As the start of New Zealand lamb season begins, we find ourselves wondering about the tastiest ways to re-introduce it into our food repertoire.
Here are three complicated-sounding but surprisingly easy recipes to make, straight from the source.
Lamb Stir-Fry: Quick & Easy To Cook With The Kids (serves 4)
2 - 3 lamb boneless leg steaks, or 2 - 3 boneless lamb neck fillets, cut into ½ inch thick slices
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 teaspoons grated ginger
2 pinches dried chilli flakes (or ½ red chilli, chopped)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 red pepper, halved lengthways, core and seeds removed, cut into strips
4 tender-stem broccoli, cut into ½ inch lengths
3 spring onions, sliced
100g green peas, defrosted if frozen
50g toasted cashew nuts, roughly chopped
- Mix the lamb with the garlic, ginger and chilli and 1 tablespoon of the oil and leave covered for 10 - 20 minutes at room temperature
- Mix the soy sauce with ¼ tea-cup of water
- Prepare the vegetables
- Place the wok over high heat and add all of the lamb at once, spreading it out
- Once browned, turn over and cook the other side for just 15 seconds
- Remove the lamb and place in a heatproof bowl
- Put the wok back on high heat. If there are pieces stuck to it carefully wipe out with a paper towel but be careful as it’ll be hot
- Add the oil to the hot wok and place in, in this order, the carrots, pepper and broccoli
- After 20 seconds, begin stirring the vegetables (keeping the wok on the heat) and cook until they soften and colour a little
- Return the lamb to the wok with any juices
- Add the soy sauce water, spring onions, peas and cashews
- Cook until the liquid has almost evaporated, tossing as it cooks
- Taste for seasoning and serve
Lamb Burgers - Good For The BBQ (serves 4)
500g lamb mince
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire or any other brown sauce
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
12 mint leaves, shredded
1 avocado
¼ teaspoon finely grated lime zest
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 heaped tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon mustard (I prefer English mustard for its fieriness)
50g feta cheese, crumbled
2 beefsteak tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
4 burger buns, split open
1 butter lettuce, leaves separated
- Use your hands (or a food mixer – not a food processor) and combine the lamb mince, tomato sauce, brown sauce, spring onions and ½ the mint leaves
- Divide into 4 portions then roll out and flatten to around 1cm thick patties
- Place on a tray in the fridge to firm up for anywhere between 2 hours and overnight
- Remove the flesh from the avocado and mash with the lime zest and juice, then mix in the mayonnaise, mustard and lastly the feta
- Mix the remaining mint leaves with the tomatoes and olive oil and season with freshly ground coarse black pepper and sea salt
- Cook the patties over medium heat on the bbq until done to your liking then remove and rest in a warm place for 5 minutes while you assemble the burgers
- Toast the buns on the cut side and sit the lettuce on
- Drain excess juice from the tomatoes and place these on
- Sit the cooked patties on top then spoon on the avocado mixture
- Gently pres the tops on
Lamb, Olive and Orange Stew, Roast Pumpkin Humus, Minted Broccoli Couscous, Nutty Dukkah (serves 6)
Lamb, olive and orange stew
1kg boneless lamb leg, diced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3 onions, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 x 5cm piece cinnamon
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 orange
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
100g unpitted olives - a mixture of green and black
- Cut the lamb into 2cm thick slices and mix with the thyme, rosemary and garlic and leave to marinate for an hour
- Heat up a heavy based pot and add a tablespoon olive oil
- Caramelise the onions, cumin, coriander seeds and cinnamon over medium heat
- Add 2 strips of orange peel (no pith) and its juice, then cook until the liquid has evaporated
- Remove the onion mixture from the pot and put back on the heat
- Add another tablespoon olive oil and add the lamb then cook until browned all over
- Return the onion mixture to the pot, along with the carrots, soy sauce, sweet potato (which breaks up as it cooks and thickens the sauce), olives and enough water to cover by 1cm
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook with a lid on for 90 minutes – either in the oven at 170*C or on a very low heat on the hob
- After an hour, take the lid off the pot and cook until the sauce has thickened, around another 30 – 40 minutes (if it isn’t as thick as you’d like you can mix a tablespoon of flour into ¼ cup cold water to a paste and then stir it into the stew making sure you don’t create any lumps)
- Taste for seasoning and it’s ready to serve
Roast pumpkin hummus
200g pumpkin or butternut squash
1 x 400g can cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 - 3 cloves peeled garlic
2 tablespoons tahini paste
½ teaspoon lemon zest
the juice of 1 lemon
olive oil – approximately 150ml
- Place the pumpkin in a roasting dish and drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil then bake until you can easily insert a knife through it – around 45-60 minutes
- Leave until cool enough to handle, then scoop out the seeds and discard
- Scoop the flesh out and place in a food processor with the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice and some flaky salt
- Pulse blitz
- Start adding the olive oil and add enough to give you a ‘thick dip’ consistency
- Taste for seasoning
Minted broccoli cous cous
80g instant couscous
110ml tepid water
200g broccoli florets, cut into chunks
a handful of fresh mint leaves
a handful flat parsley leaves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Mix the couscous and water with ½ teaspoon of salt, and leave it to absorb for 10 minutes
- Boil or steam the broccoli for 1 minute then drain and immediately put into a large bowl of iced water
- Drain well and place in a food processor with the mint leaves, parsley and olive oil and blitz in several short bursts, scraping down the side of the bowl each time, to produce coarse crumbs
- Mix into the couscous with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, adding salt to taste
Almond dukkah
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted (or toast in the pan with the other seeds)
½ teaspoon nigella seeds (or use extra cumin, or caraway seeds)
100g toasted almonds
50g toasted pinenuts
½ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- Place a heavy based pan over medium – low heat
- Add the coriander, fennel and cumin seeds and cook until they become very aromatic.
- Be careful not to burn them as they will catch quite quickly – and if you do burn them you’re best to start again!
- Once they’re done tip into a heatproof dish and leave to cool
- Tip into a mortar along with the nigella seeds and sesame seeds and coarsely pound with a pestle
- Add the nuts and pound, but keep them a little chunky
- Finally add the smoked paprika and salt and pound a little more
- Store in an airtight jar
Visit New Zealand Lamb's website for more recipes.