Tuesday, 04. March 2008

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 Lamb

Which cut to use where?

Barbecue lamb spice rub

Combine all herbs and spices, salt and sugar together in a small airtight container. Sprinkle the meat on all sides with enough of the barbecue rub to evenly coat the meat. Allow to dry marinate for at least 20 minutes. You will not need to add any oil as the moisture of the meat is sufficient. Drizzle lemon juice over the spice rub to prevent it from burning on the barbecue.

Cook lamb leg 15 minutes each side over a moderate heat or until cooked as desired. For chicken, cook 5-6 minutes each side or until cooked as desired. Remove meat from barbecue and transfer to a warm plate.

Cover and rest 10-15 minutes. Serve meat sliced thickly with extra lemon wedges and mixed salad of your choice. 4

Butterfly leg of lamb

Have butcher remove bone form lamb and “butterfly” meat. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients (not the lamb or sesame seeds). When mixed, add the lamb and toss until meat is well covered. Cover the bowl with “glad” wrap and allow to sit for 4-6 hours—overnight if possible. Turn the meat a few times. Push one or two skewers through the meat to keep it flat while cooking. Place on grill in baking disk, loosely cover with alfoil and cook in 150C oven for 40-50 minutes. About every 10 minutes spoon the left-over marinade over the lamb while cooking.

When lamb it almost cooked, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and continue to cook until the seeds are a golden brown. Remove and cut into fine strips. Serve.

French onion chops à la Freda

Line bottom of baking dish with alfoil, leaving enough alfoil to be able to wrap foil back over itself to form an envelope. Spray bottom of alfoil with thin layer of oil then layer chops on oil. Sprinkle soup mix over chops. If baking dish is not large enough to arrange chops in 1 layer, make 1st layer, cover with ½ soup mix, then arrange 2nd layer over first and top with remainder of soup mix. Cover and seal completely with alfoil. Place in preheated 180C oven for at least 60 minutes or until chops are cooked and tender. Serve with vegetables of choice.   4

Irish stew.

Remove any excess fat from lamb. Chop potatoes into desert spoon size chunks. Melt butter, pour into large casserole dish, swirl butter to coat all inside surfaces of dish. Mix cornflour with small amount of water until smooth, pour into dish, add 1 cup of hot water, and stock cubes, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Place a layer of meat on bottom of dish, then evenly cover meat with alternate layers of vegetables, make second layer of meat, then veg, continue until all ingredients are used.

Add additional water to just below level of ingredients, sprinkle mixed herbs and thyme over top, cover and place in 180C oven for 1½-2 hours. Remove from oven, remove lid, skim off any fat residue, replace lid, let stand a few minutes, sprinkle parsley on top before serving. Serve with thick slices of buttered  hot bread or warm bread rolls    6

Irish stew with Guiness

In a hot pan brown the lamb pieces before adding the rest of the ingredients. Turn heat down and cook very slowly at 140C for about one hour to 90 minutes.  Mix in the parsley and season with salt and pepper.   4

Lamb and Bean Hot Pot

Make a marinade from 2 teaspoons crushed garlic, 1 small chilli (seeds removed and finely chopped), handful of finely chopped parsley, ½ teaspoon salt, teaspoon cracked black pepper and ½ cup olive oil—mix well. Place lamb in a bowl, pour on the marinade, stir to coat lamb, cover and store in refrigerator for at least 3 hours.  Boil potatoes, drain, add 2 tablespoons butter/margarine and 2 tablespoons mayonaise, mash, set aside. Peel and slice the carrots and parsnips length ways, place in oven proof bowl, add ¼ cup olive oil, cover and bake in 180C oven for 25 mins or until cooked, basting two or three times.

Heat oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion, garlic and cumin for 5 minutes, or until golden. Add the beans, peas, tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Cover and remove from heat.  Brown the lamb in a pan over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Allow to stand before slicing thinly. Add the lamb slices to the bean mixture. Mix well. Spoon into 4 individual (about 1¼ cup capacity) ovenproof dishes. 

Top each dish with a round of puff pastry. Press edges to seal. Brush with egg. Bake at 200oC for 20-25 minutes, or until golden. Serve the lamb hot pot, accompanied with mash, roasted carrot and parsnip.   4

Lamb and Tomato Casserole

Heat small amount of oil in a large frying pan over medium to high heat. Add as much lamb as will fit in the pan in one layer, without overcrowding. Sauté until well browned all over. Transfer to a large casserole dish. Repeat browning with remaining lamb, adding more oil as necessary. When all the lamb is browned, reduce heat to medium to low and add any remaining oil to frying pan. Add onions and garlic and cook for about 810 minutes until soft and pale golden. Stir in the tomato paste and chilli, if using, and cook, stirring, for two minutes. Pour the wine into the pan and bring to boil, stirring and scraping the pan to dissolve any brown bits on the bottom. Add the crushed tomato and thyme and season the mixture lightly.

Pour this mixture over the lamb. Place casserole in a pre-heated oven at 165C and cook until the lamb is tender, about 1½-2 hours. (Like all casseroles, this is even better after a day or two in the fridge. You can prepare it up to this point then refrigerate it for up to three days, or cool and freeze it for up to three weeks.) While the casserole is cooking, prepare the spring onions. Cut off the green tops, leaving about 5cm attached to the bulbous base. Trim the root end and peel off outer layer if necessary. Cut a small cross in the base to prevent the onions failing apart as they cook. If serving immediately, add the prepared spring onions during the final 15 minutes of cooking, or if reheating from fridge or freezer, add these once the casserole is hot. Transfer lamb to a warm serving dish or plates (shallow pasta bowls are ideal) if not serving in casserole dish at the table. Top with parsley sprigs and serve with mashed potatoes.   6

Lamb Biryiani

Combine lamb mince with garlic, curry, masala, 2/3 cup yoghurt and salt and pepper,  mix well. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.  Heat olive oil in a large deep frying pan and cook onions for a few minutes or until softened and brown. Add lamb mixture to pan, along with tomatoes and cinnamon stick.

Heat milk and saffron together in the microwave until hot. Meanwhile, spoon rice over lamb mince to cover; pour over hot milk, cover and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with poppadoms, extra yoghurt and fresh sprigs of coriander. 4

Lamb Curry

Trim excess fat from lamb, cut lamb into 2cm pieces. Place in bowl, mix in curry paste, chilli powder, 1 clove of garlic, vinegar and turmeric. Cover, stand for at least 30 minutes.

Heat half the ghee in a deep frying pan, add half the lamb, stirring constantly over high heat until browned. Remove, and add remaining ghee and rest of lamb to pan and repeat process. Return all lamb to pan, add onions, remainder of garlic, ginger, coriander and cumin, cook for a few minutes stirring constantly. Pour into oven proof dish, add water, stock cubes and tomato paste, cover, and cook in oven at 180C for about 1 hour. Cool to room temperature, refrigerate overnight.

Prior to use remove any fat from top of mixture, then pour all ingredients into large saucepan and bring to the boil. Stir in cornflour (pre mixed in 1 tablespoon water) and stir occasionally until mixture boils and thickens.

Lamb cutlets

Heat a small amount of oil to a frying pan over medium heat, add the zucchini and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Add the pasta sauce, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Combine the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, lightly brush each cutlet with olive oil, press into breadcrumbs to coat all over. Heat small amount of oil in another pan, cook cutlets 3 mins on each side until browned and cooked through. Serve topped with sauce with mashed potato. 4

Lamb shanks.

(* Use beef stock if you are not able to get consumme)  Preheat oven to 180°C. Place flour and salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Lightly coat shanks with flour. Heat oil in a saucepan over high heat. Cook shanks, in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a large roasting pan.

Add onions and garlic to saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until soft. Add consomme, wine and maple syrup. Stir to combine. Bring to the boil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over shanks and cover pan tightly with foil. Roast for 1¼ hours. Remove foil. Turn shanks and roast for 45 minutes or until tender. Transfer shanks to a platter and cover to keep warm. Strain cooking liquid through a sieve. Discard onions. Return liquid to pan. Mix cornflour and water in a bowl until smooth. Stir into liquid and bring to the boil, stirring, over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes or until reduced slightly.  Serve shanks with mashed potato, boiled green vegs and the gravy. 8

Lamb shanks (Italian style)

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add garlic, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally for 6-7 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender but not coloured. Transfer to a casserole dish. Add lamb shanks, Italian tomatoes, wine and chicken stock. Bring to the boil on stove top and add 1 whole large chilli and 2 sprigs of rosemary. Cover, transfer to a preheated 160C oven and bake for 2½ hours, turning shanks occasionally as they cook. Remove the lid about 30 minutes before the end of cooking time - this browns the meat and helps the sauce reduce a little. Remove shanks and keep warn. Reduce liquid over a high heat for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened. Season to taste. Remove chili and rosemary and discard. Serve shanks topped with sauce and sprinkled with gremolata (see Sauces and Dips). Serves 4.

Lamb stew with dumplings.

Stew

Dumplings

Cut the lamb into 2cm cubes. Heat oil in a large pan, add the butter, then brown the meat, a little at a time. Set aside. Add the onions, carrots, celery and turnip and cook gently until onions are soft, stir in the flour and cook further 2-3 minutes. Add stock, herbs and salt and pepper to taste, stir until mixed thoroughly. Return browned meat to pan, bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1½ hours.

Mix all dumpling ingredients together and enough cold water to make a soft dough. Shape into 10 small balls and add to the stew after 1½ hours, cook for a further 20 minutes until the dumplings rise and the meat is tender. Serve with boiled potatoes and green vegetables.

Mango lamb chops

Trim excess fat from shops, place in large heavy base pan, cook until browned on both sides, remove from pan, drain on paper towel. Add onion and garlic to pan, stir until onion softens, return chops to pan, sprinkle with soup mix. Pour contents of mango can into pan, stir in, add 1 cup water, stir until mixture boils. Reduce heat to low, simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes until chops are cooked and sauce is thickened.  Serve on a bed or boiled rice with blanched snow peas to one side, garnish with red capsicum strips.      4-6

Marinated butterfly lamb with couscous salad.

1 leg of lamb, bone removed and butterflied

Marinade

Couscous

Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl and add lamb. Turn to coat lamb in marinade and refrigerate for 2-24 hours.  Soak the currants in the orange juice for half an hour. Cook couscous as directed on pack. Combine all the couscous ingredients in a large bowl, adding more oil and juice if necessary. Season well with sea salt and black pepper.

Bring lamb back to room temperature and season well with sea salt and black pepper. Cook for about 10-15 minutes each side on a char grill. Rest for a few minutes and serve with the couscous and lime wedges. 6-8.

Mediterranean Lamb Kebabs

Meat                                                   Couscous

Toss the diced lamb, balsamic vinegar, oil, rosemary, garlic and a good seasoning of black pepper in a large bowl. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes.  Cut the zucchini into 2cm thick slices and thread onto skewers alternately with the marinated lamb, and capsicum. Place the skewers and vegetables in a foil tray, pour remaining marinade, place in 180C oven and cook for 10-15 minutes, turning the skewers occasionally.  Pour the boiling water over the couscous in large bowl and stand for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork and add the olives, herbs, olive oil and a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Serve the lamb kebabs on the couscous soon after cooking.   4

Moroccan Lamb

Lamb

Couscous

Brown the lamb in a very hot, lidded frying pan in the oil until well browned on all sides, add the onions, Moroccan Seasoning, capsicum, tomato soup, stock and raisins. Bring to the boil and stirring continuously. Cover, reduce heat and simmer gently for 35-40 minutes. Just prior to serving-prepare the couscous. Pour the boiling stock over the couscous, cover and allow to stand for 5 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Stir through the mint and season to taste. Serve the lamb over the couscous, garnish with fresh herbs.  4

Mousakka

Meal

Topping

Meal: Slice eggplants thickly and sprinkle with salt. Turn up side down and let dry on paper towel. Leave for about one hour. This will extract any bitter juices. Cook the onion and garlic in oil until golden brown. Add the meat and herbs to the onion. Add the chopped tomatoes and juice. Bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for five minutes.  Rinse the eggplants and dry thoroughly. Heat oil in a frying pan until hot and cook the eggplants until golden brown on both sides. Drain on absorbent paper. Place a layer of eggplant on the bottom of a casserole dish. Then a layer of meat, then another layer of eggplant, another layer of meat and, finally, a top layer of eggplant. Make sure the top is flat.

Topping:     Warm milk with a bay leaf in it and set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in flour. Cook for a few minutes and take off the heat. Slowly add warm milk into the flour mixture, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Return the mixture to the heat and stir until boiling. Season with salt and pepper and cook for five minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl. Pour the milk mixture into the yolks, stirring all the time. Add half the cheese.
 

Mix well and pour the mixture over the casserole. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Bake for 40 minutes in a medium oven until the top is golden brown and the mixture reheated.

Mussaman curry

Place lamb, coconut milk, stock, cassia bark and star anise in a large saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, about 1½ hours or until lamb is tender. Meanwhile, place chillies in small heatproof jug, cover with boiling water; stand 15 minutes, drain, chop finely. Toast the shrimp paste by wrapping in a small amount of foil and dry-frying foil parcel in a hot wok, tossing occasionally for about 2 minutes (or waving over a naked flame for 30 seconds using tongs to hold the parcel); cool. Dry roast ground spices in a dry wok until fragrant; remove to a plate and set aside.

Add eschalots, garlic, lemongrass and galangal to the same wok and toast over high heat; tossing often until lightly browned and fragrant. Transfer fragrant vegetables and toasted spices, chillies and shrimp paste to a mortar and pestle or small blender. Pound or process until a smooth paste forms; set aside until ready to finish curry. Combine tamarind pulp and water in a small bowl stirring well. Strain through a small sieve - the brown liquid is tamarind water.

 Heat vegetable oil in wok. Add curry paste and cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add lamb and its poaching liquid, 2 teaspoons of the tamarind water, sugar, fish sauce and potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Sprinkle with peanuts and green onions, serve with rice.  4

Rack of lamb with mint béarnaise

Lamb                                                        Béarnaise

Béarnaise:  Place vinegar, chopped shallot and peppercorns in a pan and bring to the boil. Boil on high heat until reduced by half. Strain liquid into top of double saucepan, add egg yolks, beat over simmering water for 1 minute. Add melted butter, continue beating until thickened. Remove from heat, place in blender, blend thoroughly.

Lamb:   Trim excess fat from lamb. Spread mustard over both side of meat, brush with oil. Place meat in baking dish, and bake at 180C for 20—25 minutes. Serve with mint béarnaise. (Lamb will be slightly pink—increase cooking time by 5 minutes if required).

Roast leg of lamb

Oil bottom of roasting pan with 3-4 tablespoons olive oil, lightly mix tomatoes, onions and crushed garlic, place in oil on bottom of pan. Liberally brush the lamb with olive oil, rub in salt, pepper, garlic paste and Rosemary.  Place lamb on rack over tomato/onion mix. Pre-heat oven to 165⁰C, cook lamb for 30 minutes for each 500 grams of weight or until cooked and tender. Remove, and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve topped with tomato/onion mix.   4

Roast lamb à la John Laws

Remove all visible fat from the lamb. Rub the meat with the olive oil and put salt and freshly milled pepper all over. Place in porcelain dish with onion, garlic and herbs, pour the tomato juice over it, cover and marinate in the fridge overnight. Take two generous sheets of foil – lay them on your bench in a cross shape, place the lamb and everything else on it, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Wrap the lamb up in foil making sure to tie the edges very tightly so that steam does not escape. Place it in a large baking dish and put in the oven.

Fast Method:      Cook for 1 hour in a preheated oven at 250 C, and then turn the oven down to 100 C and cook for  further 3-4 hours.

Slower Method:      Cook in an oven at 100 C for 7-8 hours. Half an hour before serving, open the foil, remove the herbs and baste it then cook it with foil opened to give a bit more colour.

Roast lamb with lemon and honey

Pre-heat oven to 180C. Combine EV olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and honey.  Place lamb in oven bag and pour in lemon and honey mixture. Tie the end of the bag, pierce top of bag two or three times, place in a large baking dish and roast for about 30 minutes. Remove lamb from bag and add potatoes to dish, spray with olive oil, return to oven and cook for further 30 mins.

Remove, turn potatoes, add tomatoes, spray both tomatoes and potatoes with olive oil, return to oven and bake for further 30 mins. Serve with green beans.   6

Roast rack of lamb

Trim the cutlets by cutting away the flesh from the top of each bone and slicing the  fat away, leaving about 5cm of the bone exposed. Set oven to the hottest temperature. Place lamb on rack in roasting dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper (to taste) and rub 2 tablespoons butter or margarine over cutlets. Roast for 30 minutes, spooning the juices over the lamb often. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes.

While meat is cooking, crush the peppercorns and mix with the parsley and mustard. Whisk the egg whites until very stiff, then gently mix the mustard mixture through. Place the lamb in another baking dish, spread the egg white mixture all over the meat. Combine the breadcrumbs and cheese and sprinkle this over the egg white. Return to very hot oven and cook until golden brown—about 8-10 minutes.

While the lamb is browning, place the first baking dish on the stove top, add the  wine, bring to the boil stirring and scraping up all the crusty cooking bits. Add 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, 2 tablespoons flour, salt and pepper to taste, boil and stir for 5 minutes. Pour into gravy boat and serve with the lamb.

Savoury Lamb Chops

Mix salt and pepper with flour in shallow dish. Melt butter in pan, coat chops with flour then brown in melted butter, remove and place into oven proof dish. Add 1 tablespoon flour and remaining dry ingredients to pan, mix in with juices in pan, add vinegar and stir until mixture is smooth. Add water and sauce and stir until mixture boils. Pour over chops, place in 180C oven, cover and cook for 1½ - 2 hours.

Shepherd’s pie

Place small amount of oil in a frying pan, cook the onion, celery and carrot until softened, remove from the pan and set aside.  Add the lamb to the pan and brown. Stir in the flour, when blended with the lamb, add stock, herbs, tomatoes and onion mixture and stir until combined. Cover and simmer for 45 mins. Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until tender, drain and add the milk and knob of margarine, mash until smooth and fluffy—adding more milk if necessary. Preheat oven to 180C.  Spoon the lamb mixture into an oven proof dish, top with cracked pepper to taste, cover with mashed potato, cook in oven for 40 mins or until potato is browned.  6 

Tandoori Lamb

Have butcher bone and butterfly the lamb. Mix Tandoori (mild or strong according to taste) with yoghurt and oil and smear all over the lamb, cover, and leave in refrigerator for at least 4 hours (overnight is best). Place in large pan, cover and cook on low heat for about 35 mins a side (turn once) or until cooked and tender, basting every now and then with left over marinade. 6

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