Eid Cuts

Issue 74 November 2010

The festival of Eid al-Adha is marked by the sacrifice of lamb to signify the end of the Hajj ritual. With this in mind, emel offers you delicious lamb dishes, perfect for any Eid meal.

Lamb with a herb mustard crust

Ingredients
600g boneless loin of lamb
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp light olive oil
6 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
1 tsp roughly chopped thyme
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp smooth strong Dijon mustard
1 tbsp wholegrain Dijon mustard
For the sauce
300ml lamb stock, made from bones and trimmings
Pinch of thyme leaves
1 tsp chopped parsley
1 tsp wholegrain Dijon mustard
15g butter
To garnish
Olive oil
Seasonal vegetables, blanched, such as new carrots, lettuce and broad beans
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh parsley sprigs

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Season the lamb with salt and freshly ground black pepper. In a heavy frying pan, heat three tablespoons of the olive oil until it is nearly smoking. Add the lamb and cook over a high heat until browned all over. This should take about five minutes; the lamb loin should still be rare inside. Place on a wire rack and allow to cool to room temperature.
Pour the breadcrumbs onto a baking sheet and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Mix gently with your fingers. Put into the oven and toast the crumbs until lightly browned, stirring two or three times. When browned, allow to cool, then add the herbs.
For the sauce, reduce the lamb stock until it has a light sauce consistency. Remove from the heat and stir in the herbs, mustard and butter.
Mix the two mustards together and brush over the top of each loin. Dip the mustard-coated part of the loin into the breadcrumbs and gently press the crumbs onto the mustard. Set the loins on a baking sheet, crumb-side up.
Place in the top of the oven and roast for 4-5 minutes for medium rare, or eight minutes for medium-well done. Remove from the oven and allow to rest.
Heat a little oil in a pan and sauté the blanched carrots, lettuce and broad beans for a few minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To serve, spoon the vegetable garnishes and some of the crushed potatoes onto the warmed plates. Slice the lamb, allowing three thick slices for each person, and place on the potatoes. Spoon over the sauce and garnish with fresh parsley.

Lamb chops with roasted tomatoes and almond pesto

Ingredients
For the pesto
A bunch of fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
125g ground almonds
1 garlic clove, peeled
175ml extra virgin olive oil
For the lamb chops
12 lamb chops, French trimmed
2 tbsp olive oil
For the roast tomatoes
100g cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red chilli, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Feta cheese (optional)

Method
For the pesto, blend the basil leaves, pine nuts, ground almonds and garlic in a food processor until smooth. With the motor running, slowly pour the oil into the food processor until the mixture forms a thick paste.
For the lamb chops, using your hands, rub the oil onto the lamb chops. Heat a griddle pan until hot and fry the lamb chops for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the cherry tomatoes onto a baking sheet, sprinkle over the remaining ingredients and stir to coat the tomatoes. Place in the oven and roast for 10 minutes, or until softened.
To serve, spoon the roast tomatoes onto a serving plate, top with a lamb chop, spoon over the pesto and top with a crumbling of feta cheese.

Fillet of lamb with a tomato salsa and pumpkin puree

Ingredients
300g lamb fillet
Small, equal bunches of coriander, mint and thyme
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 tsp olive oil
150ml white wine vinegar
2 tbsp prune chutney
For the tomato salsa
1 ripe tomato, chopped
Handful fresh basil leaves, torn
1 lime, juice only
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives, to serve

Method
Place the lamb in a dish and cover with the herbs, garlic, olive oil and white wine vinegar. Marinade for one hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C.
Heat a small amount of oil in a pan, brown the lamb on both sides for 2-3 minutes and set the pan aside.
Place the lamb in a roasting dish and spoon over the chutney. Roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove and stand for five minutes.
For the tomato salsa, mix together all the ingredients except the chives in a bowl. Slice the lamb and serve.

Braised lamb shank

Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
6 lamb shanks, trimmed
1 carrot, peeled, cut in half
1 onion, peeled, cut in half
5 whole peppercorns
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed lightly
Bunch of fresh thyme
Small bunch of fresh rosemary
750ml vegetable stock
6-10 tbsp redcurrant jelly, to taste
To serve
Mashed potato
Boiled seasonal vegetables

Method
Heat the oil in a heatproof casserole over a high heat and brown the lamb shanks all over, until evenly coloured.
Add the carrot, onion, peppercorns, garlic and herbs.
Pour over enough vegetable stock to cover the meat of the shanks then set the casserole aside to cool. Chill in the fridge overnight as this helps to tenderise the meat.
The next day, preheat the oven to 160C. Place the casserole, covered with a lid, into the oven and cook for 2-2½ hours, or until the meat is tender. Slightly uncover the pot for the last hour so that the liquid will start to reduce. If the simmering becomes too lively during cooking, reduce the temperature slightly.
Remove the casserole from the oven and remove the shanks from the cooking liquid and place in a roasting dish. Spoon over a couple of ladles of the cooking liquid to keep the shanks moist. Reserve the remaining cooking liquid. Roast the shanks in the oven for 45-60 minutes, or until the meat is falling off the bone.
Remove the vegetables from the cooking liquid with a slotted spoon or strain the liquid through a sieve.
Heat the cooking liquid until boiling, then boil until the volume has reduced by half. Stir in the redcurrant jelly until melted.
Serve the lamb shanks with mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables and the gravy.

Lamb cutlets with swede mash and baby spinach

 
Ingredients
3 lamb cutlets, flattened with the base of a saucepan or meat tenderiser
4 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
30g Wensleydale cheese with cranberries
1 tbsp butter, softened
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the swede mash
1 swede, peeled and diced
1 tsp salt
50g butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the spinach
20g butter
8 handfuls baby spinach leaves
2 garlic cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C. In a hot griddle pan, fry the lamb cutlets for 30 seconds on both sides, until browned.
In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, mint, Wensleydale cheese and butter together to make a rough paste. Then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Carefully remove the lamb cutlets from the griddle pan and press the breadcrumb mixture onto the cutlets.  Transfer the lamb cutlets to a baking sheet and roast for five minutes or until cooked to your liking. Set aside to rest for five minutes before serving.
 Meanwhile, for the spinach, finely chop the remaining onion quarter and thinly slice the garlic. Heat the butter in a pan, add the onion and garlic and fry gently until softened. Add the spinach leaves and cook for a further minute, until wilted. Then season to taste.
Place the swede in a pan of cold water and sprinkle in one teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to a slow simmer.
Cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain the swede and return to the pan.
Mash with a potato masher, stir in the butter, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and serve.

Loin of lamb served with olive polenta

Ingredients

For the lamb
1 short saddle of lamb
1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
2 tbsp olive oil
For the polenta
750ml of boiling water
A pinch of salt
200g fine quick-cook polenta
100g black olives, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tbsp olive oil
150g unsalted butter
Parmesan shavings, to serve

Method

To prepare the saddle, remove the meat from the bones and cut into pieces about 8-9cm in length. Roll the meat pieces in the finely chopped herbs. Wrap tightly in cling film to achieve a nice round cylindrical effect and chill for one hour.
Preheat the oven to 220C. Fifteen minutes before cooking, remove the lamb from the cling film.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and brown the lamb on all sides. Transfer the lamb to the oven for about seven minutes until cooked. Allow to rest for at least five minutes before serving.
For the polenta, bring the water to the boil and add a pinch of salt. Pour in the polenta, stirring well. Reduce the heat until the water is just bubbling and continue to cook, stirring well for 4-5 minutes or until the polenta has absorbed all of the water and is smooth and thick.
Stir in the chopped olives and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Line a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper and spread the polenta mixture onto it in an even layer.
When the polenta has cooled and set, cut it into 10cm/4in squares. Brush each square on both sides with a little of the olive oil.
Heat a griddle pan over a medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the polenta squares in batches if necessary and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden-brown griddle marks have appeared on both sides and the polenta is warmed through. Remove the griddled polenta squares from the pan and keep warm. Repeat the process with the remaining polenta squares.
Serve with the loin of lamb and shavings of parmesan.