Tag: lamb

Middle Eastern lamb lettuce wraps

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Over the last few weeks, I’ve really enjoyed developing recipes for the Devon-based Well Hung Meat Company, making the most of their delicious organic lamb. The last in this series is this recipe for summery Middle Eastern lamb lettuce wraps.

Featuring little gem lettuce stuffed with lightly spiced minced lamb, this is a beautifully versatile dish to evoke warm sunshine on the dreariest of days. Serve alone as a starter, as part of a mezze, or with a simple cous cous salad for a light lunch, it’s fun finger food that goes down well with children as much as adults.

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It’s a feast of textures and flavours: the crisp lettuce, the crunchy carrot, and the juicy, nutty pomegranate through to the succulent, soft, spicy lamb; the sharp olives, capers and preserved lemon paired with the bitter tang of the tahini dressing; all perfectly balanced by the soothing, syrupy sweet pomegranate molasses and creamy crème fraiche.

For a dish that boasts so much, it’s also ridiculously easy to pull together. So, a winner on all fronts.

Middle Eastern lamb lettuce wraps

Serves 6 as a starter

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
400g Well Hung Meat Company lamb mince
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
50g pitted green olives
2 tbsp capers
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 carrots, peeled and grated
2 heads little gem lettuce, leaves washed and separated
100 pomegranate seeds

For the dressing

50ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp tahini
1 preserved lemon, rinsed, seeds removed and roughly chopped
1 tsp water
200g Holy Cow crème fraiche
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and gently sweat the onion until translucent.

Add the garlic and fry for a minute or so before adding the minced lamb, ginger and cinnamon. Mix together and continue cooking for around 7 minutes until the lamb begins to brown.

Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the green olives, capers and pomegranate molasses.

Keep warm until ready to serve.

To make the dressing, pour the olive oil and tahini into a jug with the chopped preserved lemon and water, and puree with a stick blender until smooth. Stir in the crème fraiche and pomegranate molasses. If it feels too thick, mix in a little more water.

Just before serving, stir the grated carrot into the warm lamb mixture. Spoon the lamb into the separated lettuce leaves and arrange on plates. Drizzle with the tahini dressing and scatter with pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

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Spiced rack of lamb with braised lettuce and herb mash

 

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Easy lamb moussaka

 

 

Disclosure: I was supplied with a complimentary samples of lamb from the Well Hung Meat Company and crème fraiche from Holy Cow in order to develop this recipe. As ever, all views expressed are mine and only products I genuinely like make it onto my blog.  

Spiced rack of lamb with braised lettuce and herb mash

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Generally when we think of roast lamb for a special meal, we picture a succulent slow-roast shoulder or leg; always delicious and a real crowd-pleaser too. But if you’re after something a little quicker but with equal pizzazz, then a rack of lamb is the way to go, with guaranteed oohs and aahs when you carve it into cutlets at the table.

Continue reading “Spiced rack of lamb with braised lettuce and herb mash” →

Claudia Roden’s kofte kebabs

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I know I do harp on a bit about cutting down the amount of meat we eat. And yet, while I love vegetarian food, I could never give up meat completely. My blog is called Bangers & Mash for a reason. Plus, it would mean giving up dishes like this. And that’s simply not happening.

This is one of my favourite recipes from one of my favourite cookery writers, Claudia Roden. I met her briefly following a talk she gave at the Bath Literary Festival a few years back when she signed my copy of Arabesque, from which this recipe comes. I talked to her briefly about my blog and she wished me lots of luck with it, although it was clear the concept of blogging was a bit of a mystery to her. And I successfully managed to refrain from telling her how beautiful I think she is. Because she is. But that might have come across just a little too creepy. Continue reading “Claudia Roden’s kofte kebabs” →

Malaysian curry with Welsh lamb for National Curry Week

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Malaysia lamb curry

I’m a bit of magpie when it comes to recipes and gather my inspiration from all over the place. That’s why social media was made for people like me with tasty ideas being shared every second of every minute of every day on the likes of Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.

One thing I enjoy most about social media is the way it’s allowed me to reconnect with family members strewn across the world and discover a shared obsession with food. Take my cousin Sisi for example in Australia. The last time I met her in person was at our family house in Malaysia and I was just eight-years-old. But since we connected on Facebook, I’ve got to know her and her lovely family and be wowed by photos of her culinary creations. Likewise with my Aunty Lorene. She lives in the States and I think the last time I saw her was in Singapore when I was in my early 20s. And I so enjoy reading her posts on Facebook where she recreates her favourite foods from her childhood in Malaysia.

So when I was invited to come up with a lamb curry recipe using fantastic Welsh lamb to celebrate National Curry Week (12-18 October 2015), I turned to Lorene and Sisi for some Malaysian inspiration. And they didn’t disappoint. Continue reading “Malaysian curry with Welsh lamb for National Curry Week” →

Overnight roast spicy lamb shoulder – perfect for the Aga

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One of the joys of being an Aga owner is being able to pop a dish, be it a joint of meat or a casserole perhaps, into the bottom oven (the simmering oven) and forget about for several hours or all day, or in this case overnight, and when you return, it has magically transformed into the most succulent and tender of feasts.

As it’s a rather fatty meat, lamb is perfect for slow-roasting, as the fat keeps the meat mouth-wateringly moist. This slow-roasted shoulder makes for a very special meal, and since a large joint of lamb isn’t particularly cheap, I’d save it for suitably special occasions or big family gatherings. But the beauty of it is that’s so incredibly easy to do, yet tastes a million dollars. And I reckon you do get your money’s worth. One shoulder of lamb served seven of us for Sunday lunch, with plenty of leftovers for a further two more meals during the week. Continue reading “Overnight roast spicy lamb shoulder – perfect for the Aga” →

Slow roast shoulder of lamb with chicory and winter vegetables

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slow roast lamb

I am very partial to slow roasting large joints of meat. I cook with an Aga and so, of course, slow cooking goes with the territory. Lamb, in particular, lends itself to slow cooking; the fat melts down deliciously, flavouring the tender, juicy meat so wonderfully.

slow roast lamb

This warm salad was inspired by a recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi, which brings together shredded shoulder of lamb with roast chicory, raddiccio and figs. I have played with the ingredients a little to adapt the recipe to the contents of a winter vegetable box – sadly no fresh figs in there at this time of year. So instead, my version features roast parsnip, carrot and swede along with the chicory; all perfect partners for roast lamb with their caramelised sweetness.

slow roast lamb

With plenty of fresh herbs in there and an incredible, slightly sweet and sour dressing with lemon, honey, cinnamon and pomegranate molasses, I think this warm lamb salad would be a wonderful dish to serve your family and friends this New Year.

Slow roast shoulder of lamb with chicory and winter vegetables

Serves 4-5 (including plenty of leftover lamb for naughty late night sandwiches!)

1.5kg shoulder of lamb, on the bone
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp dried mint
1½ tbsp fresh thyme, picked
1 head of garlic, cut in half widthways
2 parsnips, peeled, halved and quartered lengthways
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
half a swede, peeled and cut into large chunks
3 chicories, halved lengthways
2 tbsp honey
4 large sprigs of rosemary
4 stems of sage
20g rocket
salt and pepper

For the dressing:

70ml olive oil
90ml lemon juice
1½ tbsp honey
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

If you are using a conventional oven, preheat to 150ºC / gas mark 2.

Place the lamb in a roasting tray and rub all over with a tablespoonful of the olive oil, lemon juice, mint, thyme, and a generous grind of salt and pepper.

Pop the garlic halves next to the lamb, cut side down, and cover the tray with foil.

If you’re cooking in an Aga, roast in the middle of the top oven for 20 minutes, before transferring to the simmering oven for 5 hours, regularly basting the meat with the cooking juices.

Otherwise, roast in a conventional oven at 150ºC for 5 hours, again regularly basting the meat.

When it is completely tender and the meat falls away from the bone easily, remove the lamb from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Shred into bite size pieces, discarding any fatty bits. Cover and keep warm.

While the lamb is resting, prepare the vegetables. If necessary, increase your oven to 220ºC / gas mark 7.

Place the parsnips, carrots and swede in a large bowl with 2 tablespoonfuls of olive oil, honey and a pinch of salt and mix well with your hands. Toss into a roasting tray together with the fresh rosemary and sage, and cook in the oven (top of the roasting oven in the Aga) for 20 minutes.

Place the chicory halves in the bowl and add another spoonful of olive oil, a little more honey and a touch more salt, and mix together. When the root vegetables have had 20 minutes, add the chicory to the roasting tray and cook for another 10 minutes, until the root veg is caramelised and the chicory is tender.

To make the dressing, simply whisk all the ingredients together and set aside.

To serve, place the rocket in a large, warmed serving dish. Scatter the roast vegetables over the top and finally cover with shredded lamb – you’ll only need about half of it. Save the rest for tomorrow.

Drizzle the dressing over the top and serve immediately.

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As the dressing for this warm winter salad features a strong hint of cinnamon, I will enter it into this month’s Spice Trail challenge, which I just happen to host.

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Jacki’s Moroccan lamb tagine

Posted in Meat, Recipes, Stews and casserolesTagged , , , 3 Comments

tagine

This recipe comes from Jacki, one of my foodie friends on Twitter. Jacki is a fellow Aga owner and BBC 6 Music listener, and we share a passion for hearty, slow cooking. She was keen to enter her lamb tagine into the Spice Trail challenge, as it features this month’s spice, cinnamon, but as she isn’t a blogger herself I offered to share her recipe here.

In Jacki’s words, it’s “very simple but lush”. I can’t wait to try it out on my family – it looks like a delicious winter warmer.

Jacki’s Moroccan lamb tagine

500g lamb steak, diced
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 can chopped tomatoes
small carton passata
150g dried apricots, chopped
handful of flaked almonds
1 tsp honey
250ml vegetable stock
seasoning to taste

Combine the lamb with the oil and spices and marinade overnight, although shorter is OK.

Fry the meat to seal and colour, and place in your tagine.

Fry the onions and garlic until soft, then add all remaining ingredients to the pan. Bring to a simmer and pour over the meat in the tagine.

Cook in the Aga simmering oven for 2 hours or so – or in a conventional oven at 180°C for 1½ hours. Remove the lid for the last 10-15 minutes.

Serve with couscous.

Inspired by a ‘Select Lincolnshire’ recipe in The Good Taste magazine Lincolnshire.

If you have a favourite cinnamon recipe you’d like to share in December’s Spice Trail challenge, you’ll find more information here. And you might just win yourself a Tasting Experience for two courtesy of the good people at Buyagift.

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Tagliatelle with lamb’s liver and a sage, chilli and garlic butter

Posted in Competitions and challenges, Meat, RecipesTagged , , , , , , , , , , , 12 Comments

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Could you come up with a meal for at least two people for under £3? That’s the challenge set by the leading food charity The Trussell Trust in partnership with Buyagift with the aim of raising awareness of just how difficult it can be to eat well on a limited budget.

I managed to come up with a dish but it wasn’t easy, and I really wouldn’t want to have to work with this budget every mealtime. But for so many people in this country, it is the reality they face each and every day. While the UK might be the seventh richest country in the world, many people here struggle to put food on the table.

You can help raise awareness of the work of The Trussell Trust and the urgent need for us as a nation to tackle food poverty by taking part in the challenge and coming up with your own recipe. You can also visit the charity’s website for more ways to support their work, from donating to your local foodbank to raising money for them as you do your online shopping.

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For my dish I decided to use liver as it is relatively inexpensive. Obviously a vegetarian pasta dish would have been cheaper still, but I wanted to see if I could manage a meat dish on this tight budget. I managed to buy 370g of lamb’s liver from my local butcher for just £1.48 and I only used half of it. A little liver goes a long way.

OK, so not everyone likes liver but I’m sure that’s because it’s generally been overcooked when they have tried it. In this dish it is sliced very thinly and fried for only a few minutes, so it is beautifully moist and tender. My husband doesn’t normally eat liver but he enjoyed this. Plus it was cooked in a very generous amount of butter, with lots of chilli, garlic and sage, so absolutely packed full of flavour. It actually tastes quite luxurious despite the cheap ingredients.

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Tagliatelle with lamb’s liver and a sage, chilli and garlic butter

Total spend: £2.21½

250g dried tagliatelle (47½p)
1 egg (24p)
170g lamb’s liver, thinly sliced (74p)
2tbsp olive oil (13p)
75g butter (36p)
1 red chilli, finely sliced (22p)
2 cloves garlic, crushed (5p)
6 sage leaves, finely chopped (free from the garden)
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the tagliatelle in salted, boiling water according to the packet instructions.

Beat the egg in a shallow dish, add the liver and coat well, and leave for a few minutes.

Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan over a low heat. When the butter has melted, add the chilli, garlic and sage and fry for a couple of minutes.

Drain the liver and add to the frying pan. Increase the heat to medium and fry for three to four minutes, turning frequently, until cooked through. Season to taste and remove from the heat.

Drain the pasta and add to the frying pan. Toss well to coat the pasta in the butter and distribute the pieces of liver. Serve immediately.

As well as entering this dish into The £3 Challenge, I’m also sharing it with The Spice Trail (where the theme this month is chilli), Credit Crunch Munch (hosted by Dinner with Crayons, Fab Food for All and Fuss Free Flavours), Cooking with Herbs (hosted by Lavender & Lovage) as it features fresh sage, and Pasta Please (hosted by The Spicy Pear and Tinned Tomatoes) as it contains garlic.

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Spicy lamb meatballs

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There’s something about meatballs that makes them a family favourite the world over. Why do we, young and old alike, go crazy for food in bite-sized morsels? From the ubiquitous chicken nugget to the classy vol au vent, we all love food we can pop in our gobs.

And I’d say meatballs fit this category. Mini (or, if you make them like me, not-s0-mini) mouthfuls of meaty pleasure, smothered in a rich tomato sauce and served with anything that takes your fancy really – spaghetti or rice, in a warm pitta, or simply with a salad.

I normally make my meatballs with beef mince but, as I’ve been looking at a few Moroccan-style recipes lately, I thought I’d try making them with lamb. Of course this led me onto the traditional Moroccan accompaniments of mint, apricot, cumin and coriander.

We’re lucky that our daughters like spicy food. I’d always taken this quality for granted but I’ve eaten with a few friends and their children recently who really don’t like strong flavours, which has made me wonder why our girls do go for them in such a big way. I suppose it’s because spices have always been an essential part of my cooking. During both pregnancies I ate a lot of spicy food, even more so in the latter stages when both girls were overdue and I was trying to encourage things along!

If you’re thinking of making this recipe for children who aren’t into spicy flavours, you’ll probably want to consider cutting down (or out) the cumin and coriander and perhaps reducing the amount of garlic. But if I were you, I’d try the recipe as it stands – you might be surprised.

As this was one of our favourite meals last week, I’m entering it into The Best Thing You Ate link party organised by Justa at Frugally Delicious. Justa is a woman after my own heart: she’s into her weekly meal planning and, as the name of her blog suggests, she’s into frugal food that is seasonal, fresh and inexpensive.

Spicy lamb meatballs

Serves 6

2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 x 400g can chopped plum tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper
20g fresh mint, finely chopped
400g lean lamb mince
handful dried apricots, finely chopped
40g breadcrumbs

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and gently soften the onions until golden. Add the garlic and spices and cook for a couple more minutes. Put half the onion mixture into a bowl and leave to cool.

To the remaining onions in the pan stir in the tomatoes, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for ten minutes until the sauce has thickened.

When the onions have cooled, add the mint, lamb, apricots and breadcrumbs. Season well and mix together with your hands. Shape into ‘bite-sized’ meatballs.

Heat the remaining oil and fry the meatballs until golden brown. Stir in the sauce and cook gently until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve with boiled rice and a green salad.