Andalusian Lamb Caserole- Ronda style

Ok I though it might be a nice idea to share some really typical Ronda recipes, which I sourced through a cook book that was brought out called "Recuerdos de Ronda y su cocina" (Memories of Ronda and its cuisine). The book has been compiled by some residents of Ronda using the most treasured and favorite recipes of the town, often recipes handed down through the generations. Unfortunately as its only a small publication its not readily available and is of course only in Spanish but I managed to get hold of a copy. This recipe uses a very typical method called the "sofrito" which normally uses a mix of tomatoes garlic and onions with stale bread but in this case uses a mix of almonds, garlic and bread.

Ingredients:

1 Kg lamb
200 gms spring onions
200 gms almonds
100 gms pine nuts
4 cloves of garlic
juice of 1 lemon
1 glass of white wine
1 cup of white flour
4 slices of brown bread
1/4 liter of olive oil
1 bay leaf and a pinch of thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Pour the olive oil into a large frying pan and fry the almonds, garlic and bread ripped into small pieces. Once browned take out with a slotted spoon leaving the oil in the pan and in a pestle and mortar pound them into a paste. Next in the remaining oil fry the lamb pieces that have been seasoned and covered in flour until nicely browned. Transfer the lamb, the sofrito of almonds, and all the rest of the ingredients in a caserole dish and cover with water or stock. Cook on a medium heat for around 35 minutes. This dish would traditionally be served with potatoes, and fresh country style bread to mop up all the sauce.