Rafael Cagali draws on his Brazilian heritage to present an elegant taco – applying the barbecuing and roasting technique ‘churrasco’ to a spice-rubbed lamb breast, pressure-cooking a black bean and smoked pork rib feijoada (black bean stew) and serving in cassava flour tortillas with a herb salad garnish.
The day before you want to serve the dish, rub the lamb breast with the spices, wrap well and place in the fridge overnight
The next day, preheat the oven to 140°C and set up a barbecue for direct grilling
Unwrap and grill the cured lamb – keeping the cure on – until it is nicely browned and you have achieved a good caramelisation, turning regularly. Transfer to the oven on a roasting tray and dry roast for 4 hours
For the tortillas, mix all the ingredients together by hand until a cohesive dough forms. Cut it into manageable-sized pieces and roll out each piece 2-3mm thick. Use an 8cm cutter to cut out discs then store the uncooked tortillas between baking paper in the fridge until ready to cook
For the feijoada, put all of the ingredients into a pressure cooker. Cook for 40 minutes under pressure, then release the pressure and leave to cool slightly. Pick out the rib bones, vegetables and bay leaf, then transfer the stew to a blender and blend until smooth. Cover the surface of the feijoada with cling film to stop it forming a skin and leave to cool. Once cool, chill in the fridge
Increase the oven temperature to 200°C. Pick the lamb breast meat, cover and keep warm. Place the bones on a wire rack over a roasting tray then roast for 45 minutes, until golden – these will be used in the stock in the next step
For the stock, place the sliced onion in a stock pot with a splash of vegetable oil. Sweat until soft and translucent, then turn up the heat to caramelise the onions. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the whole spices and the roasted lamb bones. Pour in enough water to cover the bones and simmer gently for 45 minutes
Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve into a clean pan (discarding the solids) and reduce to thicken slightly. Add enough of the stock to the picked lamb breast meat to keep it moist (reserving the rest), then season it to taste and cool. Once cool, store in the fridge until needed (this will make more than you need)
Continue to reduce the reserved stock to a light syrupy consistency, then transfer to a squeeze bottle and cool. Chill until ready to serve
To serve, heat a dry plancha over a medium heat and once hot, cook the tortillas for 40 seconds each side, or until cooked through. Keep warm in a clean cloth
Reheat the stock (you can do this by placing the squeezy bottle in warm water), the lamb breast and feijoada then transfer to small serving dishes, dressing the lamb at the last minute with the stock to keep the lamb moist
To make a herb garnish, mix together some pickled red onions, coriander and parsley leaves and edible flowers, then dress with olive oil
Serve the warm tortillas with the lamb, feijoada and herb garnish separately so your guests can assemble as they like (2 per person)
One of the most distinctive chefs in the UK, Rafael Cagali’s inimitable cooking at his two-starred restaurant Da Terra is a culmination of decades of experience at the absolute height of the industry, combined with a playful approach you rarely see at this level of fine dining.
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