Lamb Shank Ragu.

There is nothing better than the smell of a slow cooked ragù. Made with meat on the bone for extra collagen, hidden liver for a boost of iron, and loaded with vegetables for fibre; this meal is purposely tailored towards pregnancy and postpartum.

Although I don't use a slow cooker myself, you could easily use one if you are going to be out of the house. I'd recommend browning the meat and sautéing the vegetables prior to putting it in the slow cooker (these little things add a lot of flavour).

- Renee

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2-3 lamb shanks depending on their size (approximately 1kg total weight)

Sea salt

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 stick celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, grated

1 zucchini, grated

1 cup button mushrooms, finely chopped

2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried oregano

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1-2 chicken livers, chopped into a fine mince*

2 cups bone broth or stock

400g tin crushed tomatoes

*If you are new to eating liver, start with 1 and work your way up to 2. You probably won't even taste it.

Method

Add the olive oil to a large heavy based pot and place on a medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add the shanks with a good pinch of salt and sear on all sides. Once browned, remove shanks from pot and set aside.

Turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next add the garlic, carrot, celery, zucchini, mushrooms and herbs. Sauté for 10 minutes.

Add the shanks back into the pot along with the tomato paste, livers, broth and tomatoes. Stir until combined. Lower the heat and simmer with the lid ajar for 4 hours, or until the meat falls off the bone. Stir and turn the shanks occasionally whilst simmering.

Once the meat is soft, pull it from the bone and mix into the sauce (be sure to keep the bones for your next batch of bone broth). Season with salt and pepper.

Serve on top of a butter bean mash or with your favourite pasta.