While a roast leg of lamb is a lovely Easter tradition, this tender juicy meat lends itself to a host of delicious choices. Here are three to choose from for some lovely times at the table on the long weekend.
Lamb, oregano and fennel seed meatballs
Serves 4-6
These light and tasty meatballs are fragrant with oregano and fennel seeds, bathed in a rich tomato sauce and topped with molten mozzarella. Autumn fare done and dusted.
Ingredients
Meatballs
1 cup panko breadcrumbs 3 tablespoons milk or water
1 large egg
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp each sea salt and fennel seeds
½ tsp chilli flakes
1 lemon, finely grated zest only
600 grams lamb sausages, skins removed
Tomato sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Sea salt
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 x 400-gram tins crushed Italian tomatoes
To cook and serve
Oil
1 ball fresh mozzarella in whey, drained
Parmesan, for grating
Oregano leaves, to serve
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.
2. For the sauce: Heat the oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan and cook the onion and garlic with a good pinch of salt until soft. Stir in the tomato paste and brown sugar and cook for 1 minute. Add the vinegar and tomatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside.
3. For the meatballs: Stir the breadcrumbs with all the remaining ingredients, except the sausage meat, in a large bowl and leave for 10 minutes. Add the sausage meat and mix until fully combined. Hands are good for this. Form into large meatballs.
4. To cook: Heat a little oil in a sauté pan and brown the meatballs all over. Nestle the meatballs into the tomato sauce. Cover with a piece of baking paper then foil to seal tightly. Bake for 25 minutes. Uncover then dot over the mozzarella and grate over a generous amount of parmesan. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. Scatter with oregano leaves before serving.
- Recipe by Claire Aldous
Slow-braised shoulder of lamb with oregano and lemon salsa
Serves 6-8
Full-flavoured, rustic and very delicious, slow-cooking renders this meat so tender and juicy that it can be just pulled apart. The zesty oregano and lemon salsa adds a final flourish.
Ingredients
1.5-2kg bone-in lamb shoulder
1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
2 big sprigs rosemary
2 brown onions, thickly sliced
1 cup chicken stock
Sea salt and ground pepper
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Oregano and lemon salsa
⅓ cup packed parsley leaves
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 lemon, finely grated zest only
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Sea salt and ground pepper
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan bake. Make 6 deep slits in the lamb and press a clove of garlic into each one. Put the remaining garlic, rosemary, onions and the stock in the base of a roasting dish and season.
2. Stir the brown sugar and vinegar together, rub all over the lamb and season with salt and pepper. Place fat side up in the dish and roast for 30 minutes.
3. Take out of the oven, cover with a piece of baking paper then seal the dish tightly with foil.
4. Reduce the heat to 150°C regular bake.
5. Cook for about 3½ hours, or until the lamb is very tender when pierced with a skewer. Remove the paper and foil and roast for a further 30 minutes. Let the meat rest for 20 minutes before serving.
6: For the oregano and lemon salsa: Stir all the ingredients together and season generously with salt and pepper.
7. To serve : Pull the meat off the bones, discarding any excess fat. Spoon over some the cooking juices and cloves of garlic from the dish, and a good dollop of salsa. Serve with side of your choice (we chose polenta).
Cook's note: The lamb can be cooked 2-3 days ahead. Cool then cover and chill. Lift off and discard the layer of fat that will have set over the jellied cooking juices. Re-cover the baking dish and place back in a 180°C oven for about 1-1½ hours, or until fully heated through to the bone.
- Recipe by Claire Aldous and Sarah Tuck
Leftover lamb ragu
Serves 4
If you manage to have any roast lamb leftover, this makes a great day-after dinner.
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
80g pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
½ tsp chilli flakes
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
Sea salt and ground pepper
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp tomato paste
100g crushed and sieved tomatoes
2 tsp caster sugar
¼ cup cream
½ cup white wine
3-3½ cups leftover (ideally slow-roasted) lamb
½ cup black olives, halved and pitted
To serve
Hot cooked pappardelle or tagliatelle
125-gram ball buffalo mozzarella, well drained and torn
2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the pancetta or bacon and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onion, chilli flakes and rosemary, season with salt and pepper and cook for 8-10 minutes until just soft.
2. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute then add the tomato paste, tomatoes, sugar, cream and wine and stir to combine.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, then add the lamb and olives, reserving a few olives for garnish. Cook for a further 5 minutes until the lamb is heated through or, if you have super tender slow-cooked lamb shoulder like I did, reheat it wrapped in foil in the oven at 160°C for 20 minutes then shred it into the sauce and stir through.
4. To serve: Serve the lamb ragù over hot pappardelle or tagliatelle and top with buffalo mozzarella and parsley.
- Recipe by Sarah Tuck
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