Category: lamb

Categories
lamb mint onion pasta tomato

rigas’s lamb

rigas's lamb

Another slice of pure joy from Leon 2. This Greek-inspired family recipe is a delight, and I particularly enjoy the use of macaroni as a carb. The tiny pasta tubes bring out the kid in me. The original recipe called for dried mint but I tend not to use it and went for the mostly authentic dried oregano instead. And we haven’t even mentioned the lamb: rich, soft and sweet. Try instead of a roast one week, it’s almost zero maintenance. I served mine with some steamed Savoy cabbage and it was wonderful.

PS. I recommend not falling asleep halfway through cooking – it does need the occasional baste!

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Rigas's lamb

A different take on roast lamb.
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 shoulder of lamb
  • 5 cloves garlic peeled
  • A few mint leaves
  • 2 tins of tomatoes
  • 250 g macaroni
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano

Instructions

  • Get the oven on about 150°C.
  • Put the onions in a baking tray and mix with the tomatoes. Fill one of the tomato tins with water and slosh that in too. Poke the lamb all over with the tip of a sharp knife. Break the garlic into bits and stuff into the holes, then cram some torn mint on top. Pop this on top of the tomato mix, season like billy-o and slam in the oven.
  • Cook for about 3 - 4 hours, or until the lamb is tender. Baste frequently to make a lovely cakey crust on the lamb, and you may need to add water from time to time to stop the whole thing drying out.
  • About 20 mins before the end of cooking, throw in the macaroni and oregano, stir about and put back in the oven. Continue to add water through this cooking time as necessary.
  • Serve by hacking the lamb into chunks with a big scoop of tomatoey onion pasta.
Categories
curry lamb

lamb madras

When I get a craving for curry, there’s no stopping me until I’ve made one. And this one was great, zingy and powerful, with a creamy finish. Brilliant yellow and bursting with freshness.

Lamb madras (based on Allegra McEvedy’s Leon Gobi recipe):

500g lamb shoulder, diced

1 onion, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

2 thumb-sized pieces of ginger, peeled

5 cloves garlic, peeled

1 large teaspoon Madras curry powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon black onion seeds

4 heaped tablespoons ground almonds

400ml coconut milk

Juice of ½ a lemon

Handful of coriander, chopped

  1. Fry the lamb all over in a large casserole until browned. Remove to one side for now.
  2. In the same pan, add a little more oil and fry the onion and carrot with lid on gently for 20 minutes until softened. While this is going on whizz up the garlic and ginger to a paste, then add this to the pan with a big pinch of salt.
  3. Stir fry for a minute or two and add the curry powder, turmeric, black onion seeds and almonds. Fry for another minute, add the lamb back and pour over the coconut milk. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook with the lid on for another hour and a half, or until the lamb is tender.
  4. When the lamb is cooked, add lemon juice, adjust the seasoning and top with coriander.
Categories
food garlic lamb thyme

rolled lamb breast

I’ve tried this before. I lovingly poached the lamb breast for a few hours, bubbling away in my treasured Le Creuset. I took the lid off, and FOOM. I was hit by a blast of pure mould. It was so utterly disgusting I left it in the conservatory overnight and scrubbed it a dozen times to get the smell out.

I consigned the recipe to the dustbin until I read this post by FoodUrchin. It spurred me on to try again. It was a Tristan Welch recipe after all, so how could it not be a winner?

And a winner it is. Lovely succulent lamb meat packed with bold flavours and a crisp outside. Also costs next to nothing, so try it now!

Rolled lamb breast:

500g lamb breast

1 large sprig of rosemary, leaves picked

1 large sprig of thyme, leaves picked

1 bulb of garlic, bashed up

1 litre chicken stock

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
  2. Bash the daylights out of the herbs and garlic and add salt and pepper. Add enough oil to make a spreadable slush.
  3. Lay out the lamb breast and spread the mush all over it. Roll up the lamb breast like a swiss roll and tie firmly with string.
  4. Bring the chicken stock to the boil and drop in the lamb. Leave to poach for around 3 hours, until a knife goes in easily. Allow the lamb to cool down in the stock.
  5. Bring the lamb out of the stock and wrap tightly in cling film. Refrigerate overnight to firm up.
  6. When you’re ready to serve, heat a little butter in a pan. Carve the lamb into thick slices and fry on either side for a couple of minutes until golden. Serve with minted new potatoes and wilted spinach.
Categories
beetroot burger cumin dill food lamb tahini

lamb burgers with beetroot relish

Burger season is definitely in full swing. Check out these lamby beggars. I stole inspiration for this one from Waitrose as it combines lovely Mediterranean flavours with a hint of Middle East. The burger itself was fab, as was the tahini-tainted creme fraiche. The beetroot relish was OK; fresh tasting but lacking a bit of a pep. I tried to rescue it with a blast of salt, red wine vinegar and pepper but it wasn’t quite there. Needs more work.

Lamb burgers with beetroot relish:

2 shallots, finely diced

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 large raw beetroot

1 tbsp roughly chopped dill

500g lamb mince

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

200g Greek yoghurt

2 tablespoons tahini

  1. Dry fry the cumin seeds in a hot pan until toasty. Remove to one side and crush a bit – leave some whole. Mix these with the lamb and sesame seeds, season well and form into burgers. Chill until needed.
  2. Put the shallot in a large bowl. Peel and coarsely grate the beetroot into the bowl. Add a couple of teaspoons of oil and dill. Season generously and mix well. Cover and set aside at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Check for seasoning and add red wine vinegar as required.
  3. Blend the yogurt and tahini together and set aside.
  4. Light the barbecue or preheat the grill. Cook the burgers for about 5 minutes on each side for well done, or until cooked to your liking. Serve in a toasted roll on a bed of salad leaves, topped with the relish and a dollop of tahini cream. Serve the remaining relish and tahini cream on the side.
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