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Spicy Roast Hokkaido with Lamb and Zhoug

Tuesday, November 03, 2020

Zhoug / Zhug (Pronounced Zoog) is a hot green sauce (aka “Middle Eastern pesto”) originating in Yemeni cuisine that’s a go-to condiment for falafel and is eaten with bread for those who want heat with every bite. It’s a must with Shakshuka. Here I have paired it with roasted Hokkaido pumpkin for a no-fuss side that’s a winner with lamb flavoured with cinnamon, cayenne and pomegranate molasses.

	Zhoug / Hot Green Sauce
1.5 kg Hokkaido pumpkin, unpeeled, cut into 8 wedges 2 tbsp Olive oil Salt and black pepper 1 Shallot, finely chopped 1 tsp Ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper 350 g Ground lamb 1 tbsp Pomegranate molasses 1 tbsp Pomegranate arils, optional Fresh cilantro and flat parsley	10 Cardamom pods 1 tsp Caraway seeds 6 Cloves 3 Long green chillies, coarsely chopped (or jalapeños) 3 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped 1 tsp Sea salt 15 g Coriander leaves, coarsely chopped (I used the frozen one) 70 ml Extra-virgin olive oil 2 tsp Lemon juice

Toast the cardamom pods in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Place the cardamom pods in a mortar and smash with a pestle to crack open the pods. Spread the cracked pods out, so you can pick out the shells and discard. Dry-roast caraway seeds and cloves in a frying pan over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Coarsely crush cardamom, caraway seeds and cloves with a mortar and pestle. Or whirl the seeds in a coffee grinder for 15-20 seconds or so. Add green chilli, garlic and salt and pound until broken down. Add coriander and half the oil, pound to break down leaves, then stir in lemon juice and remaining oil and season to taste. Chill until ready for use.
Preheat oven to 180C fan forced /350F. Line a large oven tray with baking paper. Place pumpkin wedges, skin-side down, on oven tray. Brush the pumpkin wedges with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Bake for 40 minutes until the wedges are tender.
Meanwhile make lamb topping. Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, cook shallot, cinnamon and cayenne, stirring for 3 minutes. Increase heat to high, add ground lamb, cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Stir in pomegranate molasses, season to taste.
Arrange the hokkaido wedges on a large serving platter. Spoon lamb topping over and serve topped with zhoug, fresh cilantro leaves and pomegranate seeds if using.

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Stirfried Lamb Sweetbreads with Garlic and Rosemary

Friday, July 10, 2020

Sweetbreads are the pancreas and thymus glands of veal, lamb and pork. The thymus gland has an elongated shape, while the pancreas is larger and has an oval shape. Both of them are velvety creamy, tender and moist. And unlike many other organ meats, like kidneys or liver, sweetbreads have a rather mild flavour. Traditionally, they are given a seasoned flour coating and fried until golden and crisp. For me, that's overkilling the delicate flavour of sweetbread. So I have opted to quick stirfry them instead. They taste the tenderest and best when they just start to colour all over, about 5 minutes.
Before cooking, it's advisable to soak them in water, or milk in advance to remove impurities, and enable the sinew and membranes to be removed easily. You should also change the water a couple times. To further remove impurities from sweetbreads, you might also want to blanch them shortly and shock in ice water before cooking. This time I skipped the step and didn't taste the difference.

500 g Lamb sweetbreads
1 sprig Fresh rosemary, chopped
1 clove, Garlic, minced
3-4 tbsp Tallow or ghee or olive oil
1 tbsp Sherry vinegar
Hawaiian black lava sea salt
Pink peppercorns, for garnishing
A handful of arugula

Place the lamb sweetbreads in a bowl and cover with cold water. Drain the water and repeat one more time, then fill the bowl again with fresh water, leaving the sweetbreads to soak for an hour, then drain well.
Finely chop rosemary and garlic. Set aside.
Add the tallow to a pan, place over a moderate heat and add the chopped rosemary and garlic. Cook gently for 2 minutes until softened and aromatic. Add the sweetbreads and cook until they just start to colour all over, about 5 minutes. If you prefer them more caramelized and crisp, then continue to cook for a few more minutes.
Once the sweetbreads are cooked to your liking, deglaze the pan with sherry vinegar and season well with black lava salt.
To serve, arrange a bed of arugula salad on the plate. Top with the lamb sweetbreads, then crush some pink peppercorns over. Drizzle some pan sauce over.

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Lamb Shanks with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Thursday, November 21, 2019

This heartwarming, delicious lamb shank served with a low carb califlower mash makes a wonderfully hearty family meal. The shanks are first browned, then simmered slowly with a roasted red pepper sauce in a low heat until tender and falling from the bone. I have also reduced the braising liquid by one third to make a thicker sauce, but it's completely optional. Browning gives a beautiful rich colour to the meat and the browned bits at the bottom of the pan add extra flavour. So don't skip it.

3-4 / 1.5 kg Lamb shanks
2 tbsp Beef dripping
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp Moroccan spice blend
4 Roasted red capsicums, pureed
500 ml Homemade beef stock
Black salt and pepper to taste
Parsley leaves, chopped
Cauliflower mash to serve

Preheat oven to 160C/320F. Heat beef dripping in a large frying pan over high heat. Add lamb shanks. Cook, turning, for 5 minutes or until browned. Transfer to an ovenproof dish. You can brown the lamb shanks directly in a cast iron casserole too.
Reduce heat to medium. Add chopped onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until soft. Add pureed roasted red capsiums and beef stock. Bring to the boil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over lamb. Cover the dish.
Place lamb shanks in the oven. Cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the lid and baste shanks. Cook, uncovered, for a further 30 minutes or until meat is tender. Transfer shanks to a large bowl. Cover with foil to keep warm.
Simmer the sauce until reduced by one third, then return lamb to pan and heat through, about 5 minutes. Serve lamb shanks over mashed cauliflowers and sprinkle some chopped parsley leaves over.