Low ‘n’ slow Hogget & Fennel Stew

Here’s a lovely low ‘n’ slow comfort food dish for winter. Leg of hogget marinated in marsala wine to help tenderise the meat and add background notes, and then cooked with fennel and dried herbs such as ground fennel seeds and rosemary.  

You may be asking yourself what hogget is and, simply put, it’s lamb that’s seen its second spring or summer. This means that it’s had longer to pasture and, as such, is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, as well as other vitamins and minerals such as B12, selenium, zinc and iron. Of course, if you can’t find hogget, this dish will be just as tasty as cooked with lamb. 

Hogget and lamb are also good source of protein and conjugated linoleic acid, a type of fat that some studies show can help with weight loss. Do look for outdoor-raised hogget or lamb, as they have lower saturated fat levels than indoor-reared animals. 

Of course, go organic if you can.  If you’re concerned about the hogget/lamb being fatty, the long cook time here helps render most of the fats out but we are also using a cut with a high percentage of lean meat. We’re marinating the meat in marsala wine – a sweet wine from Sicily that is packed with antioxidants to help neutralise free radicals and protect against disease. 

It can also support heart health as it can increase levels of HDL – the “good” type of cholesterol.  Herbs and spices here include ground fennel seeds and rosemary – fennel has long been used in traditional medicines to help soothe pain and relieve tummy troubles and is also high in anti-cancer properties. Rosemary also has potent antioxidants that can help with inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and bronchial asthma. 

The dish is rounded off with our super versatile Tomato Fondue, we won’t go over its health benefits again, but do check out the recipe video and article that goes with it for more information.