Sous vide rack of lamb with zhug, buttermilk and grilled spring onions

Name: Sous vide rack of lamb with zhug, buttermilk and grilled spring onions
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 racks of lamb; 2 tbsp of olive oil; 1/2 bunch of rosemary; 25g of butter; sea salt; freshly ground black pepper; 120g of buttermilk; 70g of table salt; 1/4 tsp white peppercorns; 1/4 tsp coriander seeds; 1/4 tsp fennel seeds; 3 sprigs of thyme; 1 bay leaf; 1 bunch of coriander, small (28g), leaves picked; 1/2 bunch of parsley, small (28g), leaves picked; 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely diced; 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and finely crushed; 1 cardamom pod, finely crushed; 2 cloves, finely crushed; 1/2 tsp agave nectar; 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely microplaned; 50ml of olive oil; 1/2 tsp table salt; 2 bunches of spring onions, roots left on, washed; 1 tbsp of olive oil; 1/4 bunch of thyme

by Chantelle Nicholson

Main
medium
4
30 minutes

Chantelle Nicholson serves up a stunning sous vide lamb rack recipe, perfect for dinner parties. She serves the beautifully tender lamb with zhug (a spiced herb paste hailing from Yemen), sous vide spring onions and strained buttermilk.

First published in 2017

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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Sous vide rack of lamb

2 racks of lamb
2 tbsp of olive oil
1/2 bunch of rosemary
25g of butter
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Buttermilk

120g of buttermilk

Brine

70g of table salt
1/4 tsp white peppercorns
1/4 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
3 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf

Zhug

1 bunch of coriander, small (28g), leaves picked
1/2 bunch of parsley, small (28g), leaves picked
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely diced
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and finely crushed
1 cardamom pod, finely crushed
2 cloves, finely crushed
1/2 tsp agave nectar
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely microplaned
50ml of olive oil
1/2 tsp table salt

Sous vide griddled spring onions

2 bunches of spring onions, roots left on, washed
1 tbsp of olive oil
1/4 bunch of thyme

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Equipment

J-cloth
Piping bags
Large vacuum bags 3
Bar sealer
Water bath
Blender
Chargrill pan

Method

To begin, place the buttermilk in a sieve lined with a J-cloth and place over a bowl. Leave to strain in the fridge for 6 hours

120g of buttermilk

After this time, scrape the strained buttermilk out of the J-cloth into a new bowl and whisk until smooth. Place in a piping bag and refrigerate

To make the brine for the lamb, place all the ingredients in a saucepan, add 500ml warm water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes then remove from the heat and add 500ml cold water. Allow to cool completely before using

1 bay leaf
70g of table salt
1/4 tsp white peppercorns
1/4 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
3 sprigs of thyme

Fully submerge the lamb racks in the brine and place in the fridge for 6 hours

2 racks of lamb

Preheat a water bath to 55°C

When ready to cook the lamb, rinse the racks well and pat dry. Season well, place in 2 large vacuum bags and add some oil and rosemary to each one. Seal with a bar sealer and cook in the water bath for 3 hours

1/2 bunch of rosemary
2 tbsp of olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt

While the lamb is cooking, make the zhug. Place all the ingredients in a blender jug with 2 tbsp of water and blend until a chunky paste is formed. Season to taste

1/2 tsp table salt
1 bunch of coriander, small (28g), leaves picked
1/2 bunch of parsley, small (28g), leaves picked
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely diced
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and finely crushed
1 cardamom pod, finely crushed
2 cloves, finely crushed
1/2 tsp agave nectar
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely microplaned
50ml of olive oil

When ready, remove the lamb from the water bath and increase the temperature to 80°C (to cook the spring onions)

To prepare the spring onions, place in a sous vide bag with the olive oil and thyme and season well. Seal with a bar sealer and place in the water bath for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a chargrill pan until almost smoking for when the spring onions are ready

1/4 bunch of thyme
2 bunches of spring onions, roots left on, washed
1 tbsp of olive oil

To brown the lamb, place the butter in a frying pan over a high heat. When foaming, add the lamb racks fat-side down and cook until golden, for approximately 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and keep in a warm place to rest for 5 minutes

25g of butter

Pour any cooking juices from the sous vide bag in the pan and reduce to a glaze

Remove the spring onions from the bag and quickly brown in the chargrill pan

To serve, carve the lamb racks into 12 pieces. Divide the spring onions between the plates, add 3 lamb pieces to each plate and drizzle the pan juices over the lamb. Pipe the buttermilk on the plate, spoon over some zhug and serve

First published in 2017

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Chantelle Nicholson

From New Zealand law student to the opening of her first solo sustainable restaurant Apricity (which won a Michelin green star in 2023), Chantelle Nicholson’s hard work and determination – especially in evolving free-from and plant-based cooking at the highest level – has cemented her reputation as one of the UK's most forward-thinking chefs.

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