Lamb chou farci
Author: Nick Grieves
Ingredients
- 1 large lamb neck on the bone (scrag end)
- 100g Maldon salt
- 2litres vegetable oil
- 100g chopped parsley
- 20g capers
- Salt and pepper
- Savoy cabbage leaves
- For the sauce:
- 250g lamb trim
- 2tbsp vegetable oil
- 200g carrots, small dice
- 200g leeks, small dice
- 200g celeriac, small dice
- 1 bulb of garlic
- 500ml red wine
- 500ml lamb stock
- 100g rosemary
- 100g thyme
- For the vegetables:
- 1 carrot, cut into large chunks
- 1 leek, cut into large chunks
- ½ celeriac, cut into large chunks
- 1litre lamb stock
Method
- For the chou farci: salt the lamb neck liberally all over and leave to cure for approx. 5hrs in the fridge.
- Brush off the salt, place the lamb neck in a large oven-proof dish and completely cover with vegetable oil.
- Preheat the oven to 110C/Gas ¼. Place the lamb dish in the oven with the lid on for approx. 6hrs – until the meat is tender and can be pulled easily from the bones.
- Remove the dish from the oven and allow the lamb to cool in the fat.
- Once cool, drain off the fat and pick the meat from the bones (try to keep the pieces as big as possible).
- Add the lamb (you want a good mix of meat, fat and skin) to a bowl, and add the chopped parsley and capers. Mix everything together, and season with salt and pepper.
- Weigh out two 140g portions of this mixture, form each into a ball, wrap tightly in clingfilm, then place the two balls in the fridge to set.
- Blanch enough cabbage leaves to wrap both balls until tender, then cool immediately in ice water.
- Once the lamb is set, remove the clingfilm and wrap each ball in cabbage leaves. Rewrap both balls in cling film to set their final shape, and return these to the fridge.
- For the sauce: sear the lamb trim in a pan with a little oil. Add the diced leeks, carrot and celeriac to the pan along with the garlic (cut in half), and caramelise the vegetables. Pour in the red wine, and reduce by 75%. Add the lamb stock, and the reduce the sauce to a nice consistency (not too thick). Remove the pan from the heat and pass the sauce through a very fine sieve. Add the rosemary and thyme, and leave to infuse for 10 mins. Pass the sauce through the sieve again, and keep warm.
- Cook the large chunks of carrot, leek and celeriac in simmering, well-seasoned lamb stock until tender. Remove from the heat and allow the vegetables to cool in the stock.
- To serve: steam the chou farci until it is hot in the middle, then place in a hot oven (200C/Gas 6) until the cabbage is crispy. Warm the vegetables in the stock until hot. Place the chou farci in the centre of the plate, add the vegetables, and finish with the sauce. Serve.
