Greek lamb, chickpea and orzo stew

Trim the fat off the boneless leg of lamb and cut it into big chunks; the chunks shrink as they cook.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high with a little olive oil and brown the unseasoned lamb in two or three batches, three to four minutes per side, until both sides are golden with a little crunchiness; overcrowding steams it instead.

Finely chop an onion and peel and chop two to three carrots.

Turn the heat off, add the onion and carrots to the scorching pot so they do not colour, and let their liquid deglaze the base; turn the heat back on after about a minute and soften about eight minutes.

Add five grated garlic cloves and warm through until fragrant.

Return the lamb, season with one and a half teaspoons of salt and black pepper, and add the bay leaves, red pepper flakes, paprika, oregano, honey and crushed tomatoes.

Add six to eight cups of water, bring to a boil stirring so nothing sticks, then reduce to medium, lid on, and cook about an hour and a half until the lamb is tender and the sauce has thickened.

Stir in the orzo, the rinsed chickpeas and a half to one teaspoon of salt and cook another 15 to 20 minutes until the orzo is al dente and the stew is thick and rich.

Taste and adjust the salt and pepper, then stir in chopped parsley and a half to one teaspoon of dried mint.

Variation: leave the orzo out entirely to keep it gluten free or low carb, or swap rice for the pasta, or add a second can of chickpeas in its place.

Variation: dried rosemary thrown in at the beginning works with the lamb and mint.