Cannon of lamb with black olive, tomato and courgette

  • medium
  • 4
  • 2 hours 15 minutes
Not yet rated

Lamb is partnered with flavours of Provence in this lamb with black olive recipe from Richard Davies. Making gnocchi from scratch can frustrate and reward in equal measure – be sure to take your time and try not to add too much flour.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Cannon of lamb

Gnocchi

Black olive purée

Baby artichoke

Baby gem lettuce

To serve

Equipment

  • Vac pac maker
  • Water bath
  • Sous vide bags
  • Fine chinoise

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4
2
For the gnocchi, bake the potatoes in their skins until soft and tender, approximately 50-60 minutes. Remove, allow to cool slightly before removing the skins while still warm
3
Pass the cooked flesh through a drum sieve and combine with the pasta flour and egg and mix well. Add the chopped tomato, season to taste and refrigerate for 20 minutes
4
Remove and roll into thin logs on a work surface lightly dusted with flour. Cut into 3cm pieces, store on a tray lined with flour and refrigerate untl required
5
For the black olive purée, place the pitted olives in a pan with the water and sugar, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, then drain and reserve the cooking liquor
6
Place the olives in a blender and blitz until smooth, adding small amounts of the cooking liquor to adjust the consistency. Pass through fine chinoise or strainer and store in a piping bag until required
7
Preheat the waterbath to 57˚C
8
Vac pac all 4 portions of lamb with a small dash of extra virgin olive oil, the thyme and rosemary and cook at 57˚C for 45 minutes
9
While the lamb is cooking, halve the artichokes, spoon out any remaining flesh and season with salt. Sauté in a hot pan with a little extra virgin olive oil until golden
10
For the baby gem lettuce, quarter and dry thoroughly. Place a pan over a medium heat and once hot, add a knob of butter. Once the butter begins to foam, add the quartered lettuce, season and allow to lightly colour. Then, add 40ml chicken stock, heat through until warm and toss to glaze the lettuce
11
Blanch the micro-fennel in salted boiling water until cooked, approximately 2-3 minutes. Refresh in iced water and drain. Just before serving, heat a dash of olive oil in a small pan over a medium heat and warm through the fennel until lightly browned
12
To finish the gnocchi, add 300g to a pan of salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then strain and add to a hot pan with a knob of butter to crisp up and brown slightly
13
Once the lamb is ready, remove from the water bath, cut open the bag and allow any juices to drain off
14
Pat the lamb dry and place a large pan over a medium high heat and add oil. Once the oil is hot, seal the outside of each portion until golden brown. Add the butter and use a spoon to baste the lamb for another 30-40 seconds. Season with salt and pepper and leave to rest on a chopping board
15
Meanwhile, use a mandoline to slice the courgette into 2mm thick ribbons. Cook in salted boiling water for 60 seconds, then drain and keep warm
16
To serve, carve each portion of lamb into 2 and place onto plates, followed by the gnocchi, courgette, baby gem and fennel. Pipe a few dots of the black olive purée onto each plate and drizzle with the warm lamb jus. Serve immediately

Richard Davies’ celebrated career in gastronomy was set in motion by a frank chat with his headmaster at the age of fifteen.

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