Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder Recipe
by Francesco Mazzei
4
3 hours 20 minutes
Ingredients

Slow-roasted lamb shoulder

  • 1 lamb shoulder, weighing approx.1.2kg
  • 300g of onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 300g of carrots, diced
  • 300g of celery, diced
  • 1 tbsp of tomato paste
  • 500ml of red wine
  • 1l lamb stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 juniper berries
  • 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper

Garlic oil

  • 75ml of olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves

Aubergine purée

  • 4 aubergines
  • 1 sprig of marjoram, leaves picked
  • 1 sprig of mint, leaves picked
  • salt
  • pepper
  • garlic oil

Anchovy crumb

  • 300g of sourdough breadcrumbs
  • 5 tbsp of olive oil
  • 6 anchovy fillets
  • 1 tbsp of paprika

Swiss chard

  • 400g of Swiss chard
Method
1
The day before serving, crush the garlic, stir into the oil and leave overnight at room temperature to infuse
  • 75ml of olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
2
Start preparing the aubergine purée the day before serving, too. Place the aubergines over an open flame (either on a gas hob or barbecue) until they're completely burnt and black on the outside and soft inside
  • 4 aubergines
3
Once very soft all the way through, place in a container, cover with cling film and leave to cool. Once completely cool, the skin will peel off easily. Ensuring there are no bits of charred skin left, roughly chop the flesh and put in a colander overnight to drain any excess liquid
4
Once drained, chop the mint and the marjoram and add to the aubergine. Season with salt and pepper and blend to a paste. Set aside
  • 1 sprig of marjoram, leaves picked
  • 1 sprig of mint, leaves picked
  • salt
  • pepper
  • garlic oil
5
For the lamb, sweat down the onion and garlic in a casserole until soft. Add the celery and carrot and sweat until golden
  • 300g of onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 300g of carrots, diced
  • 300g of celery, diced
6
Preheat the oven to 165°C/gas mark 3
7
In a separate pan, sear the lamb shoulder until golden. Season with salt and pepper then add to the casserole
  • 1 lamb shoulder, (1.2kg)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
8
Stir in the tomato paste and cook out for a minute or so. Add the wine, lamb stock, bay and juniper. Ensure the lamb is fully covered in the stock, then cover with a lid or tin foil and cook in the oven for 3 hours
  • 1l lamb jus
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 juniper berries
  • 1 tbsp of tomato paste
  • 500ml of red wine
9
Wash the chard and trim down if the leaves are very large. Cook in salted boiling water for a a few seconds, then plunge into ice water to preserve the bright green colour
  • 400g of Swiss chard
10
Once cold, drain off any excess water and toss with a drizzle of olive oil
11
Once the lamb is cooked, gently lift the shoulder out of the stock and leave to cool down on a plate until cool enough to handle. While still warm, gently de-bone. Discard the bone and remove any excess fat from the meat
12
Place the meat in a terrine mould and top the mould with weights. Leave to press in the fridge so it sets firmly
13
Pass the lamb cooking liquid through a fine sieve and reduce gently in a pan until it’s nice and thick
14
To make the anchovy crumb, sweat the anchovies in the olive oil. Once they start to fry, add the paprika and the breadcrumbs. Cook until golden and crispy, then remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper to get rid of excess of olive oil
  • 300g of sourdough breadcrumbs
  • 5 tbsp of olive oil
  • 6 anchovy fillets
  • 1 tbsp of paprika
15
When ready to serve, cut the lamb into nice neat portions and reheat in a pan with some of the reduced lamb cooking liquid
16
Gently reheat the aubergine with some garlic oil to taste, then portion onto the plates. Top with the lamb, then the Swiss chard, blowtorch the chard a little to heat it, then finish with the anchovy crumbs and a drizzle of garlic oil