This is one of those one pot wonders, a great winter feast perfect for sharing. The wonderful complex fruit of Tempranillo wine creates a wonderful sweet & sour glaze. Best enjoyed with your favourite organic root vegetables.
Ingredients and Methods
Ingredients:
Lamb Marinade:
750ml red wine tempranillo
4 teaspoons of crushed juniper berry
4 sticks of cinnamon
1 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper
2 bay leaves
10 cloves of garlic smashed
1 carrot roughly chopped
1 red onion roughly chopped
1kg Lamb shoulder
50ml extra virgin olive oil
Sauce:
6 tablespoons cornflour
600ml red current jelly
300ml balsamic vinegar
1.5L chicken or veal stock
Garnish:
200g peeled chestnuts – frozen ok - cooked in chicken stock with bacon, butter & sage
400g sliced savoy cabbage and pieces of Calvelo nero
2 bunch of sage finely chopped
2 bunches of heirloom carrots
Small roasting onions
175ml smoked bacon or Kaisserfleich lardons
25ml olive oil
100g unsalted butter
200g well cooked lentils & peas
Method:
Combine red wine with spices and vegetables. Place the lamb in a suitable deepish casserole and pour the wine mixture over the top. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours, not longer as the wine will overpower the meat. Pre-heat oven to 190°C.
Whilst the lamb is marinating, combine vinegar and red current jelly. Bring to the boil and reduce by half. Add stock and reduce by half once more. Dilute the cornflour with a little water and whisk into the sauce until it just thickens. Set aside until required.
Once lamb has marinated for 3-4 hours, remove from the marinade. Pass the marinade through a sieve into a pot, bring to the boil and skim off all the impurities which rise to the surface until clear. In a separate pan heat some olive oil and fry off the lamb till well coloured. Transfer the lamb to an ovenproof casserole dish. In the same pan you sealed the lamb in two batches, fry the vegetables from the marinade till nicely coloured. Add the vegetables to the casserole then cover with the now clear wine and the sauce. Place a greaseproof paper circle on top with a hole in the middle, this allows air into the braise, thus causing no steam which will effect the reducing process which gives the braise its flavour.
Cook for 2-3 hours till the lamb is soft and gelatinous. Remove and keep warm. Pour the juices through a sieve and bring to the boil and simmer till they reduce a rich sauce, adjust seasoning. With the chestnuts cover them with chicken stock, some sage & a little butter. Season and bring to the boil then remove the chestnuts from the heat.
To cook the onions and carrots gently fry in oil and butter with some chopped sage for a minute until soft then add some balsamic and sugar cook till caramelised allow to cool.
To re-heat your garnishes, simply shallow fry the bacon lardons until crisp, season lightly then drain off most of the chicken stock from the chestnuts, add to the reduced sauce with lentils and peas.
To serve top the lamb generously with vegetables, chestnuts and pancetta.
Add lashings of sauce, serve with garlic mashed potatoes.
Chef Paul Wilson
Credited with serving some of Australia’s most exciting food, Paul Wilson has been described as one of the most extraordinary culinary talents in the Commonwealth & continues to receive critical acclaim for crafting inspiring dishes that take an innovative approach to cuisine traditions. (more)
