Shepherds delight.....

For the sake of offering something different, and building on the interest I might have already generated (whether a few page views means that people have actually taken the trouble to read my words I'm still not sure), I have decided to temporarily leave fish and move on to meat. Next up, therefore, for the musings of the Spicy Englishman is probably my favourite meat, lamb.

Lamb is a bit of a culinary contradiction. It can be delicate and refined but also big and brash. It doesn't overpower elegant spring flavours, yet isn't bullied by imposing spices. It can warm your soul in winter and lighten it in the summer. Somehow, lamb has the capacity to get on with the marriage that the chef has arranged for it.  If the chef gives this arrangement some thought and respects the diverse cultural heritage of lamb, then truly great things can happen. All of this makes lamb my favourite meat both to eat and to cook with. I am always tempted by lamb when I eat out and it has regularly appeared on my supper club menus. If I can be pretentious enough to assign myself a signature dish (probably describing lamb in terms of a marriage proves that I can be), then it would be lamb rump served with a roasted tomato and garlic sauce.   Lamb is a wonderful outlet for your culinary invention. You can take lamb on a voyage from the Outer Hebrides via the deserts of Persia to the foothills of the Himalayas and it is happy. In fact it is joyous!

The nature of the this blog is to share my passion for food with you, as well as a few recipes, but given the context of this weekend's events then some political comment is inevitable. Perhaps the world could learn a lesson from lamb. Food is a great unifying factor, capable of bringing untold joy. It is invariably the focal point of life's celebrations. Contrast this with the divisiveness of culture when used as a political tool, which has been so brutally highlighted by recent events. Food and lamb in this instance, transcend cultural division. The fact that lamb dishes play such a strong role in the traditions of so many countries of the world surely shows us that our differences are not as big as some think they are.

With politics done it is now time to focus on cooking great food. The first thing to consider when buying lamb, as with everything, is the quality. We are blessed in the UK with fantastic lamb. For this reason, lamb is great for those of us who find the notion of buying top quality local produce irresistibly romantic. As you might have guessed, I'm one of those. Each region claims it has the best lamb, and who am I to judge? But if I had to be pushed I would say salt marsh lamb takes some beating and for something a bit different I would go with Herdwick mutton from the Lake District. On a recent trip to Camber Sands I was determined to source some Romney Marsh lamb. I did and it was delicious!

Romney Marsh lamb rump, pumpkin and aubergine tagine

Having sourced the lamb, it's now time to consider the cut. For me two stand out for different reasons. Firstly there is lamb rump. Now this isn't always easy to get but a good butcher should be able to provide you with these succulent delights. Sometimes what is sold as rump, isn't really and is more the top of the leg. Rump, also known as chump (it is basically the lamb's backside), is the thickest, juiciest cut, with a pleasing layer of fat on the top which will serve 1-2 people. It is best served medium to medium rare. My second favourite cut is shoulder, which is perfect for slow cooking. Once the fatty tissues breakdown you are left with an unrivalled tasty piece of meat which falls apart in delicious unctuousness!! Other cuts are also good though, loin or fillet is so tender and leg makes the perfect roast, but these two are my favourites.

With so many lamb dishes that I love, choosing one or two to share is difficult. This first dish though, seeing as I have already touted it as my signature dish is a must.  The accompaniments vary by season and whim but the foundation of Lamb served with a sauce made from roasting lamb bones, tomatoes and lots of garlic, remains constant. 

Essex salt marsh lamb rump and neck, roasted tomato and garlic sauce, summer bean ragout, spinach

The photo is taken from Dinner at the Pavilion, July 2015. Combining slow cooked meat with a tender cut is something I like to do for these dinners and the sauce is so yummy that not serving it in bowls with lots of it would be a crime!! There is nothing difficult about this dish but it is time consuming. Give it the time and I guarantee you will be rewarded. The inspiration is Italian, I think....

Photo of the process using a masala instead of rosemary

1. First you need to make the sauce. Roast a tray full of lamb bones (about 1 kg) from your butcher. Add the unpeeled cloves from one whole head of garlic, quartered well flavoured tomatoes (about 5) and large shallots. Add a good few sprigs of rosemary. Roast at 180 degrees C until the bones are brown and the tomatoes, garlic and onions are soft and sweet (about 40-45 minutes). Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 150 degrees (see photo)
2. Season the neck fillets with sea salt and black pepper. Sear them in a hot pan. Place on a square of tin foil (two neck fillets per foil wrap). Add a clove of garlic, a couple of sprigs of rosemary, a quarter of a lemon and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap the fillets to make a neat parcel and cook at 140 degrees C for two hours. Whilst the neck fillets are cooking, finish the sauce. 
3. Tip the contents of the roasting pan into a large saucepan. Add a 1 litre jar of tomato passata and one bottle of white wine. A generous squeeze of ketchup will help to give the sauce balance. Bring to the boil and simmer for two hours. Remove the bones and blend the ingredients of the sauce pan. Pass through a sieve. The sauce should have the consistency of a veloute. Season with sea salt and black pepper and a teaspoon or two of white wine vinegar to lift the sauce. The sauce should should have a good sweet sour balance from the tomatoes, onions, white wine and vinegar. There should be a real depth to the sauce from the roasted bones and garlic. Lamb, garlic and rosemary should all be detected in the flavour of the sauce through layers and as a whole.  Whilst the sauce is simmering, make the summer bean ragout
4. Use a mixture of cannellini, butter and green beans.  Create a soffrito by sweating finely diced onion, carrot and celery until soft and sweet. Very finely chop the rosemary and add to the mixture along with 3 cloves of salt crushed garlic. Continue to cook on a low heat for further 5 minutes. Blanche the green beans in boiling salted water until al dente. Refresh in cold water. Add the pre-soaked and cooked cannellini and butter beans (according to packet instructions if using dried, tinned are okay) and the diced sun-dried tomatoes. Add some water to barely cover the beans. Simmer until the liquid in the ragout has reached the consistency of baked beans. Set aside. Add the green beans and some chopped parsley and fold through and warm up just before serving
5. Season the lamb rumps with sea salt and black pepper about an hour before cooking. To cook the rumps, heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Sear the rumps on the top on a high heat and transfer to a roasting tin (or if your frying pan is oven proof place this directly into the oven). Roast the lamb rumps in the oven for about 8-10 minutes, depending on size. You want them medium to medium rare (one rump will yield 3 thick slices (80-100g) after you have trimmed off the ends - you will want one or two of these per serving depending on the number of courses). Leave to rest in a warm place for about 5 minutes on a clean jay cloth to soak up any blood).
6. While the meat is resting, cook and drain the spinach, warm through the bean ragout, the neck fillets (these will need to be put back into the oven, still in their foil wraps when you begin to cook the lamb rumps) and the lamb sauce. 
7. Serve the dish in large warm bowls. Place a ladle of sauce in the bottom of the bowl with a serving spoon full of bean ragout, and a similar amount of drained spinach in the centre of the bowl. Place the lamb rump on the beans and the piece of neck fillet on the spinach. Decorate with small basil leaves and serve with crushed new potatoes (olive oil and chives) or rosemary and parmesan fried polenta.

Variations

This version is made only with the neck fillet and is much simpler. Instead of roasting the bones, add all of the ingredients for the sauce into a roasting tray and lay the seared neck fillets on top. Cover with foil and cook slowly for 2 hours. Remove the lamb and blend the contents of the roasting tray. Again push through a sieve.  Serve with roasted pepper, cannellini beans in cream and garlic, and purple spouting broccoli 

The sauce for this variation is made in a similar way, substituting garam masala (homemade is best) for rosemary. There is less sauce served because it is also served with a silky fenugreek and roasted shallot puree. This was served at the autumn 2013 Dinner at the Pavilion. The lamb, or rather mutton, used here is Herdwick loin from the Lake District. Serve this with spicy kale and saffron and cumin fondants - which are delicious by the way!

Happy cooking!