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Grilled lamb with cavolo nero and farro

by Skye Gyngell
  1. Grilled lamb with cavolo nero and farro
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This beautifully simple lamb leg recipe sees the blushing pink meat served with charred bitter radicchio, verdant cavolo nero and farro grains, dressed in a cavolo nero pesto. Ready in an hour, this is a stunning dish that would steal the show at any dinner party.

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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Farro

SAVE RECIPE

Method

1
To begin, rinse the farro in cold running water and place in a heavy-based pan. Cover with cold water, season with a good pinch of salt and bring to the boil before turning down to a simmer. Cook until the farro is tender, for approximately 25 minutes
2
Meanwhile, cook the cavolo nero. Strip the leaves from the stalks and bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Once boiling, add the cavolo nero leaves and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and dress with lemon juice, a little oil and salt
3
Drain the farro and dress while warm with the olive oil, Parmesan and vinegar. Season and place in a pan to warm through later
  • 100ml of extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling and dressing
  • 100g of Parmesan, grated
  • 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar
4
Place half of the cavolo nero in a food processor with the butter, anchovies, garlic and a twist of black pepper and blitz until smooth. Remove the cavolo nero pesto from the food processor and stir into the farro
5
Trim the lamb of most of its fat and, using a sharp knife, cut into 8 pieces, following the muscle groups of the leg. Season well with sea salt and black pepper and rub with oil
6
Place a griddle pan over a high heat and, when it is hot, cook the meat without turning for 4 minutes. Turn and cook on the other side for 3 minutes, then remove from the pan and leave to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes (leave the grill on the hob to cook the radicchio). Meanwhile, gently reheat the farro and the cavolo nero leaves
7
Quarter the radicchio, place in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and grill until soft, collapsing and charred. Remove from the grill, place in a bowl and drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar
8
To serve, spoon the warm farro into the centre of each plate. Slice the lamb against the grain and arrange alongside. Lay the cavolo nero and 2 quarters of grilled radicchio over the top, drizzle with a little of the best extra virgin olive oil you have and serve
First published in 2019
Skye Gyngell

One of hospitality's best-loved personalities, an acclaimed restaurateur and a pioneering chef, Skye Gyngell was a true champion of the hospitality industry. In the serene surroundings of her London restaurant Spring, Skye Gyngell followed an ethos of simple sustainability, working closely with biodynamic farms like Fern Verrow to bring the UK’s best produce to London. With an emphasis on simple, zero-waste cookery, her dishes allowed the ingredients to speak for themselves.

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