Lamb Rack

Posted on by Lifestyle Magazine

Rack of Lamb, Fresh Turmeric, Root Vegetable & Sweetcorn Purée
Spiced Orange, Cinnamon & Tamarind Reduction

Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients Rack of Lamb

  • 350g Lamb Rack per person (allowing for bones) *
  • Oil for rubbing the meat
  • Flor de Sal & Cracked Pepper

(*Chef´s recommendation: Try to buy good quality of well-fed Portuguese lamb, if not go for import.)

Ingredients Fresh Turmeric, Root Vegetable & Sweetcorn Purée

  • 2x TBSP Coconut Oil
  • 4x Shallots or 1x White Onion, peeled and roughly diced
  • 3-4 cloves peeled Garlic
  • 300g Root Veg – mix of Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato, peeled and cubed
  • 150g Fresh Turmeric (and a pair of gloves if you don´t want orange hands!)
  • 300ml Poultry or Vegetable Stock
  • 250g Sweetcorn, ideally already roasted fresh on the BBQ (tined or vacuum packets would also work)
  • ½ TBSP Cumin, ½ TBSP Good Curry Powder
  • 75g grated Ginger
  • 75g Butter
  • 125ml Coconut Cream
  • Ground Sea Salt, White Pepper
  • Optional: a squeeze of lemon or orange juice; coconut sugar

Ingredients Spiced Orange, Cinnamon &Tamarind Reduction

Part I Ingredients

  • 1x White Onion, peeled & diced
  • 1x TBSP Chinese 5 Spices
  • 3x Star Anise
  • 2x Cinnamon Sticks
  • Juice of 6x Algarvian Oranges
  • 1L of Good Meat Stock
  • 1x can of Coca Cola

Part II Ingredients

  • 20g Tamarind Paste
  • 1x TBSP Bovril/Marmite
  • 6x Large TBSP of Tonkatsu Sauce
  • 2x TBSP Hoisin Sauce
  • A splash of Soy Sauce
  • 2 TBSP Chilli Jam

Method

1. Start with the Reduction

  • In a saucepan, put all Part I Ingredients into a high sided pan, put on a medium-strong heat and let it reduce by half.
  • Add to the pan the Part II Ingredients, give a good stir, and let it reduce until it reaches a nice sticky consistency. You can pass it through a chinois if you wish it to be very smooth.

2. Continue with the Purée

  • Using a heavy bottom pan, add your coconut oil and sweat off your shallots and garlic. The idea is not to caramelise but just to cook them through, keeping them a pale colour.
  • Add your root vegetables and turmeric, increasing the heat a little. Give it a couple of minutes and add your stock. Simmer for 10-15mins until the vegetables are soft. Then add your corn, spices, grated ginger, and butter.
  • Give it another 5mins on a medium heat to let all your ingredients cook through. Add your coconut cream and blitz. Taste, season. Feel free to add a splash of lemon or orange juice for acidity, or a pinch of palm or coconut sugar for sweetness if you wish.

(Chef´s tip: Remember you can always add more liquid, but it is hard to take it back. So check the consistency of your purée before adding more if you see at the end that it needs a bit more liquid.)

3. Time to grill the Meat

  • Ideally, for cooking the lamb, a coal BBQ and a hot oven would be great. If not, pan-frying or grilling would work as well.
  • Oil and season the meat on the fat side of the rack, and place on your coal BBQ for around 15mins on a low to medium heat, allowing the lamb fat to render. Once you have got a nice colour on the fat side, remove the lamb, and let it rest for a moment while you pre-heating your oven at 200 degrees.
  • Bake for 15/25mins depending on the size of the rack and how you like your lamb cooked.

If you´re unsure on the lamb cooking, feel free to cut off a slice, and this should give you a good indication of how the rest of the fillet is cooked.

(Chef´s tip: Always oil and season the meat rather than oiling the pan if you are pan-frying. It will save splashes and burns!)

To serve:

  • 2x Shallots/plate, burnt (seized them on a dry pan until they colour, to use them as little pockets for the sauce)
  • Thyme or Edible Flowers (optional)

Plate your purée, top it with your lamb. Place your burnt shallot boats, drizzle with your spiced reduction, and decorate with edible flowers.