Tag Archives: lamb

Old Fashioned Lamb & Barley Soup

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My mother always served a roast for Sunday lunch, on a four week rotation. Beef, then pork, then lamb, then chicken, then back to beef again.

Roast beef was accompanied by Yorkshire puddings and horseradish sauce. Roast pork by home-made bread stuffing (bread, onion, mixed herbs, an egg and salt and pepper) and apple sauce. Roast chicken was stuffed with the same bread stuffing and roast lamb was always served with mint sauce. In addition to these traditional accompaniments, the Sunday roast also came with gravy, roast potatoes, carrots and one or two green vegetables.

On Mondays dinner would consist of leftover meat from the Sunday roast, usually cold with hot veggies. On Tuesdays my mother made a chunky soup with the bones. Sometimes, if there was enough meat left over, she would get another meal out of the Sunday roast by making shepherds pie, chicken curry or rissoles – a kind of meatball which was popular back then. On Thursdays we might have sausages with gravy and creamy mashed potatoes or Spaghetti Bolognese, a recipe my mother learnt to make while living in Malta during WWII. Friday dinners were invariably from the fish and chip shop, or occasionally from the Chinese takeaway. Or we might have Mum’s Kedgeree.  Saturdays we had ham and salad, before watching the latest episode of Dr Who. Then we were back to Sunday again. There wasn’t much variety, but the food was always tasty. We didn’t eat a lot of meat, but filled up on vegetables, which we now know is a healthy approach to life.

You may remember your mother making this hearty soup with the bone from a roast leg of lamb. It comes from a postwar era when nothing was wasted. It’s very economical, making an inexpensive meal to serve at least four people. It’s simple, comfort food.

I didn’t have a meaty lamb bone so I bought four lamb forequarter chops, used two to make this soup and froze the other two to make it again in a couple of weeks. We still have another few more weeks of cold weather in Canberra, before Spring arrives.

1 cup pearl barley
1 meaty bone from a leg of lamb or two lamb chops
3-4 celery sticks
2 medium onions
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
3 or 4 carrots
2 or 3 potatoes (optional)
2 stock cubes (vegetable, chicken or beef)
2 L of water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
Chopped parsley to serve

Cover the barley with cold water and leave it to soak overnight. If you’re using lamb chops place them in a large heavy bottomed saucepan with a little olive oil so they don’t stick and cook them on both sides until they’re brown. If you’re using the bone from a leg of lamb you don’t need to do this, just put it in the pan. Peel and chop all the vegetables and add them to the pan with the water, stock cubes, drained barley and sugar. Simmer for an hour or until the barley is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the chops, cut up the meat and put it back into the soup. With a lamb bone remove any meat and put it back, discarding the bone.

Serve sprinkled with parsley

Serves 4

Slow-roasted lamb with Black Garlic and Herb Pesto

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This recipe is adapted from one I found on the Australian Gourmet Traveller website. We have a special gadget to make black garlic which we keep in the garage. We keep it there for two reasons. Firstly it’s about the size of a rice cooker and we don’t have room for it in the kitchen and secondly we don’t want the whole house to smell of garlic. It takes several several days on a very low heat to turn a dozen bulbs of garlic into black garlic. It makes a very welcome gift to friends and family who like to cook. When buying the fresh garlic you need to choose big ones with large cloves. If you can’t be bothered to make your own, black garlic can be bought at specialty food stores and farmers’ markets.

It’s not easy to describe, but I think it tastes like a cross between black truffles and an aged balsamic vinegar. Quite sweet and not particularly garlicky. A delicious addition to canapés, sauces and marinades, it can also be mashed with butter to serve on top of grilled steaks or blended into mayonnaise to make black garlic aioli.

1 boned leg or shoulder of lamb
1 head of black garlic
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 cup beef stock
Herb Pesto:
1 cup each loosely packed parsley and mint
½ cup chives or 1 spring onion
4 cloves garlic
2-3 pieces lemon rind removed with a veg peeler
¼ cup lemon juice
4 anchovy fillets
1 Tbs capers
½ cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 140°C. Place lamb in a Dutch oven or large casserole with a lid. Squeeze the black garlic cloves to remove the papery skins and place them in a food processor with the olive oil and salt and blend until smooth. Scrape the mixture out onto the lamb, then use your hands to coat the meat, rubbing it in to every crevice. Place in casserole, add stock and cover with the lid. Can be prepared ahead to this stage.

Roast for 4 hours, basting from time to time.

For the pesto, place all the ingredients in a food processor and process, stopping to scrape down the sides, until you have a chunky pesto-like sauce. Keeps for a day or so in the fridge.

When the meat is ready it will be very tender. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with the pesto and a drizzle of the pan juices. I served it with a whole roasted cauliflower and some baby potatoes.

Serves 6

Sticky Lamb with Loaded Sweet Potatoes

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Lamb forequarter chops are about half the price of lamb cutlets. If you’re on a budget with a large family, you might want to try this recipe. Forequarter chops contain more fat than cutlets, but in this recipe it mostly dissolves during the cooking.

The sweet potatoes go well with the lamb. If preferred leave out the bacon. You think this recipe is going to serve more people, but the lamb is so tasty everyone comes back for a second helping! A green salad goes well with this family meal.

1 kg or up to 1.5kg lamb forequarter chops
Sticky Glaze:
2 Tbs honey
4 Tbs soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 Tbs chilli paste
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs rice wine vinegar
Fresh coriander to garnish
Sweet Potatoes:
1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes
1 onion cut into 8ths
3 Tbs olive oil
3 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
2 rashers bacon, diced
1 cob fresh corn
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cut the chops into 2 or 3 smaller chops by cutting lengthwise and avoiding the bones. Mix the glaze and use it to marinate the chops.  Put aside.

Peel sweet potatoes and cut into chunky chips. Place in a bowl with the onion, olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper and mix well. Tip into a large oven-proof baking dish and spread evenly. Put aside.

Dinner can be prepared ahead to this stage.

Preheat oven to 170°C. Arrange the drained lamb in a single layer on a baking tray and cook for an hour or until well-cooked and sticky as shown in the photo. Keep the glaze. Depending on your oven they might take a bit longer. Halfway through cooking time, turn them over, brush with remaining glaze.

Put the sweet potatoes in the oven at the same time as the lamb and cook for about an hour or until cooked through. Meanwhile cook the bacon for a few minutes in a frying pan. Add the corn kernels removed from the cob and continue to cook, stirring for a couple of minutes. About 10 minutes before the sweet potatoes are ready, top with the bacon and corn mixture, sprinkle with Parmesan (if using) and put back in the oven for the remaining 10 minutes or so.

Serves 4

Lamb with Hummus, Roasted Veggies & Mint Pesto

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This is a delicious way to serve roast lamb.

1 leg or shoulder of lamb, boned or not
½ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup water
2-3 tsp Za’atar spice mix (or spice mix of your choice)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups hummus (home-made or bought)
1 batch oven roasted veggies
Mint Pesto:
1 cup mint leaves, firmly packed
½ cup pistachios or pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp honey
Olive oil
Salt to taste
To serve:
Toasted pine nuts

Pre-heat oven to 150°C. Place lamb in a large heavy casserole with a lid. Season with the Za’atar, salt and pepper. Add the balsamic vinegar and water and cover. Cook for 2- 3 hours, turning the meat over halfway through. If when you turn the meat the liquid has all dried up add a bit more water – half a cup or so. If the meat is boned it will take less time. Cook to preferred doneness.

Prepare the roast veggies.

For the mint pesto, place all ingredients except the oil in a food processor. Process until chunky then add the oil through the feed chute with the motor running until you have a thick sauce. Scrape down the sides halfway through. Scrape out into a bowl.

To serve, spread the hummus on one large plate or divide between individual plates. Top with sliced lamb, then the roasted vegetables. Top with some mint pesto and sprinkle with a few toasted pine nuts – which as you can see from the photo, I forgot! If liked drizzle some of the cooking liquid from the lamb over the top and around the edge of the plate.

Serves 6-8

Lamb with Fennel and Salsa Verde

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This delicious and quick recipe is adapted from one which appeared in a recent Australian Gourmet Traveller.

My supermarket didn’t have any lamb backstraps or fillets last week, so I bought boneless leg steaks. I didn’t have any pistachio nuts, so I used pine nuts instead. If you don’t have any preserved lemons, just add more herbs, some grated lemon rind and maybe a few pine nuts to the salsa.

The recipe serves 4 but it’s easily halved.

2 lamb backstraps or fillets (or 4 lamb leg steaks trimmed of any fat)
1 Tbs olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 small to medium bulb of fennel
2 spring onions
1 cup Greek yoghurt
¼ cup pistachio nuts or pine nuts
1 tsp sumac (optional)
Salsa Verde:
¼ cup each firmly packed fresh mint and parsley leaves
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 long green chillies, cut into 3 or 4 pieces
1 Tbs cider or white wine vinegar
½ a preserved lemon, pith and seeds discarded
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (approximately)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Season the lamb on both sides then cook in a frying pan in the 1 Tbs of oil for 4 minutes each side, over moderate heat, or until cooked to your taste. Leave to rest while you prepare the other ingredients, then slice thinly downwards.

While meat is cooking, thinly slice the fennel with a mandoline, reserving a few fronds to garnish. Thinly slice the spring onions on the diagonal – all the white and a bit of the green part.

Place all ingredients for salsa in food processor except the oil and seasoning. Process, scraping down the sides, until chopped evenly, then add the oil through the chute with the motor running. When you have a thick salsa, season to taste then scrape into a small dish. Lightly toast the nuts in a dry pan over moderate heat.

To serve, divide the yoghurt between 4 serving plates and spread out into a circle. Arrange the fennel and spring onions on top, then the meat. Drizzle with some of the salsa verde, sprinkle a few nuts on top and garnish with a fennel frond. Sprinkle a little sumac (if using) around the edge of the plate.

Serves 4

Lamb with Eggplant and Ginger

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Lamb has become relatively expensive in Australia over the past year or two. A couple of years ago you could buy a leg of lamb for between ten and twenty dollars. You’re now looking at $40 to $50 from a supermarket and more from a butcher’s shop. For many familes lamb has gone from being an everyday staple to a special treat.

This tasty stir-fry recipe can be made using lamb fillets or any lean lamb, cut from the leg or shoulder. Adjust the amount of chilli to suit your taste and serve it with rice to make it go further.

350g boneless lamb cut into thin stir-fry strips
1 tsp cornflour
3 tsp ground cumin
3 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs rice wine or sherry
2 tsp sugar
2 eggplants, sliced then cut into strips about 1.5cm wide
¼ tsp salt
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs finely chopped or grated fresh ginger
1 Tbs cumin seeds
1-2 small red chillies, finely chopped
2 spring onions finely sliced on the diagonal
Fresh coriander to garnish

Heat the cumin seeds in a small dry frying pan and allow them to lightly toast, being careful not to burn them then put them aside.

Pat the lamb dry then place in a bowl with the cornflour, half the cumin, half the soy sauce, the rice wine or sherry and the sugar. Mix well and put aside for 30 minutes and up to an hour.

Toss the eggplant with the remaining cumin and the salt. Heat half the oil in a wok or large frying pan and cook the eggplant, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, until it’s starting to brown.

Add the ginger, remaining soy sauce and continue to stir fry until the eggplant is dark golden brown. Remove from the wok. Add remaining oil to the wok and when it’s hot add the lamb and stir fry for a minute or so, to make sure it’s not sticking together, then leave it undisturbed for 2 minutes. Stir fry for another 2 minutes or until golden brown all over. Return the eggplant to the pan with the chillies, spring onions and toasted cumin seeds.

Serve with steamed rice, garnished with the coriander.

Serves 3-4

Shepherd’s Pie with Black Pudding and Bacon

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This delicious recipe for Shepherd’s Pie, slightly tweaked, comes from Prue Leith, now 81 years of age and one of the great British cooks of all time. It’s without a doubt the best Shepherd’s Pie I’ve ever eaten.

On the other side of the world, Margaret Fulton began the post-War crusade to improve what we were cooking and eating in Australia, closely followed by Stephanie Alexander and Maggie Beer.

These four women provided inspiration to aspiring cooks like me. However, I believe the real watershed came with the publication of the Australian Women’s Weekly cookbook in 1970. In the mid-1970s they started to publish a series of paperback cookbooks, covering a different topic in each book. Every few months another title was published and my friend Ferne and I waited impatiently for each one. The recipes were simple to follow with great photography and we both cooked almost every recipe in every book. We spent hours browsing through, jotting down the names of recipes and swapping notes after we made something. They published a book on Chinese cooking, Italian cooking and other cuisines we hadn’t seriously tackled before. Local supermarkets started to stock the ingredients called for in these “exotic” recipes, because people kept asking for them. The children’s birthday cake book was a huge hit with our kids, who often chose the cake they wanted months before the big event. Here’s an interesting article about this cooking revolution.

If you’ve never eaten black pudding, give it a go in this recipe. With the bacon it adds depth to the meat sauce, but you can’t tell it’s there. Black pudding is available in Woolworths and IGA supermarkets under the Clonakilty brand. Adding sweet potatoes to the traditional potato topping is also a winner. Use half and half or any ratio you prefer. Sorry I forgot to take a photo until we had eaten half of it!

2 Tbs oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
500g minced beef or lamb
100g black pudding, skinned and diced
3-4 rashers rindless streaky bacon, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes, including juice
1 Tbs tomato paste
½ tsp dried thyme
1 beef stock cube (I used an Oxo)
1 tsp sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Water or wine (red or white) as required (1 cup or more)
Topping:
500g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
500g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
50g butter
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan and cook the onion and garlic until soft but not browned. Add the minced beef, black pudding, celery and bacon and cook, stirring, for ten or more minutes, until nicely browned. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, stock cube, sugar and then simmer the sauce for 45 minutes, stirring often. As required during this time, add a bit more water or, if preferred, wine, so the sauce doesn’t stick. After 45 minutes it should be thick and syrupy. Season to taste then spread it in a lasagne-type dish, large enough to cover the meat sauce with the potatoes.

While the meat sauce is cooking, boil the potatoes and sweet potatoes in water to cover, with a teaspoon of salt for 15-25 minutes, or until tender. The sweet potatoes will cook faster than the ordinary potatoes. Cut them into larger pieces, so everything will be cooked at the same time. Drain well, add the butter and mash until light and smooth. Season with salt and pepper then dollop over the meat sauce and spread out evenly with a fork. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top. Dish can be prepared in advance to this point.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Bake the pie for about half an hour if the mixture is still hot, or about three quarters of an hour if it’s been made ahead and is cold. Serve with a salad or green vegetable.

Serves 6-8

 

Grilled Lamb Chops with Hummus

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Hummus goes well with grilled or roasted meats, especially lamb. This quick and easy recipe for a mid-week dinner for two was inspired by British food writer Simon Hopkinson. It’s perfect for busy couples and is easy to double or triple for bigger families.

 

4 lamb cutlets or chops
Marinade:
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp dried chilli powder or flakes
1 small clove garlic, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To serve:
1 cup hummus (bought or home-made)
A few fresh coriander leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Steamed green vegetable (snow peas, broccolini, green beans)

Mix marinade, add the chops and turn to coat well. Leave for an hour at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge, turning them from time to time. Grill or barbecue the chops, or cook them on a lightly oiled griddle pan for 3-4 minutes each side, or until charred on the outside, but still pink in the middle.

Spread some hummus on two warm serving plates. Arrange the chops on top, two each. Drizzle a little oil around each serving and garnish with coriander leaves and a pinch of cayenne. Serve with a steamed green vegetable such as snow peas, broccolini or green beans.

Serves 2

Eggplant Lamb & Feta Pie

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This is a slight variation on a recipe from Donna Hay which appeared in the November issue of the Australian Women’s Weekly magazine. I ran out of yoghurt so the sauce doesn’t feature in my photo.

2 eggplants, thinly sliced into rounds
500g minced lamb
1 cup fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
2 Tbs honey
2 tsp ground cumin
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
2 Tbs pine nuts
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp sumac
150-200g firm creamy feta (I used Danish)
Olive oil for brushing
2 tsp Za’atar seasoning
To serve:
1 cup Greek-style plain yoghurt
2 Tbs shredded mint leaves
Salt to taste
Fresh mint and oregano or marjoram leaves

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a round cake tin or baking dish. I used a metal cake tin which was 22cm in diameter. The original recipe uses a larger one 28cm in diameter. Use what you have, it won’t make a big difference.

Cover the bottom of the pan with eggplant slices, placing one in the middle and the rest overlapping all the way around. Sprinkle with half the crumbled feta. Mix mince, breadcrumbs, honey, cumin, chopped mint, pine nuts and seasoning and tip into the pan, pressing down evenly. Sprinkle with the rest of the feta. Cover the top with eggplant slices, with one in the middle and the rest overlapping around it. You may not use all the eggplant. Brush the eggplant with olive oil and sprinkle with the Za’atar seasoning. Bake for 45-60 mins until the eggplant is nicely browned, then stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Mix the yoghurt, mint and salt to taste and serve with the pie. Garnish with fresh mint and oregano or marjoram leaves. Serve with a salad.

Serves 6

 

Note: you could use minced beef, turkey or chicken instead of the lamb.

Roast Lamb with Anchovies Mustard and Herbs

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Some people hate anchovies and to be honest I’m not mad about them eaten just as they are. But when pulverised into a dressing or marinade they provide a powerful Umami boost. I reckon most anchovy-haters wouldn’t even know they are there. The dressing for a Caesar Salad for example wouldn’t be the same without anchovies.

The combination of anchovies, garlic and mustard in this recipe makes it a real winner. Serve with a green salad and a crusty loaf for a Mediterranean-style feast. Or serve with more traditional accompaniments such as roast potatoes and peas or beans. Or try this recent post for Green Bean Salad.

2 Tbs Dijon mustard
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 anchovy fillets, drained
2-3 tsp grated lemon rind
1.5 to 2kg leg or shoulder of lamb, bone in
To serve:
Chopped or whole fresh herbs (parsley, oregano, marjoram or whatever you have)
1 lemon cut into wedges

Preheat oven to 180°C. Combine mustard, garlic, anchovies and lemon rind, using a mortar and pestle, or blitz in a small food processor. Adjust quantities according to the weight of the lamb. Smother the lamb with this mixture, on both sides. Place in a roasting pan and oast for about 1½ hours, or until lamb is cooked as you like it, basting from time to time. A 1.5kg piece will take a little less time than a 2kg one and a boned joint will take longer than one with the bone in. If you like your meat fairly well done it may take up to 2 hours.

Remove lamb from pan and leave to rest, covered loosely with foil, for 15 mins. Carve lamb, drizzle with pan juices and serve garnished with herbs and lemon wedges. Roast potatoes and a salad or green vegetable go well with the lamb.

Serves 6