If you missed our lovely ‘Meet the Producer’ event last night you missed wine and canapés and an opportunity to meet Croxton Park estate, speak to head gardener Pete and buy the vegetables he dug up a few hours earlier as well as buying their amazing organic lamb – slaughtered and hung just for this event.

We nearly sold out of lamb and are left with just a few wonderful parsnips and mooli which we will put to good use in the café.

You won’t miss out on our recipes though. Enjoy cooking the first two as slow cooked Sunday lunches and try the rack as an elegant Saturday night supper

 

Cookery School
3 favourite lamb recipes

Recipes serve 4-6
Italian style, slow cooked in red wine, orange and herbs

800g diced lamb leg or shoulder, diced
1 orange
3-4 sprigs rosemary, bruised and scattered
small handful of fresh soft thyme
salt and pepper – generous
1 garlic head, cut in half horizontally
300ml robust Italian red wine
200ml Marsala fortified wine
good beef stock – enough to immerse the meat 3/4
2 cans chopped tomatoes
2-3 tablespoons sugar
Fresh kale

place lamb in large roasting tray
cut the orange into 8th’s and place in with lamb
add herbs and salt and pepper, rub in to lamb
add garlic, wines and stock, cover with foil
place in oven 150C for 3-4 hours but check after 2
once cooked, add tomatoes, sugar and kale, return to oven for 20-30 minutes at a high heat approx 200C

Moroccan style, slow cooked with warm spices and fruit

800g diced lamb leg or shoulder, diced
3 onions, peeled, halved, thinly sliced
3-4 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1-2 sticks cinnamon bark if you have it
1 teaspoon chilli flakes or 1 small red chilli, de-seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons ground cumin
3-4 whole star anise
salt and pepper – generous amount
1 tin crushed tomatoes
500ml lamb, beef or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons runny honey
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 small handfuls raisins
1 large handful dried apricots whole or halved
1 large handful pitted dates, whole or halved

liberally dredge cubed lamb in flour
heat 3-4 tablespoons sunflower oil in a large roasting tray that can go on the hob
add spices
brown over high heat, stir once or twice
add wet ingredients and dried fruits
cover with foil or lid, simmer on the hob or in an oven set to 150C for 3 hours or longer
serve with couscous

when we say “or longer” for simmering it is because weight bearing, muscular, sinewy cuts full of connective tissue improve with cooking – the longer the more tender
the absolute opposite applies to prime cuts such as fillet as in the rack recipe
cooking/heating only turns the meat from tender to tough so the less you cook it the better

 

Classic French herb crusted rack of lamb

2 French trimmed 7-rib racks
sea salt
pepper
sunflower oil and a generous knob of butter
100ml red wine
2 tablespoons red currant jelly
a knob of cold butter

for the crust
1 handful good quality bread crumbs.
50g grated parmesan
small handful curly parsley, leaves only
small handful left thyme, leaves only
small handful rosemary, needles only
a little olive oil to bind
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
preparing the lamb:
ask your butcher to French trim the racks i.e. remove everything expcept the lamb fillet which should sit on beautifully cleaned bones
pre-heat the oven to 210C
generously season the lamb with salt and pepper.
mop up the excess seasoning with the rack of lamb, ensuring it’s thoroughly coated
heat sunflower oil and butter in a frying pan.
seal the lamb by holding the exposed ribs and pressing all sides of the fillet down on the pan to brown
browning adds flavour and better looking meat, it does not seal in juices,
that is the role of resting, see below
the aim is to brown in the shortest possible time to ensure the lamb is still raw inside
transfer the racks to a roasting tray
de-glaze the pan with wine and jelly, check seasoning and add shine by popping in a
knob of fridge cold butter.

crust:
place all the ingredients for the crust except the mustard in a blender and pulse several
times until it looks nice and green.
add just enough oil to pop to bind
when cooled, brush the lamb with mustard.
dip the lamb in the herb mixture, coating it well
roast in the oven for 13-17 minutes depending on the size of the rack
leave to rest, uncovered, for at least 10 minutes.
resting is vital for evenly pink and juicy meat
serve with the pan jus, al dente green beans and classic Dauphinoise or Boulangère potatoes