With Easter coming up, we thought we’d give you a helping hand with Easter lunch and spoke to London’s best restaurants and top chefs to find the most interesting and delicious lamb recipes for you
Vivek Singh's slow-braised lamb leg filled with Montgomery’s cheddar, dried nuts and fruits
2015-03-26 16:23:56
Serves 4
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Ingredients
1 leg of spring lamb, weighing about 1½ kg
For the marinade
250g Greek style yoghurt
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 tablespoon garlic paste
2 onions, sliced and fried until crisp
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
1½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil
For braising
6 bay leaves
2 tsp royal (black) cumin
5 no green cardamom
3 cinnamon sticks approximately 2 inch each
1 tsp salt
1 cup malt vinegar
Water
For the filling
60g khoya (reduced milk cakes, available in Indian stores), grated
60g Montgomery’s cheddar, grated
4 dried figs, cut into 5mm (¼-inch) dices
4 dried apricots, cut into 5mm (¼-inch) dices
1 tablespoon raisins
2 tablespoons cashew nuts, roasted and crushed lightly
2 tablespoons almond flakes, roasted
2 tablespoons pistachio, roasted and crushed lightly
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, chopped
4 green chillies, chopped
½ teaspoon royal (black) cumin seeds
1 teaspoon salt
The juice of 1 lime
Instructions
Trim the excess fat off the lamb and, if your butcher hasn’t tunnel-boned it for you, remove the thighbone by cutting around it carefully with a carving knife to leave a cavity. Prick the leg on the outside with a fork.
Combine all the ingredients for the marinade. Rub the marinade over the leg of lamb, both outside and inside the cavity, and leave for 15 minutes.
To make the filling, combine all the ingredients and then use it to stuff the lamb leg. Truss the leg using a butcher’s needle and twine to close the open part completely.
Transfer it to a roasting tray and add the ingredients for braising. Add enough water to cover the lamb leg, cover the tray with tin foil and place in an oven preheated to 175°C. Cook for about 2 hours until it is very tender and ready to fall off the bone.
Take it out of the oven and allow it to cool down. Remove the leg from the liquid and allow it to dry, cool and keep aside. Pass the juices through a strainer and reserve to make a sauce.
Cut the meat into slices 1cm (½ inch) thick and serve with accompaniments of your choice.
By Vivek Singh of The Cinnamon Club
London Resident Magazine http://wpms.greatbritishlife.co.uk/
Atul Kocchar's punjabi lamb shanks
2015-03-26 16:48:54
Serves 4
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Ingredients
4 x 400g lamb shanks, trimmed
12 plums, cut in half, stones removed
2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Watercress sprigs, to garnish
For the spice paste
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 tablespoons Ginger-Garlic Paste
1 tablespoon mild sweet paprika or mild red chilli powder
For the crushed tandoori potatoes
200g Jersey royal potatoes, scrubbed
1 tablespoon olive oil
50ml Atul’s Tandoori Marinade for Vegetables (page xx)
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon very finely chopped coriander leaves
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon chaat masala
For the gravy
4 tablespoon sunflower oil
5cm piece of cinnamon stick or cassia bark
4 green cardamom pods, bruised
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
3 onions, thinly sliced
5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 green chillies, slit lengthways
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1½ tablespoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons red chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
250ml lamb stock or water
30g butter
For the roasted vegetables
2 courgettes, halved and cut into chunks
2 large carrots, peeled, halved and cut into chunks
2 red onions, peeled and quartered
Olive oil
Instructions
To make the spice paste, mix together the oil, the ginger-garlic paste, sweet paprika and salt to taste. Rub this paste liberally over the lamb shanks and leave to marinate for 2 hours in the fridge.
Meanwhile, after about 1 hour, start the potatoes. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the potatoes and boil for 12–15 minutes until tender. Drain well and pat dry.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the finely chopped red onion for 2–3 minutes until softened. Add the potatoes and sauté for 3 minutes to give them a golden brown colour, then transfer to a bowl with the tandoori vegetable marinade and mix together. Leave to marinate for 1 hour.
After the shanks have marinated, heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Scrape the excess paste off the shanks and add them to the pan, in batches, if necessary, to sear on all sides until lightly coloured. Drain on kitchen paper to remove the excess oil, then set aside.
To make the gravy, heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole, add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves and bay leaf, and sauté over a medium heat until the spices crackle. Add the onions and continue sautéing for 8–10 minutes until they are light brown in colour. Add the fresh ginger, garlic and green chillies, and sauté for further 2–3 minutes until the garlic is softened.
Stir in the tomato purée, ground coriander, chilli powder and turmeric, and sauté for 1–2 minutes until the ingredients are combined. Stir in the lamb stock.
Add the lamb shanks and plums and coriander leaves, and bring to the boil. Cover the pot, lower the heat and simmer for 2 hours, turning the shanks once during cooking, or until the lamb is perfectly cooked and almost falling off the bones.
Meanwhile, to roast the vegetables, preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Rub the carrots, courgettes and quartered red onions with olive oil. Place the carrots and onions in a roasting tray and roast for 10 minutes.
Gently crush the potatoes in the marinade and add them and the courgettes to the oven and continue roasting all the vegetables for a further 10 minutes, or until they are tender and lightly charred.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the finely chopped coriander leaves, lemon juice and chaat masala to the potatoes, and keep hot with the other vegetables.
When the lamb shanks are tender, set them aside and remove the cinnamon stick from the gravy. Blitz the gravy in a blender or food processor and pass through a fine sieve. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary, and stir in the butter to enrich and give a good shine.
Serve the lamb shanks in wide bowls, with the gravy spooned over, and the potatoes and vegetables alongside. Garnish with watercress sprigs.
By Atul Kocchar of Benares Restaurant and Bar
London Resident Magazine http://wpms.greatbritishlife.co.uk/
Randall & Aubin's cannon of lamb with haricots and sauce persille
2015-03-26 16:55:30
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Ingredients
2 x 8oz lamb cannon trimmed of all fat
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
2oz butter
Salt and pepper
1 sprig chopped rosemary
1/2 pt gravy
For the beans
1 carrot
1 shallot
1 clove of garlic
All above finely chopped
100ml white wine
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp olive oil
200ml vegetable or light chicken stock
2 tins of white haricot beans - drained
For the sauce persille
1 bunch parsley
1 clove of garlic
Juice of ½ lemon
Pinch of salt and pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a shallow saucepan add the vegetables and cook till softened.
Add the white wine and bring to boil now add the beans and stock turn down the heat and cook out on a low heat for 30 mins stirring occasionally. Season to taste.
To make the sauce chop the parsley and garlic and add seasoning, olive oil and lemon juice. Stir and put to one side.
Heat the pan over ¾ heat with the oil till smoking. Lay the lamb into the pan and seal for 40 seconds on each side. Now turn the heat to low and cook gently, occasionally turning the meat.
After 5 mins add the butter and chopped rosemary. Remove the pan from heat and leave the lamb in the pan to rest for 5 minutes.
Remove the meat and place on a warmed plate. Cover with foil.
Add a little pre-made gravy to the lamb pan and bring to gentle boil.
Spoon the beans into a bowl. Slice the lamb and place over the beans.
Pour over a little gravy and finish with the sauce persille.
By Randall & Aubin
London Resident Magazine http://wpms.greatbritishlife.co.uk/
Snaps + Rye's Easter in Denmark - liquorice lamb
2015-03-27 10:04:43
Serves 6
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For the lamb
1 lamb shoulder, bone-in 2½ kg
Make a rub for the lamb in a spice or coffee grinder, consisting of
2 tsp celery seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp juniper berries
2 star anise
3 tsp Maldon salt
2 tsp fennel seeds
3 tsp Lakrids fine liquorice powder
For the pickled fennel
3 bulbs fresh fennel, quartered and sliced finely
Zest strips of 2 oranges
In a saucepan, heat
3ooml cider vingar
220ml water
2 star anise
3 tbsp coarse salt
5tbsp caster sugar
For Jansson's Temptation
1½kg Desiree or similar, all-round purpose potatoes
3 medium onions – finely sliced
75g good anchovies or sprats
250ml whole milk
250ml double cream
50g unsalted butter
For the carrots
1kg Carrots ( Heritage if possible)
Oil, salt and pepper
For the lamb
Grind all the ingredients for the rub together until it’s a fine grain, like table salt. Make some deep slashes in the lamb through the fat and massage the rub into the lamb including the slashes. Leave overnight in the fridge.
After 12 to 24 hours, rub off the excess with a damp tea cloth or paper towel and place the lamb in a shallow dish with 400ml Madeira (you could substitute with sherry, Marsala or red wine at a push), 400ml chicken stock and 1 liquorice stick snapped into 2 or 3 pieces.
Cover with foil and put in the oven 130˚C for 5½ hours.
You can serve your lamb, once rested, on the bone at the table, or strip the meat from the bones and put back through the liquor to make it easier for the diner. It’s a resilient dish that can be re-heated slowly if necessary.
For the pickled fennel
Layer the fennel and orange zest strips into a sterilised Kilner jar.
Boil the other ingredients and when the sugar has dissolved and the liquor has simmered for a couple of minutes, pour over the fennel and orange and close the seal. This will last for 2-3 weeks.
For Jansson's Temptation
Fry the onion and chop or tear the anchovies in the butter on a low heat until tender.
Peel and chop the potatoes into thick matchsticks – about a centimetre or less.
Once the onions and anchovies are starting to soften and brown, add the potatoes and milk and cream, then crank up the heat a bit. Taste and season accordingly.
Transfer the mix to a suitably sized, buttered baking dish and put in the oven at 190˚C for 25 – 30 minutes, until browning on the top and giving with the touch of a knife. This could be done whilst the lamb is resting, along with the carrots…
For the carrots
Peel the carrots, leaving the tips on. Bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil and reduce to a simmer. Add the carrots whole and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Remove, place a colander over the saucepan and run cold water over them for a few minutes, then drain.
When ready to bring the whole meal together (the lamb is rested, the potatoes are out of the oven and the pickle is made), heat a griddle pan on the hob.
Chop the ends off the carrots and slice in fairly thick diagonal pieces, about ½cm wide. Toss them all in a bowl with oil, freshly ground pepper and salt and griddle on a high heat until slightly charred.
Serve each dish in the middle of the table, leaving the pickle in the opened jar, and eat.
By Snaps + Rye
London Resident Magazine http://wpms.greatbritishlife.co.uk/
Verden's leg of lamb with salsa verde
2015-03-27 10:12:55
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For the lamb
1 boned and butterflied leg of lamb
1 bunch of rosemary- picked and finely chopped
1 bunch of thyme- picked and finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic- finely chopped
Salt and pepper- to season
For the salsa verde
1 handful of picked flat leaf parsley
1 handful of picked mint
1 handful of picked basil
1 handful of capers
2 cloves of garlic
8 anchovy fillets
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 teaspoon red wine vinegar
10 teaspoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper- to season
Instructions
The day before massage the herbs, garlic and seasoning into the lamb, cover and leave in the fridge overnight to marinade.
Once your barbecue is nice and hot, place your leg of lamb onto the well-oiled bars. Cook for around 20-30 minutes each side depending on thickness and how you like your lamb cooked.
Meanwhile, make the salsa verde. Finely chop all your dry ingredients, and then add the mustard, vinegar and olive oil. Season to taste.
Once the lamb is ready, remove from the barbecue and leave to rest for 20 minutes, covered in some foil.
Once rested, carve and serve with a generous serve of salsa verde and some buttered potatoes.
By Verden
London Resident Magazine http://wpms.greatbritishlife.co.uk/
Paul Croasdale's 48 hour shoulder of Welsh lamb
2015-03-27 10:27:48
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Ingredients
1 good organic Aubrey Allen lamb shoulder, boned but not rolled
Bulb of garlic peeled and chopped
Maldon sea salt
Tomato paste
Black olives
Enough lamb or chicken stock to cover
200g sea vegetables
1 kilo of clams (optional)
Instructions
Open up the shoulder and check for big bits of fat and cartilage. Remove if necessary.
Lightly spread the tomato paste on the flesh side and then season with salt, the chopped garlic and the chopped black olives.
Roll up into a tight cylinder and tie with butchers string as tight as possible to keep its shape during cooking. Set your oven to 80°C and season the lamb well on the outside.
Seal or pan fry until golden on the outside and place in a casserole dish. Cover with stock.
Cook in the oven uncovered for 8 hours or until tender (prod with the back of a spoon there should be no bounce). When ready take out and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
To make the garnish choose any sea vegetables available and in season at the moment (e.g monks beard, welsh samphire and sea fennel). Pick any dead stems and wash thoroughly. Salad spin till dry.
Place the lamb shoulder in to a 200°C oven for 6 minutes to crisp the outside.
Remove the fat from the left over stock by bringing it up to a simmer and skimming of any fat that comes to the top. This is your broth/sauce.
Blanch the sea vegetables.
Optionally steam a kilo of clams to serve with the broth.
By Paul Croasdale of Shepherd's of Westminster
London Resident Magazine http://wpms.greatbritishlife.co.uk/
Daylesford's roast lamb leg
2015-03-27 10:33:31
One of the finest ways to showcase wonderful meat is in a classic, timeless roast. However, roasting meat isn’t an exact science, because every chicken and every joint of beef is different, as is every oven, so it is better to get into the swing of using your eyes, sense of smell and touch to gauge when the meat is ready, rather than relying on charts. Remember, when you are cooking beef or lamb, fat is flavour. An ultra-lean cut will never be as succulent and tasty as a cut that has a fine marbling of fat running through it - which is why when you buy a piece of silverside or topside beef, a butcher will often tie a piece of fat on to it for you. For me, roast lamb leg needs to be medium, not as pink as, say, grilled chops, because the longer cooking allows all the fat to melt into the meat, flavouring and tenderising it.
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Ingredients
Leg of lamb
Oil
Salt and pepper
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 190°C / gas 5.
Tie the joint (or have your butcher do this) so that it keeps its shape.
If you have kept any lamb fat from a previous roasting, heat this in a roasting pan on the hob, or alternatively heat some vegetable oil. Season the lamb at the last minute with sea salt and black pepper, put it into the pan and colour it all over, then transfer to the oven and turn the heat down to 180°C / gas 4.
As the meat roasts, baste it with the juices and let it cook until the point where, once rested, it will be medium. To test for this, use the skewer test. Run a cold tap over a metal skewer so that it is very cold, insert it into the centre of the meat, leave it there for 5 seconds, then quickly remove it and put it carefully to the back of your hand. If the skewer still feels cold, the meat isn’t ready. If the skewer comes out hot, but not burning, it means that the meat will be medium by the time it has rested.
Take the meat out and let it rest for about 15-20 minutes, covered with foil, to allow the meat to relax and for the heat to finish transferring through to the centre. Provided it passed the skewer test, it will be perfectly medium.
By John Hardwick of Daylesford
London Resident Magazine http://wpms.greatbritishlife.co.uk/
Adrian Martin's Kentish loin of lamb
2015-03-27 10:40:21
Serves 4
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Ingredients
2 racks of lamb, boned
1kg maris piper potatoes
4 fresh button onions
1ltr lamb or good quality stock
100g butter
Seasoning
1Ž2 bunch rosemary
200g peas
200g broad beans
Instructions
Cut the potatoes into rings with a cutter.
Melt the butter in a thick-bottomed pan.
Season the potatoes and place into the pan. When golden brown, turn and place in the oven and cook at 180°C until cooked.
Cut the lamb into 4 pieces. Season and pan-fry the lamb for approximately 12 minutes.
When cooked, place somewhere warm for 5 minutes to allow the meat to rest.
Place the peas and broad beans in boiling salted water and simmer for 3 minutes.
Blanch the spring onions and keep warm.
Put the lamb back in the oven for 4 minutes to get hot again.
Arrange the lamb on a plate.
Add the peas and broad beans, potatoes and spring onions.
Garnish with a few lettuce leaves, if desired.
By Adrian Martin of Home House
London Resident Magazine http://wpms.greatbritishlife.co.uk/
Blanchette's braised lamb shoulder with anchovy, rosemary, confit garlic and sauce soubise
2015-03-27 11:03:41
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Ingredients
1 shoulder of lamb
100g anchovies in oil
5 bulbs of garlic
2 carrots
4 onions
1 pack of butter
Splash of white wine vinegar
100g tomato paste
Bunch of rosemary
1 leek
100g duck fat or light olive oil
2 glass of red wine
2L chicken of lamb stock (store bought is fine but I recommend the fresh stuff not powder)
Spoon of redcurrant jelly
Instructions
Blitz together 80 g of the anchovies (reserving the rest for garnish) with a good handful of peeled garlic cloves, and 2/3 of the rosemary. Rub this on the inside of the lamb, then tie up with twine. Place in container with the carrots, leek, one of the onions all roughly chopped, and the wine, cover and leave overnight.
The next day remove the lamb and veg from the wine, brown off the lamb and veg (and the lamb bone if you have it). Use a deep pan, baking tray or casserole dish, add the wine back to the pan you browned the lamb in to “de-glaze”, add the stock, tomato puree, redcurrant jelly. Make sure lamb is covered with the stock. Place a tight fitting lid or tin foil and place in a preheated oven at 170°C.
After 2 ½ hours, remove it from the oven and check the lamb. It should be soft but not falling apart - you should be able to push a carving fork through it easily. If it is still very elastic it needs longer! If ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool a little.
Strain the sauce, skim off the fat and reduce to taste.
To make the sauce soubise (onion puree) peel and chop the 3 onions (large Spanish onions). Place in a sauce pan with 150g of butter, a pinch of salt and a splash of white vinegar. Put on a tightly fitting lid and simmer for a few hours until the onions are soft. You want a little caramelisation on the onion but not a lot - if they start going too far add a little water. If you have a pressure cooker this sauce is much quicker!
When onions are completely soft allow to cool a little then blend and adjust seasoning.
For the garlic, place peeled garlic cloves in a pan with cold water and bring to simmer.
Discard the water and repeat 3 times (this removes the harshness of the garlic), then add to some warm duck fat or light olive oil and simmer for about 30 minutes until lightly golden.
To plate, put some of the warm onion puree on the center of the plate, carefully place the lamb on top with some of the sauce with some fresh rosemary. Garnish with the confit garlics and a sliver of anchovy – enjoy!
Notes
Best started a few days before needed.
By Blanchette
London Resident Magazine http://wpms.greatbritishlife.co.uk/
Photo: Manja Wachsmuth Photography
Peter Gordon's lamb on cherry potato salad
2015-03-27 11:12:51
Serves 4
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Ingredients
4 x 160g lamb rumps (or any other prime cut), trimmed
2 tbsp olive oil
300g new potatoes
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 tsp oregano or thyme leaves (or a mixture of both)
16 cherries, pitted and halved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
2 handfuls salad leaves
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180°C. Place a roasting dish on the middle shelf of the oven.
Score the lamb fat. Place a frying pan over medium heat, add 1 tsp oil, then place the lamb in fat-side down. Cook over a moderate heat for 5 minutes to render some of the fat from the rumps and give a lovely colour.
Turn the rumps over and transfer to the roasting dish, then put in the oven. Roast for 13-15 minutes for medium-cooked.
Turn the oven off and leave the door open while you rest the meat and finish the dish.
Boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked, then drain and cut in half if small, or slice to 1cm thick.
Caramelise the onion and garlic over medium heat in the remaining oil, stirring often. Add the potatoes, herbs and cherries and continue to cook so that it’s all warmed through. Season, mix in the vinegar, then take off the heat.
To serve, divide the potato salad among four warm plates and scatter with the salad leaves. Slice the lamb against the grain and lay on top.
Notes
A chump, or rump, is best cooked medium as any less will be a bit chewy. This can be served cold or at room temperature.
By Peter Gordon Everyday by Peter Gordon (Jacqui Small Publishing).
London Resident Magazine http://wpms.greatbritishlife.co.uk/
Rohit Ghai's Andhra lamb masala
2015-03-27 12:06:42
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Ingredients
Mutton -1/2 kg
Onion - 200 g
Tomato - 100 g
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Oil for cooking
To be dry roasted
Poppy seeds - 1 tsp
Fennel seed 1/2 tsp
Pepper corns - 4 nos
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