Lamb, bubble & squeak
Lamb done loads of different ways… rump,
Cheffie Series
Hey chefs! Are you ready to add a new dish to your culinary arsenal? Today we're talking about a classic favourite - lamb! This versatile meat has been a staple in kitchens for centuries, and it's easy to see why. With its rich, bold flavour and tender texture, lamb is the perfect ingredient for various dishes. And, whether you're a seasoned chef or just starting, you're sure to impress your diners with this crowd-pleaser. So let's prepare to put on our aprons and dive into the world of lamb cooking. Get your taste buds ready for a flavour explosion!
I’m doing lamb like five ways, but I hate it when it’s put on menus, just using different cuts of the lamb. So rump classically roasted, little faggots with lamb heart and liver and Sichuan spiced, sweetbread, coated in a coffee kombucha glaze, then Sichuan braised lamb belly which fills fluffy Chinese style pitas.
On the side is dulse pomme puree topped with roasted cavolo nero and fermented black bean ketchup.
And, of course, a lamb sauce.
Philli xoxo
Serves 6
Lamb Sauce
1kg of lamb bones
2 carrot
1 leek
3 celery sticks
2 tomato, ripe and fresh
1 head garlic
1 tbsp of tomato purée
200ml of red wine, good quality
150ml port
500ml of lamb stock
10 button mushrooms, sliced
1 dash of sherry vinegar
1 tbsp butter
Faggot - 10/12 Pieces
150g of lamb mince, breast
90g of lamb heart, minced
150g of lamb liver, minced
2g of cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
1/4 tsp Sichuan pepper, toasted and crushed
1/2 tsp chilli powder
pinch of salt
olive oil
1/2 banana shallot
1 garlic clove
1 dash of Shaoxing wine
1/2 egg
40g rice flour
50g of caul fat
Sichuan Lamb Belly
1 lb (450g) lamb belly
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tbsp oil
1 small white onion, large diced
1 thumb ginger, minced
5 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons Sichuan chilli flakes (or Korean chilli flakes)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Sichuan peppercorns (Optional)
1/2 cup dried Chinese chilli peppers
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
500ml water/stock
Pitas
150g plain flour
3g active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon salt
80-100ml warm water
Dulse Pomme Puree
1 kg potatoes, preferably rattes
Coarse salt
250 g butter, diced and kept well chilled until use
250 ml whole milk
Dulse
Salt and pepper
Coffee Kombucha glaze
200ml Coffee Kombucha
100g sugar
50g ketjap manis
50ml balsamic vinegar
Sweet Bread
100g Lamb sweetbreads
1 tbsp butter
Fermented black bean ketchup
200g Fermented Black beans
200ml water
50g Sugar
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Lamb rump
3 Square cut Lamb Rumps
Oil for searing
Pinch Salt
Pinch Pepper
3 Garlic cloves
50g Butter
Garnish
6 leaves cavolo nero, sliced and cooked in olive oil and salt
Method
Lamb Sauce
Roast the lamb bones and the veg and tomato puree in salt and oil on separate trays in a preheated oven until roasted and caramelised.
Add the wine and port to the trays and deglaze, scrubbing all the caramelised bits.
Add everything apart from the vinegar to a pressure cooker with 1L of water and cook for 1 hour.
Remove the bones and strain them into a clean pot. Allow to boil until fully reduced and glossy, finish with vinegar and then chill in the fridge.
Once chilled, remove the fat layer on top.
To finish, heat up the sauce and finish with butter. Season to taste.
Faggot - 10/12 Pieces
Mix the lamb mince, heart, liver, cumin seeds, Sichuan pepper and chilli powder.
Sweat, shallot, and garlic in salt and oil. Add the Shaoxing and then allow it to cool fully before adding it to the mince mix.
Add in the egg, and rice flour and allow to the firm in the fridge.
Remove the caul fat and wash, split the mince into 12 pieces and wrap in caul fat. Allow to firm back up in the fridge.
Add oil to a pan and gently cook the faggots, then add to the oven to cook through.
Finish by coating in lamb sauce.
Sichuan Lamb Belly
In a pressure cooker, add lamb belly and sear with salt and pepper.
Remove and add in the onion, ginger, and garlic and cook until just cooked.
Add in spices and deglaze with Shaoxing, sugar, soy sauce and water. Cook with pressure for 45 mins or until the lamb is completely soft.
Remove the belly and shred it. Strain the sauce and cook it down the sauce until it’s glossy.
Add back through the belly and reheat to fill the pita bread.
Pita Breads
Mix all the dry ingredients, flour, yeast and salt, and slowly add the warm water until it forms a smooth dough. Depending on your dough, you might need to adjust with a touch more flour or water. knead the dough for 10 mins by hand or in a stand mixer to work the gluten. Leave it to prove until it’s doubled in size in about an hour.
Punch out the dough to remove all the air bubbles and divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Cover the dough and only work with one piece at a time. Roll the dough into a long sausage shape and spiral to dough around the centre and tuck the edge in. Press the dough out with your palm and then roll it out to 3.5-4 inches in diameter. Dust the dough with flour and then cover with a dry cloth and leave to prove for 20 mins while you roll out the rest of the dough. Heat a heavy frying pan (preferably cast iron) with a lid. Add each piece of dough and cook on medium with the lid on for 2 mins on each side with sesame oil. Work 1 piece at a time. Remove the lid and cook for a further 2 mins.
Dulse Pomme Puree
Boil the potatoes until fully cooked.
Remove the skin and put through a potato ricer and a tami whilst still warm.
Add back into a pan and add milk, butter and chopped dulse. Season with salt and pepper.
Coffee Kombucha Glaze
Add all the ingredients to a pan and allow to reduce until it’s a syrupy consistency.
Lamb sweetbreads
Blanch the sweetbreads in boiling water for 5 secs, remove then remove the outer skin.
Cook in a hot pan with oil to caramelise. Add a few spoons of glaze and allow to coat.
Fermented Black Bean Ketchup
Add the beans, sugar, water to a pan and cook down until nearly all the water has gone.
Blend into a smooth paste, and finish with vinegar
Put in a piping bag.
Lamb rump
Preheat the oven to 200c / 180c Fan
Heat a large, heavy pan and preseason the lamb
Sear the lamb on the fat until it’s rendered. Sear all sides and then add to the oven and cook for 12 mins, depending on size, until the lamb is about 42c
Remove and add butter, garlic and thyme and baste.
Remove and allow to rest before carving and serving.
This is probs my most complex recipe to date. Hope you enjoy it! Philli xoxo
