Auntie Pat's Well-Buggered Lamb

This recipe is from Auntie Pat who cooked this for us over a year ago. It is so scrummy we have been re using her recipe ever since and have tried it on a number of our friends. The original photo of the recipe is very well splashed!  The leftover lamb is also a real treat. 

It is also possible to use a very large saucepan to braise all the veg and lamb then transfer to a slow cooker on low or high depending on the settings on your slow cooker. 

HINT: Ask a butcher to de-skin and take the fat off the lamb leg; also to cut the leg at the knuckle as it is easier to get in the casserole dish If you buy meat from a supermarket it will take you a while to do this if you have to do it all yourself.  Contrary to other recipes with lamb, the more fat you get off the better the taste!

Foodstuff you will need:  (serves 4-6)

3 whole head of garlic

Olive oil

1 large leg of lamb about 3kg (de skinned and as much as the fat cut off as possible)

30g unsalted butter

2 leeks (sliced)

1 large red onion

2 sticks of celery (chopped)

2 carrots –chopped

500ml of dry white wine

1 bay leaf

Sprigs of fresh thyme

1 litre lamb or chicken stock

Equipment:

Very large cast iron casserole dish with a lid (able to use on stove and in oven)

Food processor/ liquidizer

Large saucepan

Oven

Big sturdy tongs (or large forks)

How to throw it together

Pre heat the oven to 130C

Peel all garlic cloves. To do this more easily you can put them in a bowl and pour over boiling water and leave for a few minutes before attempting to peel.

Set aside.

Heat the casserole dish over a medium to high flame. Add enough oil to barely cover the base and brown the lamb thoroughly on all sides, turning it with tongs.

Remove the lamb and put to one side.

Tip out the lamb fat and discard it. Add the butter to the pan and reduce to medium heat. Cook the leeks and onion for 6-8 minutes stirring occasionally. Add celery and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn to high and add the wine. Deglaze the pan for about 5 minutes or until the volume of the wine has reduced substantially. Put the lamb back in the casserole; add the bay leaf, thyme and garlic cloves. Pour over enough stock to half cover the lamb. Put lid on the casserole and braise the lamb in the oven for about 3 hours.

After 3 hours reduce the temperature to 120C and cook for a further 2 hours or until the lamb is very tender and falls off the bone. During this process, turn the lamb every hour or so.

When the lamb is forkably tender and looks really well buggered, transfer it to a heated dish placed in a warm place and drape it loosely with cooking foil. It will keep warm for 45 minutes or so. Remove it from the bone to serve

Strain the cooking juices into a large pan reserving the vegetables. Bring the liquid to the boil over a high heat and bubble madly for about 15 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by about half.

Meanwhile tip the squishy vegetables (discarding the bay leaf) into a food processor and whizz to a smooth puree. Whisk the puree into the reduced liquid to make a sauce. Check the seasoning (probably will need ground black pepper) then keep the sauce warm until you are ready to serve it. Goes very well with garlic mash or simple boiled potatoes and green veg.

Leftover ham leek and mushroom pies

The struggle every year, post Christmas in Australia, is not how to lose weight but more how to use up leftovers especially what to do with ham. This recipe is from Xmas with Gordon (Ramsay) but we found it so good we have started to buy ham at other times to make it.  It also works with leftover chicken and is best when the ham has been cured and is quite salty. Serve with baby boiled potatoes and beans (the grapefruit salad also goes well) Key to its success is the quality of the ham that goes into it. 

Foodstuff you will need:  (serves 4)

4 leeks (trimmed and sliced)

15g butter

300g mushrooms

Dry white wine

150ml double cream

150ml chicken stock

1 tea spoon Dijon mustard

200g chopped cooked ham

300g ready made puff pastry

plain flour to dust

2 medium eggs beaten with 1 tablespoon of water (for eggwash)

Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment:

Oven

Large deep frying pan

4 pie dishes

How to throw it together

Melt the butter in a large deep frying pan and add the leeks and some seasoning

Fry for a few minutes then add the mushrooms and cook over a high heat for 4-5 minutes until the moisture released has cooked off. Add the wine and reduce down. Add the cream and stock and bubble until reduced by 1/3 or until thickened. Add the mustard and seasoning to taste. Take off the heat and stir in the ham.

Divide the filling among 4 pie dishes (or alternatively one large pie dish) and set aside to cool completely. 

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Put the frozen pastry on a flat surface. When thawed enough to handle(a few mins) cut 4 neat rounds slightly larger than the pie dishes with a knife.

Brush the rims of the pie dishes with water. Cut strips from the remaining pastry and position on the wetted rims of the pie dishes. Drape the pastry lids on top and press the edges with the rims to seal. Crimp (compress into small folds) the pastry edges and cut a small steam hole in the top of each pie with tip of a knife.

Brush the pastry with egg wash and bake the pies for 20-25 minutes or until pastry is a golden brown color and the filling is piping hot.

Serve immediately. These pies can be reheated over the next day or so if stored in the fridge.

Grapefruit, bean and cashew salad

This is a wonderful tangy salad, good with seafood or quiche or any meat dish if you want to add different flavors to your meal. It is also easy and very quick to make. The only fiddly bit is peeling and taking all the pith off the grapefruit. Not may favorite job. Original is from Bill Granger: ‘Everyday’

Foodstuff you will need:  (serves 4)

1 large pink grapefruit

400g green beans

3 handfuls of cashew nuts (more if you like)

Bunch of coriander (remove stalks and use leaves only)

3 spring onions sliced

Lime dressing consisting of:

30ml fish sauce

30ml lime juice (normally 1 lime)

1 tablespoon of soft brown sugar

1 small red chilli (de seeded and chopped)

Equipment:

Jar with lid (to mix lime dressing)

Sharp knife & chopping board

Large saucepan to cook beans

Bowl to serve it in

Measuring jug

Frying pan

How to throw it together

Put all of the lime dressing ingredients into a jar. Secure lid and shake until sugar dissolved. Set aside.

Peel grapefruit and cut into segments (with no skin or no pith) this is difficult to do but it is also ok if you just end up with bits. Put aside.

Blanch the beans in boiling water until they are good eat (not too soft and not too crunchy) Refresh in cold water and drain.

Heat frying pan over high heat and put in cashews to brown; shake around the pan. Take care as it easy to burn them if you leave them too long (do not go to do anything else or you will have burned nuts! I always end up picking out the black ones and throwing them away; dark brown still taste ok)

Toss the grapefruit, beans, chopped coriander and spring onions with the dressing in a large bowl. Sprinkle on cashew nuts and serve.

Blueberry pancakes

This is my favourite for breakfast after an early morning cycle or for late brunch.
It is an Australian recipe similar to what you may find in Bill Granger’s books; this one is better than Bill and from Neil Perry.

Despite the variety of ingredients (and the difficulty in finding buttermilk sometimes) this is an awesome recipe, worth the effort and very very easy to make. Once you have tried these pancakes you will keep making them.
Maple syrup on top… yummie!
We have also branched out and tried this with strawberries (a bit big), or mango (too heavy). Best result is with blueberries.

Foodstuff you will need:  (serves 2)
160g unsalted butter (melted)
2 tablespoons of caster sugar
150g (or a container full) of fresh blueberries
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
150g plain flour
2 eggs
375ml buttermilk
125g ricotta cheese
maple syrup

Equipment:
Frying pan
Sieve
1 large bowl & 1 medium bowl
Measuring jug
Tablespoon/teaspoon
Spatula to turn pancake

How to throw it together
Melt butter in a small pan and cool.
Sieve the flour, sugar and baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Break eggs into medium bowl and beat until frothy. Add buttermilk and ricotta to eggs and beat well. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir well to combine. Stir in half of the melted butter.

Heat the frying pan over a medium heat and add the rest of the butter. Make 2 pancakes at a time by pouring a little mixture into the pan, leaving space between  them (do not let them join)


Place some blueberries on top of each pancake and cook until bubbles form and the bottoms are gold. This takes about 2-3 minutes. Here is a photo of this stage with blueberries and strawberries

Turn the pancakes with large spatula and continue cooking for about 2 minutes until they looked brown and cooked through the middle.

Remove pancakes and either keep warm until you have made a second or third batch or serve and eat immediately.
Pour maple syrup all over and enjoy!