith)

Juice of the above orange and lemon

2 x 400 g cans chopped tomatoes

250 ml chicken (or lamb) stock

¼ cup/ 4 Tbsp Cointreau

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Method

Have a fire going and plenty of wood ready to add to it. Keep it going so that you always have a few coals to add beneath the potjie and a few more on the lid.

Heat the pot by putting a few hot coals underneath it, and add a good splash of olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, leeks, celery and oregano sprigs, stir, and leave it to simmer for 15 minutes or so, stirring now and then.

Make a cooking stock: pour the chopped tomatoes into a large bowl and add the chicken stock, orange and lemon peel, chilli flakes, season with salt and pepper, and stir.

Add the lamb’s necks to the potjie, then tip in the cooking stock. Give it a stir, put the lid on, add plenty of hot coals beneath the pot, and put a few coals on the lid.

For three to four hours, add coals beneath and a few on top every now and then, the aim being to keep the heat low but as constant as you can for all of the cooking time. It shouldn’t be necessary to lift the lid off. Rather approach with your best ear and listen for that faint gurgle. That’s the fireside music you want to hear.

After three hours, add the orange and lemon juice to the pot along with the Cointreau. Stir, put the lid back on, and let it simmer for another 30 minutes to an hour, or until you are satisfied that the meat is falling off the bone and making its way to your plate of its own accord. That, and not a moment before, is when it’s ready. I served it with a potato bake, the recipe for which I’ll publish tomorrow. But creamy mashed potato will do the trick very nicely. DM/TGIFood 

To enquire about Tony Jackman’s book, foodSTUFF (Human & Rousseau) please email him at [email protected] 

SUBSCRIBE: Our Thank God It’s Food newsletter is sent to subscribers every Friday at 6pm, and published on the TGIFood platform on Daily Maverick. It’s all about great reads on the themes of food and life. Subscribe here.