DORPER LAMB RECIPES

DORPER LAMB BANJO SHOULDER

Recipe supplied by Peter Manifis from Incontro Restaurant, South Perth
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 Dorper Lamb Banjo Shoulder
1 carrot
1 onion
½ bunch celery
1 bulb garlic
3 bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary about
2L white wine
salt, white pepper
parsley, chopped for garnish
lemon zest for garnish
orange zest for garnish

Method
Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Chop all of the vegetables roughly and put them in a roasting tray. Place the lamb on top and pour in the wine until the lamb is nearly covered. Season with salt and pepper, cover with a sheet of baking paper and then seal the tray tightly with aluminium foil (the baking paper will stop the aluminium foil from sticking to the lamb). Put it in the oven and cook for 3 to 3 ½ hours. The lamb will be cooked when you can wiggle or pull the bones away from the meat.

To serve:
Preheat the oven 240ºC. Strain the cooking liquid, discarding the vegetables. Place the lamb into the roasting tray and pour the cooking liquid in with the lamb so it will not stick to the tray, but not too much, or on the skin as it will not crisp. Put it into the oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until the skin is golden. Carefully transfer onto a serving plate using a pair of tongs, garnish with chopped parsley, lemon and orange zest, and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Serve with roast baby potatoes, crisp green salad or blanched asparagus.

ASIAN DORPER LAMB CHOPS

Recipe supplied by Fai Wang of The Grand Palace Restaurant, Perth
Serves 4

Ingredients
12 lamb cutlets, slightly flattened
¼ cup light soy sauce
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
finely chopped red chilli-to your taste
steamed rice
green vegetable or some sharp greens

Method
Using your hand or a mallet, lightly beat out the cutlets so they are thinner. Clean any excess meat from the bones as this gives a better presentation. Combine the soy sauce, spices and chilli in a shallow dish and marinate the cutlets in the mixture for about ten minutes. Grill, barbecue or pan fry the cutlets until they are coloured but are still slightly pink in the middle. Serve with some steamed rice, a green and perhaps a wedge of lemon or lime. I also like a little chilli sauce on the side-not sweet.

BRAISED MOROCCON STYLE BABY LAMB

Kylie Kwong
- Suggested cut, Shanks or Forequarter Chops
- Serves 4

This is a perfect dish for a winter dinner party. Because it's so rich and complex, all it really needs is some plain rice or polenta, or some crusty bread and a green salad. Although it's quite time-consuming to make, there's really nothing more therapeutic on a chilly day than roasting spices then pounding them into a paste with fresh aromatics using a pestle and mortar — the fragrance is quite intoxicating! And after its long braising time, the lamb is infused with all the warm, soft flavours of the spices and is meltingly tender.

PASTE:
- small pinch saffron threads
- 3 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 2 whole star anise
- 10 cardamom pods
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 cinnamon quill
- 1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
- large red chillies, deseeded nd roughly chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, crushed
- 7 cm (3 in) knob ginger, sliced
- 3/4 cup finely sliced coriander stems and roots
- 30g turmeric, finely sliced
- 75g galangal, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon white peppercorns
- 1/3 cup finely sliced red shallots
- 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup firmly packed palm sugar
- 1/4 cup fish sauce

LAMB:
- 8 baby lamb shanks — about 2kg in total
- pinch sea salt and cracked white pepper
- 3 medium-sized vine-ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 6 kipfler potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
- 2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and cut into wedges
- 5 salad onions, trimmed and cut into quarters
- 4 fresh dates
- 4 fresh apricots
- 6 bay leaves
- 3 cups chicken stock
- juice of 2 limes
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce

METHOD:
First, make the paste. Combine saffron with 2 teaspoons of boiling water and set aside. Put fennel seeds, star anise, cardamom pods, cumin seeds, cinnamon and Sichuan peppercorns in a small frying pan and dry-roast over high heat for about 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Pound roasted spices with a pestle and mortar until cardamom is bruised. Discard cardamom husks and keep pounding until all the spices are finely ground. Set aside.

Pound chillies, garlic, ginger, coriander, turmeric and galangal with the pestle and mortar until you have a coarse paste. Add salt and white peppercorns, and pound until peppercorns are lightly crushed. Add shallots, saffron water, paprika, reserved ground spices and oil, and mix well to combine.

Put paste in a medium-sized frying pan and cook over high heat for about 5 minutes, or until fragrant. Reduce heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add palm sugar and fish sauce. Increase heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for a further 2 minutes, or until mixture is slightly caramelised. Remove from stove and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper and seal in a hot, oiled roasting tin on the stove top until lightly browned on all sides. Drain off any excess oil and drizzle prepared paste over lamb, combining over high heat to coat well and seal in flavours. Add tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, onions, dates, apricots and bay leaves, and stir to combine.

Remove tin from stove, pour over stock and cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove foil and bake for a further 1 hour, or until lamb is very tender and well browned. Remove lamb from oven and drizzle with lime juice and fish sauce before serving. Serve with plain rice or polenta, or some crusty bread and a green salad.

LEG OF LAMB WITH FLAGELEOT BEANS

- Suggested cut, Easy carve leg - Serves 6-8 The favourite French roast leg of lamb (gigot) is traditionally served with cooked dried flageolet or haricot beans. Garlic sauce is another accompaniment, made from the cloves softened by simmering in boiling water and combined with the juices from the roast. BEANS: - 500g dried flageolet beans (alternatively, use dried haricot beans) - 1 medium brown onion, peeled and sliced thinly - 1 stick of celery, strings removed and chopped finely - 1 carrot, peeled amd diced - 2 bay leaves - salt and freshly ground black pepper LAMB: - 1 small bunch rosemary, washed and chopped roughly - 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped - salt and freshly ground black pepper - 1 leg of lamb, approximately 2.3kg in weight - olive oil TO COOK THE BEANS: Rinse the beans, picking out and stones and place in a large bowl. Cover with plenty of water and soak overnight. Drain the beans and place in a large saucepan with the onion, celery, carrot and bay leaves. Cover with water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 1- 1.5 hours or until tender. Drain the beans into a bowl, reserving the cooking liquid, season to taste and set aside. TO COOK THE LAMB: Preheat the oven to 220C. Mix the rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Put the lamb in a large earthenware/glass baking dish. Cut some slits in the lamb and rub the herb mixture into the slits and over the top. Drizzle with a little olive oil and roast in a preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180C. Continue to bake the lamb for 10 minutes per 500g for medium-rare, or cook for longer if required. During the last 30 minutes place the beans, with a little of their cooking liquid, around the lamb. TO SERVE: Remove the lamb from the oven and transfer to a carving dish, cover loosely with aluminium foil and rest for about 10 minutes. Keep the beans warm in a serving dish, then carve the lamb and serve with beans.

MINT VINEGAR & HONEY-GLAZED ROAST LAMB

Donna Hay - Suggested cut, Mini Rump Roast - Serves 4 - 1 tablespoon olive oil - 2 tablespoons honey - 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar - 3 tablespoons chopped mint - sea salt & cracked black pepper - 2 x 300g lamb rump roasts, trimmed - 8 chat (baby) potatoes, halved - 1 tablespoon olive oil, extra Preheat the oven to 200C. Place the oil, honey, vinegar, mint, salt and pepper in a large non-metallic bowl. Add the lamb and toss to coat. Allow to marinate for 20 minutes. Place the potatoes in a metal baking dish with extra oil and toss to coat. Reserving the marinade, place the lamb on a wire rack above the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes or until lamb is cooked to your liking and the potatoes are tender and golden. Place the marinade in a small saucepan over medium heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Serve with the lamb and potatoes.

RACK OF LAMB WITH ROASTED NICOISE VEGETABLES AND HERBED RICE

- Suggested cut, Rack or Easy Carve Leg
- Serves 4-6

Tied together with string, racks with their shorter roasting time makes ideal mid-week roasts. Accompany with colourful vegetable mixes of eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes or potatoes.

NICOISE VEGETABLES:
-1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 brown onion, peeled and chopped roughly
- 500g zucchini, sliced
- 750g small potatoes, quartered
- 3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped roughly
- 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsely
- salt & freshly ground black pepper LAMB:
- 2 racks of lamb, each approx 8-10 cutlets in length, trimmed
- a small handful of fresh thyme
- salt & freshly ground black pepper

TO PREPARE THE VEGETABLES:
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, ans saute the onion, zucchini and potatoes together for 5 minutes over a medium heat. Add the tomatoes, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper and cook for a further 5 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a raosting tin.

TO COOK THE LAMB:
Preheat the oven to 220C. Sprinkle the lamb racks with thyme, then season and place on top of the vegetables. Cover the tops of the racks bones with aluminuim foil to prevent charring. Roast the racks for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180C and roast for a further 20-30 minutes for medium rare or longer if required. Remove from the oven and rest the racks, covered loosely with aluminium foil for 5-10 minutes.

TO SERVE:
Serve with Herbed Rice (recipe follows) Slice the racks into cutlets and serve with nicoise vegetables and Herbed rice.

HERBED RICE:
- 260g long-grained rice, boiled and drained
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsely
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh marjoram
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
- butter
- salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine drained, hot rice with the herbs and a little butter and place in a serving bowl

SPICY LAMB CASSEROLE

- Suggested cut, Forequarter Roll, Mini Rump Roast or Forequarter Chops
- Serves 4

The pinch of chilli signifies this as a southern Italy dish, probably from Basilicata, where sheep were the main source of income. Such dishes often originated with Shepherds, who used wild herbs and vegetables found around their camp.

Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.25kg lamb keg or shoulder, cut into 4cm cubes
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 125mL dry Marsala
- 3/4 teaspoon dry chilli flakes
- 1 tablespoon crushed juniper berries
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 250mL chicken stock
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 12 small onions, such as cipolline or pearl onions
- 2 potatoes, cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C Heat the olive oil in a large casserole dish. Add the lamb in batches, so that you don't overcrowd the pan, season with the salt and pepper and brown lightly over high heat. Remove each batch from the casserole dish as it browns. Once all the lamb is browned and has been removed from the casserole dish, add the onion, celery and garlic, reduce the heat and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened.

Return the lamb to the casserole dish. Pour in the marsala and cook over high heat until it is dark brown and reduced by half. Add the chilli flakes and juniper berries and cook, stirring, for just 10-15 seconds. Add the tomato puree, chicken stock, rosemary and about 250mL water, or enough to just cover.

Cover the casserole with a lid and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Add the onions and potato and cook for another 45 minutes. Stir the parsley through just before serving.

LAMB SALAD

- Recipe by Marg Johnson, as heard on 720 ABC radio with Eion Cameron
- Suggested cut, Rack of Lamb or well trimmed Lamb Fillets Lamb to go with Eggplant Salad recipe (see below)

Ingredients:
- 1 rack of lamb or well trimmed lamb fillets
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 spring onions, chopped
- Half punnet cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons garlic, crushed
- Half cup mint leaves
- Half pomegranate

Method:
Barbecue or roast the lamb, leaving it pink in the middle. Allow to cool. If using the rack, remove the meat from the bone and remove all fat. Cut into thin slices. Combine with all of the other ingredients except for the pomegranate. Arrange on a platter next to the eggplant salad (see recipe below). Holding the pomegranate cut side down, start banging the skin with a wooden spoon. After a few bashes, the seeds will simply rain out. Scatter these over the lamb.

EGGPLANT SALAD
- 1 eggplant
- olive oil
- Natural Yoghurt
- Coriander Leaves
- Pomegranate molasses

Slice the eggplant into 1 cm slices and brush them generously with oil. Grill or barbecue them until they are well browned on both sides. Arrange them on a plate and season well. Drizzle over a little yoghurt and scatter with the coriander leaves. Drizzle around a little pomegranate molasses.

BARBEQUE LEG OF LAMB WITH THAI GREEN SPICES

Serves 4,
Suggested Cut - Easy Carve Leg

For the Marinade:
• 10 kaffir lime leaves, torn
• 2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 sticks of lemon grass, trimmed and roughly chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
• a bunch of fresh coriander, leaves picked
• 2 green chillies, roughly chopped
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• juice of 2 limes For the Lamb:
• 1 x 2-2.5kg leg of lamb, butterflied
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
• 1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and chopped
• optional: juice of 1 lime

Method:
Preheat your oven to 170°C. Place the kaffir lime leaves, ginger, lemon grass, garlic, most of the coriander and chillies into a large pestle and mortar or a food processor and bash or pulse until you have a thick, fragrant, green paste. Stir in the olive oil and the lime juice.

Rub the marinade all over the lamb, making sure you get into all the nooks and crannies. Most of it will fall off during cooking, but it will still give the meat the most fantastic flavour. Season the lamb well and place it in a roasting tray. Cover with tinfoil and pop it in the preheated oven for about an hour.

After half an hour or so, light your BBQ so the flames have a chance to die down nicely. Make sure you have coals piled up high on one side so it's super hot and low on the other side for a more gentle heat to give you some control. Take the lamb out of the oven and cut or break it into a few big chunks, this way it'll be much easier to handle.

Place the lamb on the hot side of the barbie with the tray with all its juices on the cooler side. Squeeze a bit more lime juice into the tray if you like – you want the acidity to be like a mint sauce. Turn the meat regularly, basting it in the juices from the tray as you go. This will give you a nice, dark crust. Give the meat about 10 minutes like this, to build up the colour.

Once your meat is done, remove it to a board, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest. Pour the coconut milk into the tray and allow it to bubble for a couple of minutes until thickened.

Carve your lamb into chunky slices. Serve the sliced lamb with the Thai sauce, sprinkled with chopped chilli and the remaining coriander. An absolute showstopper.