It’s hard to beat a leg or shoulder of lamb, roasted for many hours in the oven with a bunch of your favourite vegetables and herbs. But the same qualities that make lamb so ideal for long and slow cooking – the rich meat, high in fat and flavour – also work their magic when you cook it for a much shorter time. Today’s dishes range from less than half an hour’s cooking (a Chinese stir-fry) to more than six hours (berbere-spiced shredded meat in pastry). You choose.
Crispy cumin lamb with aubergine and ginger (pictured above)
Lamb and cumin is a pairing you’d normally associate with Middle Eastern cooking, but it is also a staple in the north-west of China, where there is a large Muslim community. According to my Taiwanese friend Gary Chang, there’s only one heat when stir-frying, and that’s “very hot”, so keep the flame high to achieve a good sear, and use a wok if you have one, or a high-sided saute pan if you don’t.
Prep 15 min
Marinate Up to 1 hr
Cook 25 min
Serves 4
700g boneless lamb shoulder, skin, silverskin and gristle removed, then cut into 6cm x 5mm strips
2 tsp cornflour
1½ tbsp ground cumin
90ml dark soy sauce
60ml Shaoxing rice wine
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 aubergines, cut into 6cm x 2cm pieces
Salt
60ml vegetable oil
2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 tbsp cumin seeds
3 red chillies, finely sliced on an angle (deseeded, if you prefer less heat)
3 spring onions, finely sliced on an angle
15g coriander, leaves and stalks separated
1½ tsp rice-wine vinegar
Pat the lamb dry, then put it in a bowl with the cornflour, a tablespoon of ground cumin, half the dark soy sauce, half the Shaoxing rice wine and the sugar, toss to coat and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour.
Toss the aubergine with the remaining cumin and half a teaspoon of salt. Heat half the oil in a large wok or saute pan on a high flame, then fry the aubergine, stirring occasionally, for five minutes, until it’s beginning to brown.
Add the ginger and one tablespoon of soy, and fry for three minutes more, stirring very often, until the aubergine is a dark golden brown. Remove the aubergine from the wok, wipe the pan clean, then return it to the heat. Put the cumin seeds in the hot pan and, taking care not to burn them, dry fry for around 30 seconds, until fragrant, then tip into a saucer.
Return the pan to a high heat and, once it’s smoking, add the rest of the oil and swirl around. Add a third of the lamb, separating the pieces with a spoon, so they don’t clump together, then leave to sear undisturbed for two minutes. Stir-fry for another two minutes, until crisp and golden brown all over, then lift out of the wok with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan. Repeat with the rest of the lamb in two more batches, then drain and discard half of the fat.
Return all the meat to the wok and, over a high heat, quickly toss with the aubergines, the remaining soy and rice wine, the chillies, spring onions, coriander and toasted cumin seeds, for only a few seconds, to warm through. Transfer to a platter, drizzle over the vinegar and serve straight away.
Lamb meatballs with braised fennel
Vermouth is an unsung ingredient that goes just that bit further than white wine (though the latter does make a decent substitute here), because it adds sweet, sharp and floral notes all at the same time. A bottle goes a long way, so keep one in the cupboard to elevate sauces and stews.
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 15 min
Serves 4-6
4 small fennel bulbs (about 900g in total)
500g minced lamb
30g fresh white breadcrumbs, from about 1 slice of bread
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
20g parsley leaves, finely chopped
15g dill, finely chopped
5 anchovy fillets, drained and finely chopped
1 tbsp fennel seeds, lightly toasted and crushed
40g currants
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
200ml white vermouth (or dry white wine)
6 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 lemon – peel shaved into long strips, then cut into wedges, to serve
20g pine nuts, lightly toasted
Trim the fennel, discarding the stalks but reserving the fronds to garnish. Cut each bulb in half lengthways, then cut into 2cm-wide wedges.
Put the mince in a large bowl with the breadcrumbs, onion, parsley, dill, anchovies, fennel seeds, currants, half a teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Mix to combine, then shape into about 30 golf-ball-sized balls.
On a medium-high flame, heat the oil in a large saute pan for which you have a lid. Once hot, fry the half the meatballs for five minutes, turning regularly, until browned all over. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon, then repeat with the remaining meatballs.
In the same pan, fry the fennel wedges for four minutes, turning them a few times, until browned all over. Add the vermouth and, once it’s bubbling, stir in the tomatoes, lemon peel, half a teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper. Once the mix has come to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and leave to simmer gently for 10 minutes, until the fennel is starting to soften.
Return the meatballs to the pan, stir them through, cover and leave to cook for 30 minutes, until the fennel is soft and the meatballs are cooked.
Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high and cook for five more minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with the pine nuts and reserved fennel fronds, and serve with lemon wedges.
Berbere-spiced lamb and potato filo ‘snails’
These can be prepared in advance and frozen or refrigerated until ready to cook (remember to defrost before baking). They are also good the day after they are baked, reheated quickly in a hot oven. They make a perfect snack or starter when served with a simple green salad and some yoghurt.
Prep 10 min
Cook 6 hr 30 min
Makes 9 snails
1.5kg lamb shoulder on the bone (ie, about half a shoulder)
1 tbsp berbere spice mix
75ml olive oil
Salt
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
30g barberries
1 large potato, peeled and roughly grated
1 tbsp maple syrup
20g mint leaves, roughly chopped
100g extra-mature cheddar, roughly grated
500g filo pastry (12 sheets measuring 30cm x 30cm)
150g unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp nigella seeds
Heat the oven to 160C/320F/gas 2½. Rub the lamb all over with two teaspoons of the berbere, two tablespoons of oil and half a teaspoon of salt. Put in a high-sided baking dish, cover securely with foil and bake for three and a half to four hours, turning once or twice along the way. The meat should be falling off the bone and soft all the way through. Once cool enough to handle, shred the meat finely: you should end up with 450-500g.
Meanwhile, heat three tablespoons of oil in a large saute pan on a medium-high flame, then fry the onion, stirring frequently, for eight minutes, until soft and golden brown. Add the garlic, barberries and the remaining teaspoon of berbere, and fry for two minutes more, until aromatic. Add the meat, potato, maple syrup and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt, and cook for six minutes, stirring often, until the potato is semi-cooked. Take off the heat, stir in the mint and cheese, and leave to cool. You should now have about 900g of filling.
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Take two sheets of filo pastry, brush them with butter, then overlap the shorter ends to make one long sheet that is 60cm long x 30cm wide. With the long edge facing you, take 100g of the filling and spoon it evenly in a line along that edge. Carefully roll up the filo, encasing the filling, to make one long sausage. Next, starting at one end, roll the sausage into a tight coil, or “snail”. Transfer to a large baking tray (about 32cm x 32cm), and repeat with the remaining pastry and filling. Brush the snails all over with the remaining butter, sprinkle with the nigella seeds and a pinch of salt, and bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm with salad and yoghurt for dipping.
- Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay
