Blog

Here at the Hart Center we are always looking for ways to improve our cooking and eating habits. One of the ways we have done that is by low-temperature cooking with a slow cooker. Not only are slow cookers convenient, they also produce very tender foods. Unfortunately many slow cookers have harmful chemicals that seep into your foods.

We searched for a healthier option, and came by the VitaClay. We have been using our VitaClay for approximately 6 months now and cannot be happier with the results! VitaClay is a slow cooker that has a natural clay pot. This means no lead, aluminum, or non-stick coatings! To sweeten the deal even more, the Natural Zisha Clay adds trace minerals to your food and is organic!

Ingredients
Lamb Shoulder
Celery
Carrots
Onion
1 cup White Wine
1-2 tbsp Rosemary
2 cloves Minced Garlic
Stock or water

When picking a cut of lamb shoulder, it is important to make sure you pick one that will fit in your slow cooker. Typically, for the 8-cup VitaClay, a 3-lb is the absolute max you can fit in there, however it will prevent you from putting in as many veggies.

Start by pouring 1-2 cups of water or stock into the pot. Make sure it covers the bottom of the pot in order to prevent burning. Add in the lamb shoulder. Depending on the amount of room left, cut up celery, carrots, and onion to fill in any available areas, but keep them aside for now. Pour the wine in. Combine the rosemary and garlic together. Lightly rub on the mixture onto the lamb. Depending on how soft you like your veggies, place them into the pot now, or an hour before the end of the cooking time. Place the top on and cook for 4 hours! If you are using a traditional crock pot, this will take closer to 8 hours to be done.

When the cooking is done, take the pot out of the slow cooker and allow it to cool off. Once it has cooled, de-bone the lamb. This is surprisingly easy! Meat falls right off as you pick it up with a fork. Put the bones aside in order to make a broth. Cut up another onion, some carrots, and celery. If you have any other root veggies on hand that need to be used place them in as well! Most things help to give more depth to the broth flavor. Place the bones and veggies into the crock pot and cover with water. Slow cook for up to 24 hours, however we find that 8 hours is sufficient for good flavor in a VitaClay. . After the time is up just strain, and enjoy your homemade lamb bone broth. If you compost, the left-over vegetables make a great addition to your compost!

If you would like some extra vegetables to enjoy, just put a cup of the broth into the VitaClay and cook for 30 minutes to an hour depending on softness preference.

We hope that you enjoy this recipe!