Maybe it’s the faint smell of autumn on the horizon or the solitary yellow leaf I witnessed floating from the sky this past weekend, but lately I’ve been dreaming of hearty soups, stews, and festive dinners. I recently made a tender leg of lamb with herb-crusted vegetables in a savoury pesto and wine sauce – boy was it delicious!

Lamb is not a food I grew up eating often, if at all, and thinking of a young sheep up for slaughter breaks my heart. But I have since come to know the benefits of eating an animal-based and nutrient-dense diet filled with a wide variety of meat and local produce, and so too knew our ancestors.

A quick internet search informed me sheep is the oldest domesticated meat species having been first raised about 9,000 years ago in the Middle East. Many countries rely on lamb as the major source of protein in their diet. And while westerners may consider lamb a springtime protein, a glance across the pond will prove otherwise.

I will heartily admit I am an amateur in the kitchen, but like Chef Gusteau once said, and I believe I am evidence of its truth, “Anyone can cook!” One of the greatest tools in my cooking arsenal on my journey to becoming an experienced chef has been the infamous Crockpot slow cooker. Prior to its introduction to my life the task of cooking a meal that would be safe for human consumption, let alone enjoyable, was beyond daunting.

The many steps in the recipes I found, together with culinary jargon I wasn’t familiar with, had me avoiding the kitchen altogether. It didn’t help that the recipes I chose often had exotic ingredients and complicated preparation methods. That’s when I began a love affair with my slow cooker – a seemingly foolproof way to cook hearty, delicious, and nutritious meals for my family to enjoy.

I hope you’ll tag along with me for my new series of blog posts “Slow & Savoury,” a compilation of some of my favourite tried and tested slow cooker recipes featuring ancestral and traditional foods. My goal is to encourage myself and others to eat in the style of our forebears – an eating plan that was free of preservatives and processed foods and chocked full of nutrient-dense animal foods. I’m not a purist and I believe balance and moderation are key to a happy and healthy life, as such I sometimes use ingredients that are affordable and convenient rather than organic, grass-fed, or free-range. But I try my best, and I encourage you to do the same.

I will endeavour to post regular recipes to inspire and encourage you that home cooking does not have to be complicated. Many of the recipes I share with you will be slightly modified from my favourite historic and traditional cookbooks for ease of preparation. I will be giving all credit where credit is due and referencing the books that have inspired me. I don’t have the culinary prowess to write my own recipes… just yet. You may be thinking, why share recipes if they’re not your own invention? Simply to encourage myself and others how easy it is to boycott food delivery services and take-out and embrace home cooking.

One cookbook in particular has kickstarted me on my culinary journey. The book is part of the Company’s Coming cookbook series started by Jean Paré in 1981, entitled “Slow Cooker Dinners.” The cookbook series quickly became very popular in the early eighties and most families had at least a few books from the series hidden away in a kitchen cupboard. I inherited a collection of them from my nanny when she passed away, but found this one at the thrift store. I am excited to honour her and the women who came before me by recreating some of these recipes for you, from the golden age of home cooking .

A Paré classic and one of my favourite slow cooker recipes I’ve tried, “Leg of Lamb,” was a crowd pleaser this past weekend. My family enjoyed it and it yielded plenty of food for leftovers the next day. This recipe is perfect for a Sunday family dinner or anytime your tastebuds crave a good home-cooked meal. As mentioned earlier, it features tender lamb, herb-crusted vegetables, paired together with a pesto and wine sauce. While I made a few adjustments to the recipe to suit my own preferences, Paré knew what she was doing with this one. It is incredibly easy to make and the result is a meal that gives off the impression the cook slaved for hours over a hot stove, and who wouldn’t want to impress friends and family with a tasty meal?

What you need:

• 2 Medium onions, chopped (Paré recommends 3, but I found it was a bit much)
• 3 Garlic cloves, minced
• Whole leg of lamb roast, trimmed of fat (3 3/4-4 lbs)
• Baby potatoes (2 lbs)
• Baby carrots (2 lbs)
• Dry red (or alcohol-free) wine (1 1/2 cups)
• Water (1 1/2 cups)
• Jar of sun-dried tomato pesto (9 1/2 oz)
• Parsley flakes (1 tbsp.)
• Dried rosemary, crushed (2 tsp.)
• Dried whole oregano (2 tsp.)
• Pepper (1 tsp.)
• Water (2 tbsp.)
• Cornstarch (4 tsp.)

Please note I used a slightly smaller slab up meat, less baby potatoes and carrots, and a smaller jar of pesto than was recommended. My slow cooker was already filled to the brim with the ingredients I had so I think the amounts above can be adjusted based on your preference. Paré indicates the recipe is intended for a 7 quart (7 L) slow cooker.

How to:

After chopping and mincing your onions and garlic, put both into the base of your slow cooker, then place your roast on top. Then you’ll want to arrange the baby carrots and potatoes around the roast.

Next, you’ll want to combine the ingredients for the pesto wine sauce, mixing together wine, water, pesto, parsley, rosemary, oregano, and pepper. Once you’ve made your mixture, pour it over the roast and veggies in the slow cooker and cover. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours (I decided to cook on high for immediate gratification).

Once finished cooking, remove the roast to a large serving platter and cover to keep warm. Paré recommends removing the vegetables with a slotted spoon to a large serving bowl and cover to keep warm, but I chose to arrange the veggies around the roast on the same serving platter and cover both. She then instructs to skim and discard any fat from the surface of liquid in the slow cooker, but I didn’t see any fat in my cooker so I skipped this step. Besides, we now know how nourishing animal fat is for you, in moderation of course.

Lastly, you’ll want to complete the sauce with the liquid left in the slow cooker. Paré recommends making the sauce in the crockpot, but I found it didn’t heat up quick enough to thicken the sauce and so I recommend making it in a separate pan on the stove. You’ll want to remove the liquid from the crockpot and add to a pan. Combine cornstarch and water in a small cup until smooth and add the liquid slowly to the pan and stir well while cooking the mixture on med-high heat. Bring to a boil and stir until desired consistency has been reached.

Lastly, cut roast into thin slices (or however thick you prefer) and serve with sauce and vegetables. Paré indicates the recipe should serve 10, but depending on portion sizes and amount of ingredients used that could differ. I found the recipe I made served about 6 people.

Will I make this recipe again? Absolutely! I never would have imagined making a leg of lamb and savoury vegetables would be so easy. I am motivated to continue on my slow cooking journey and will report back to you with a new recipe as soon as I can. In the interim, happy cooking!