You all seem to be such proficient chefs. Well here is a place to share some of that cooking knowledge. Or do you have a cooking problem? Ask away. Jams and chutneys go here too.
A crofter friend ran out of space in her freezer after slaughtering their cow and has very kindly actually given us half our little chest freezer full of lamb
Not only any kind of lamb but organic (or pretty much organic) Shetland hill lamb - yummy.
The problem is that I am very ignorant about lamb! I can't really recognise cuts and have no idea what to do with them
I have been gradually using bits and it has been nice, but any inspiration welcomed in the form of lamb recipes suitable for various cuts.
depends on how it was butchered
but the norm would be:
neck (stew for a long time, then take apart remove bones and fat and use meat and stock for stew or hot pot)
chops (hotpot or slow roast for a long time.. our fav)
breast - this is a long thin looking cut with meat and fatty layers with ribby looking bones you can bone out, stuff and roll, but we prefer to slow roast, then sort out on the plate..
leg - possibly in two parts (roast as a joint or cut meat up for kebabs, tender chunks of meat in cooking etc)
shoulder possibly in two parts.. -(you can cut the meat out but we prefer to roast..)
You might have a kidney too...
Red
I like like minded people... a bit like minded anyway.. well people with bits of their minds that are like the bits of my mind that I like...
Bone out the breast, cut it into large pieces and pack them into a heat-proof basin, seasoning with salt, pepper and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Place the basin in a large pan and pour in sufficient boiling water to come halfway up the basin.
Bring the water back to the boil, cover the pan and cook at fast simmer for half an hour per pound of meat.
Lift the meat out of the basin when cooked, place on a warm plate and keep warm.
Pour the juices into a pan and thicken with a roux until you have a pourable gravy with the flour cooked out. Stir in a couple of tablespoons of chopped capers (salted ones are better than brined, but rinse thoroughly first).
Serve the meat, then pour the gravy over the top. Excellent with mashed or boiled potatoes, steamed kale and carrots. (The meat should be really tender and falling apart.)
Oh, and don't forget Lancashire hot pot. The Hairy Bikers did it on TV last night with neck, chops and black pudding. Slurp!
And Irish stew.
Scotch pies, too.
Now you've got me going...
Lamb fritters. Dice some left-over roast lamb and a large onion, make up a savoury batter (like a thick drop scone batter but with no sugar and a dash of ground pepper), and stir the lamb and onions into the batter. Then fry. Mmm.
Last edited by Stonehead on Fri Jan 04, 2008 10:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.
A pound or so of fresh butter beans (or dried ones soaked overnight), a couple of lamb shanks, an onion, a carrot, a celery stick, some mutton fat (or butter), some thyme, a bay leaf and a couple of pints of lamb or chicken stock.
Brown the shanks on all sides in the fat or butter in a large pan. Pour off the fat.
Peel and dice the onion and carrot, dice the celery stick.
Add the vegetables, herbs and stock to the pan with the meat.
Bring to the boil, back off to a slow simmer, cover and cook for at least two hours (until the meat drops off the bones). Remove the shanks from the pan, remove the meat and shred it, then return the meat to the pan. Season to taste.
Serve with freshly made soda bread.
For a variant, replace the butter beans with pearl barley that's been soaked overnight. Or use oatmeal to make a lamb brose.
Lamb shoulder, boned and diced (Use half from a larger lowland lamb)
A couple of large onions, peeled and diced
A large lump of fresh ginger
A heaped teaspoon of cumin seeds
A heaped teaspoon of yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon of pepper corns (green best, but black okay)
Some grated cocount (I just throw in a couple of handfuls!)
A pint of lamb stock
Clarified butter (ghee)
Cut the ginger in half, and grind half up in a mortar with the cumin and mustard seeds.
Melt the butter in a large pan, then fry the ginger paste until it just changes colour.
Add the onions and fry until softened.
Turn the heat up, add lamb, and stir until well coated with the juices. Add the stock.
Bring to the boil, then back off to a slow simmer and cook for 90 minutes to two hours, until the meat is tender.
Grind the remaining ginger, pepper corns and coconut together with a pinch of salt.
Stir the coconut paste into the curry and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens into a gravy.
Now your talking Stoney lamb curry is the best. Here's my version of
Lamb Sag Aloo (ie lamb,spinach,potato...very ecomonical)
Feeds at least 4, and potato/meat ratio can be varied , you could even leave out the meat to just make sag aloo, or try beef.
2 tbspns oil
1 large onion cut into slices
1 onion,3 cm piece ginger , 3 clove garlic all roughly chopped put into a blender with 3 tablespns water and blitzed into a paste.
chillies to taste and depending on type finely chopped
and or caynne pepper 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp
1 peice of cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tble spn ground corriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tspn fenugreek seeds
6 green cardomon seeds bashed up
500g Lamb (shoulders good) into 2cm cubes
1 tin of chopped toms
potato depending on how hungry you are I'd go for 1 potato per person, peeled and diced into 2 cm peices
1tsp salt
A big bag of Spinach (250g?) washed,dried, chpped as finely as you can be bothered, or put into a bag and blasted in the microwave until wilted then water squeezed out and chopped.
(note beetroot tops are even better IMHO,could use chard or turnip tops)
5 tbspn yoghurt
500ml water
heat oil medium high add sliced onions stur until going brown and soft, not burn tho'.
add ginger paste and stir fry until that starts to change to a brown ish colour and thickens up
Add cinnamon and chillies or cayenne stir for a minute, then add all the other spices and stir.
Add meat and stir until starts to brown
Add tin chopped toms and potatoes stir and add salt
Add unwilted spinach and stir until wilted or add prewilted and stir
Under high heat Stir in 1 tbsp of yoghurt at a time until well mixed
Add water and bring to a simmer, and either put lid on a low heat stirring occasionally until tender (60 to 90 mins), or put in an oven at 160'C for same time. If it goes a bit thick add more water, if its a bit soupy at the end remove lid and reduce liquid.
I like to make m' home made roti's to eat it with
It's not easy being Cheezy
So you know how great Salsify is as a veg, what about Cavero Nero,great leaves all through the winter , then in Spring sprouting broccolli like flowers! Takes up half as much room as broccolli
