Redcurrant And Mint Marinated Lamb With Spring Greens And Pearl Barley In An Onion And Chorizo Butter Food

BAKED LAMB WITH ROSEMARY, WITH REDCURRANT AND MINT SAUCE

Steps:

• First of all, crush the garlic and sea salt together to a purée, using a pestle and mortar, then add the oil, chopped rosemary and a good seasoning of pepper and mix well. Next, spread a large sheet of foil over the roasting tin, place the lamb on it and stab the fleshy parts of the joint several times with a skewer. Now spread the rosemary mixture all over the upper surface of the lamb and tuck in a sprig of rosemary (as this makes a nice garnish later). Then bring the edges of the foil up over the lamb, make a pleat in the top and scrunch in the ends. This foil parcel should be fairly loose to allow the air to circulate. Bake the lamb for 2 hours, then open out the foil, baste the joint well with the juices and return it to the oven for a further 30 minutes to brown. The above cooking time should result in lamb very slightly pink: you can cook it for more or less time, as you prefer. Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining the redcurrant jelly and vinegar in a small saucepan and whisking over a gentle heat, till the jelly melts into the vinegar (a balloon whisk does this perfectly). Then add the chopped mint and some seasoning and pour into a jug - the sauce doesn't need to be warm. When the lamb is cooked, remove it from the oven and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before carving. Discard the foil, spoon off the fat and make some gravy with the juices left in the tin: add the white wine, stir and let it bubble until it has become syrupy. Season with salt and pepper if it needs it and pour into a warmed serving jug.

CROWN ROAST OF LAMB WITH MINT AND GREEN ONION PESTO

Steps:

• For the lamb: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, coriander, cumin and fennel.
• Drizzle the olive oil over both sides of the racks of lamb, then evenly apply the dry rub all over the lamb.
• Using a sharp knife, make cuts between each of the rib bones on the back sides of the racks to allow the straight racks to be flexible and formed into a crown.
• Tie the 2 racks together where they meet. Lift them so that the bare bones point upward and fashion them into a crown, then secure by tying twine around the bottom and midsection.
• Place the crown roast onto a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.
• Roast until a thermometer inserted into the meat (avoid touching bone) registers 110 degrees F, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
• For the pesto: Into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the mint, cilantro, almonds, salt, green onions, garlic and chile. Pulse, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary, until finely chopped. With the machine running, add 3/4 cup of the olive oil in a steady stream.
• Pour the pesto into a bowl. Add the remaining 3/4 cup olive oil and the lemon juice. Season to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside, or refrigerate (bring to room temperature 30 minutes prior to serving the lamb).
• Remove the lamb from the oven and raise the oven temperature to 500 degrees F.
• Place a sheet of foil over the bones to keep them from burning. Roast the lamb until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a chop reaches 125 degrees F for medium-rare or 135 degrees F for medium, an additional 10 minutes. Tent the lamb with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Remove the twine and carve into chops; serve with pesto on the side.

LAMB WITH MINT CHIMICHURRI

Steps:

• Combine parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, red chile flakes, salt and pepper. Rub half of the mixture over 2 pounds of lamb shoulder chops or chunks, and marinate overnight.
• Heat a grill or broiler with the rack 4 to 6 inches from the flame. Wipe off the marinade; grill or broil, turning once, until medium, 4 or 5 minutes per side. Serve with the remaining chimichurri.

LAMB FILLET WITH ORANGE, REDCURRANT AND MINT SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix everything (except the lamb) together in a small saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to melt the redcurrant jelly.
• Cook for a couple of minutes (this can be done in advance).
• Season the lamb and oil the outside lightly.
• Put in a hot pan and brown on all sides.
• Cook until done to your liking-I would cook a small thin fillet for about 5 minutes.
• Remove to a warm plate and cover loosely with foil or another plate.
• Tip the sauce into the lamb cooking pan, and boil quickly.
• Serve the lamb sliced diagonally with plenty of sauce poured over.

LAMB EN CROûTE WITH REDCURRANT SAUCE

Steps:

• Season the lamb well. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry three fillets over a high heat for 5 minutes until seared on the outside. Remove from the pan and repeat with the other 3 fillets. Set aside until cold.
• Unravel the whole pack of pastry on a floured surface and cut into four rectangles. Cut the half pack to make two rectangles. Roll out each piece to make the rectangles 2.5cm larger all round.
• Position one rectangle with a short side facing you, brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with a sixth of the chopped sage. Put a lamb fillet on the pastry close to the end facing you, then fold the long sides in to cover the ends of the meat; brush these with more egg yolk.
• Freeze the lamb parcels on a tray until solid for 4 hours, then pack in a freezer container. Seal, label and freeze for up to a month.
• To make the sauce, melt the redcurrant jelly in a pan over a gentle heat, add the port and rosemary and boil uncovered for 10-12 minutes until syrupy. Cool for 5 minutes, strain into a freezer container, then leave until completely cold. Seal, label and freeze for up to a month.
• On the day defrost the lamb seam-side down on a wire rack for 3 hours at room temperature. Defrost the sauce at room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to fan 200C/ conventional 220C/gas 7. Put the parcels seam-side down on a nonstick baking sheet, brush with egg yolk, then snip four incisions in the top of each. Bake for 25 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and rest them for 5-10 minutes. Reheat the sauce in a pan.
• Slice each parcel and serve with the sauce and watercress salad.

MINT-MARINATED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Mix first 5 ingredients in large glass baking dish. Season with generous amount of pepper. Add lamb, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Drain lamb and transfer to large roasting pan. Season both sides with salt and generous amount of pepper. Arrange fat side down in pan. Roast 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue roasting until thermometer inserted in thickest part of lamb registers 130°F for rare, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut into slices. Arrange on platter. Garnish with mint sprigs and serve.

BARBECUED LAMB WITH SWEET MINT DRESSING

Steps:

• Make the marinade: mix the sugar, lemon juice and zest with the olive oil, balsamic and some seasoning. Stir to dissolve the sugar then mix in the garlic and mint. Reserve half of the marinade to use as a dressing for the lamb later.
• Open out the meat and lay it in a deep tray. Pour the marinade on top then turn to coat all over in the mix. Cover with cling film and leave for 1 hr or overnight in the fridge.
• Remove the lamb from the fridge and shake off any excess marinade back into the tray. Insert a skewer so that it goes from one corner to the opposite one. Do the same with another skewer in the opposite direction - this makes it really easy to turn the meat on the barbecue.
• Heat a barbecue or griddle pan until it's a medium heat. Cook the lamb for 15-20 mins, turning frequently for pink lamb or longer if you prefer it more done. When cooked, rest for 5-10 mins before taking out the skewers, slicing and serving with the reserved marinade for pouring over.

BBQ MINTY GARLIC LAMB

Steps:

• Whisk the oil with garlic, balsamic vinegar and mint. Season to taste, then pour into a nonmetallic dish. Add the lamb, turning to coat in the marinade. Cover, then leave for 10 mins or up to 1 hr. Remove the lamb from the marinade and lay on the barbecue. Cook for 3-4 mins each side or until just cooked through. Serve with a tomato salad and pitta breads.