Slow-braised spiced hogget shoulder with rose harissa and artichokes
Choosing hogget instead of lamb is a win-win in terms of flavour and sustainability. Because it is older than lamb, it has a bolder flavour which means it can take on heavy spicing – we’ve gone for a blend of caraway, cumin, fennel, coriander and paprika. Buying local hogget or mutton supports the environment and traditional farming methods by taking advantage of the full life-cycle of the animal. You need to cook hogget for longer than lamb – as it’s tougher – but the result is super-rich and full of flavour (and fat, which we’ve used in our best-ever hogget fat chickpeas).
If you’re cooking our accompanying salad alongside the hogget (which we definitely recommend!), take it to the next level by crisping up the chickpea garnish in rendered hogget fat. Take 3 tablespoons of the fat from the hogget once it’s cooked and use it instead of olive oil when frying. What you’ll get is a ridiculously moreish and deeply savoury hogget and chickpea flavour.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
SPICE RUB
- 3 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 1/2 tbsp of cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp of coriander seeds
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp of smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp of Dijon mustard
HOGGET
- 1 hogget shoulder, 1.5-2kg, fat trimmed and scored
- 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 500g of artichoke hearts, (about 3 jars), drained
- 3 red onions, finely sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp of plain flour
- 1 tbsp of rose harissa
- 100ml of red wine
- 200ml of lamb stock
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- chopped coriander, to serve
Method
For the spice rub, put a large lidded casserole dish on a medium heat and toast the seeds with a pinch of salt and black pepper until fragrant, then remove and grind to a powder in a pestle and mortar. Mix with the smoked paprika. Set aside
- 3 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 1/2 tbsp of cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp of coriander seeds
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp of smoked paprika
Preheat the oven to 140°C. Rub the Dijon mustard all over the hogget, followed by the spice mix. Set aside
- 2 tbsp of Dijon mustard
- 1 hogget shoulder, 1.5-2kg, fat trimmed and scored
Place the casserole dish back over a medium-high heat with the vegetable oil. Once smoking, add in the drained artichoke hearts and sear until golden
- 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 500g of artichoke hearts, (about 3 jars), drained
Turn the heat down, add the red onions and sweat until soft but not coloured
- 3 red onions, finely sliced
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, then stir in the flour and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the rose harissa, turn up the heat, pour in the red wine and reduce by half
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp of plain flour
- 1 tbsp of rose harissa
- 100ml of red wine
Once the wine has reduced, stir in the lamb stock. Add in the herbs then place the hogget on top. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for about 5 hours, then remove the lid and cook for another hour. It’s ready when the meat is falling apart
- 200ml of lamb stock
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 1 bay leaf
Once the hogget is falling apart, remove most of the fat that will have rendered out into the sauce and reserve 3 tbsps’ worth of it if you're cooking the chickpeas for the accompanying salad (see above)
Remove and discard the bones and herb stalks. Shred the meat with two forks, removing any sinew, and stir back through the sauce
To serve, taste and season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the chopped coriander
- chopped coriander, to serve
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