We have been having some great days at the cookery school recently. Our most recent event was called A Taste of Italy and we had twelve great people, who were all keen cooks, for a day.
I notice an increasing number of men coming to the courses in recent years. I would say it is up 50% from when we began and it is so nice to see a good mix of both men and women in attendance. We have people with all levels of experience; the only thing they all have in common is that they love cooking and want to learn more.
Most of you will be familiar with the classic French onion soup, and this shepherd’s pie is a bit of a twist on that. Lamb mince is nice for a change and it is good value. Of course, lamb mince is also essential in this meal - otherwise we would be making cottage pie, with beef mince.
We use Connemara Hill Lamb in the restaurant and I think they produce sensationally good lamb. I usually use half rapeseed oil and half butter in this recipe, so feel free to adjust the quantities to suit your taste. Worcestershire sauce is one of those things I think of as a cupboard essential and it adds a really savoury element to this dish.
Lamb shoulder is a favourite cut of mine. It is full of flavour and to get the best results, you have to cook it ‘low and slow’ (for a long time at a lower oven temperature).
This recipe would be perfect in a slow cooker. Harissa is a lovely Moroccan spice that is well worth trying if you are not familiar with it. I usually freeze these lamb leftovers and get a second day from this meal.
Happy Cooking,
Neven
French onion shepherd’s pie
Ingredients: Serves 4–6
2 tbsp rapeseed oil or 50g butter
4 large onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp light muscovado sugar
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
400g lamb mince
2 celery sticks, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp tomato purée
200ml white wine
300ml chicken stock
1kg potatoes, peeled
4 tbsp milk
500g mature cheddar, finely grated
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
To serve:
Buttered petit pois
Method
1 To caramelise the onions, the oil or the the butter in a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium to high heat. Stir in the onions with a pinch of salt and sauté for 8–10 minutes, until starting to brown. Sprinkle in the sugar and thyme, then reduce the heat to low and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2 Meanwhile, heat the rest of the oil in a casserole over a medium to high heat and sauté the mince until well browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
3 Reduce the heat. Tip in the celery and carrots and sauté for 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, then mix in the flour, Worcestershire sauce and tomato purée and cook for another two minutes, stirring.
4 Return the mince to the casserole, pour in the wine and reduce by half. Add the stock and season generously, then bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 45 minutes, until the liquid has reduced to a gravy.
5 Put the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water and cook for about 20 minutes, until tender. Drain well and leave to steam dry for a couple of minutes. Mash the potatoes well and beat in the rest of the butter with the milk, then stir in the cheese.
6 Stir the caramelised onions into the lamb mixture, which should be ready at this point, and season to taste. Transfer to a suitable ovenproof dish and cover with the mashed potatoes. This can be made in advance or frozen at this stage.
7 Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the dish on a baking tray and cook for 30-45 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. The cooking time will depend on whether it has been chilled down first.
8 Serve hot with the buttered petit pois.
Pulled harissa lamb and flat breads, \ Photos by Philip Doyle, food styling by Janine Kennedy.
Ingredients: Serves 8-10
2kg lamb shoulder
4 tbsp dried harissa spice seasoning
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 x 290g jar of grilled mixed peppers in olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp smoked paprika
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve:
8–10 Mediterranean olive oil wraps
100g wild rocket or baby salad leaves
1 x 200g carton of tzatziki
Method
1 Make small cuts all over the lamb, place in a suitable non-metallic container and rub the harissa all over it, getting right into the cuts. Cover with cling film and marinate in the fridge overnight. This can be made well in advance and/or frozen at this stage.
2 Preheat the oven to 150°C. Put the lamb into a snug-fitting roasting tin and smear it again with any harissa that has dripped off, then rub all over with the oil and season generously.
3 Add a splash of water to the tin, then roast for four hours, until the meat is tender and easily falls away from the bone.
4 Drain the peppers (reserve the oil) and put into a food processor with the garlic, vinegar and smoked paprika. Season generously and pulse to a purée, then add enough of the oil through the feeder tube to make a smooth dressing. Transfer to a clean jar and set aside until needed (this will keep in the fridge for up to one week).
5 Remove the lamb from the oven and transfer to a large platter using two forks. Take all the meat and crispy skin off the bone and roughly chop, discarding the bone. Skim away any excess fat from the tin, then add another splash of boiling water. Stir it around to pick up all the sticky juices from the bottom, then fold into the meat.
6 Cover loosely with foil and keep in a low oven until ready to serve, or take it out and chill or freeze for another day.
7 Heat the wraps according to the packet instructions. Serve the shredded lamb on a platter with the roasted pepper dressing, the salad leaves and tzatziki in bowls.
Read more
Neven Maguire: perfect pasta suppers
Neven Maguire: a world of flavour at your fingertips
We have been having some great days at the cookery school recently. Our most recent event was called A Taste of Italy and we had twelve great people, who were all keen cooks, for a day.
I notice an increasing number of men coming to the courses in recent years. I would say it is up 50% from when we began and it is so nice to see a good mix of both men and women in attendance. We have people with all levels of experience; the only thing they all have in common is that they love cooking and want to learn more.
Most of you will be familiar with the classic French onion soup, and this shepherd’s pie is a bit of a twist on that. Lamb mince is nice for a change and it is good value. Of course, lamb mince is also essential in this meal - otherwise we would be making cottage pie, with beef mince.
We use Connemara Hill Lamb in the restaurant and I think they produce sensationally good lamb. I usually use half rapeseed oil and half butter in this recipe, so feel free to adjust the quantities to suit your taste. Worcestershire sauce is one of those things I think of as a cupboard essential and it adds a really savoury element to this dish.
Lamb shoulder is a favourite cut of mine. It is full of flavour and to get the best results, you have to cook it ‘low and slow’ (for a long time at a lower oven temperature).
This recipe would be perfect in a slow cooker. Harissa is a lovely Moroccan spice that is well worth trying if you are not familiar with it. I usually freeze these lamb leftovers and get a second day from this meal.
Happy Cooking,
Neven
French onion shepherd’s pie
Ingredients: Serves 4–6
2 tbsp rapeseed oil or 50g butter
4 large onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp light muscovado sugar
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
400g lamb mince
2 celery sticks, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp tomato purée
200ml white wine
300ml chicken stock
1kg potatoes, peeled
4 tbsp milk
500g mature cheddar, finely grated
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
To serve:
Buttered petit pois
Method
1 To caramelise the onions, the oil or the the butter in a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium to high heat. Stir in the onions with a pinch of salt and sauté for 8–10 minutes, until starting to brown. Sprinkle in the sugar and thyme, then reduce the heat to low and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2 Meanwhile, heat the rest of the oil in a casserole over a medium to high heat and sauté the mince until well browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
3 Reduce the heat. Tip in the celery and carrots and sauté for 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, then mix in the flour, Worcestershire sauce and tomato purée and cook for another two minutes, stirring.
4 Return the mince to the casserole, pour in the wine and reduce by half. Add the stock and season generously, then bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 45 minutes, until the liquid has reduced to a gravy.
5 Put the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water and cook for about 20 minutes, until tender. Drain well and leave to steam dry for a couple of minutes. Mash the potatoes well and beat in the rest of the butter with the milk, then stir in the cheese.
6 Stir the caramelised onions into the lamb mixture, which should be ready at this point, and season to taste. Transfer to a suitable ovenproof dish and cover with the mashed potatoes. This can be made in advance or frozen at this stage.
7 Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the dish on a baking tray and cook for 30-45 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. The cooking time will depend on whether it has been chilled down first.
8 Serve hot with the buttered petit pois.
Pulled harissa lamb and flat breads, \ Photos by Philip Doyle, food styling by Janine Kennedy.
Ingredients: Serves 8-10
2kg lamb shoulder
4 tbsp dried harissa spice seasoning
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 x 290g jar of grilled mixed peppers in olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp smoked paprika
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve:
8–10 Mediterranean olive oil wraps
100g wild rocket or baby salad leaves
1 x 200g carton of tzatziki
Method
1 Make small cuts all over the lamb, place in a suitable non-metallic container and rub the harissa all over it, getting right into the cuts. Cover with cling film and marinate in the fridge overnight. This can be made well in advance and/or frozen at this stage.
2 Preheat the oven to 150°C. Put the lamb into a snug-fitting roasting tin and smear it again with any harissa that has dripped off, then rub all over with the oil and season generously.
3 Add a splash of water to the tin, then roast for four hours, until the meat is tender and easily falls away from the bone.
4 Drain the peppers (reserve the oil) and put into a food processor with the garlic, vinegar and smoked paprika. Season generously and pulse to a purée, then add enough of the oil through the feeder tube to make a smooth dressing. Transfer to a clean jar and set aside until needed (this will keep in the fridge for up to one week).
5 Remove the lamb from the oven and transfer to a large platter using two forks. Take all the meat and crispy skin off the bone and roughly chop, discarding the bone. Skim away any excess fat from the tin, then add another splash of boiling water. Stir it around to pick up all the sticky juices from the bottom, then fold into the meat.
6 Cover loosely with foil and keep in a low oven until ready to serve, or take it out and chill or freeze for another day.
7 Heat the wraps according to the packet instructions. Serve the shredded lamb on a platter with the roasted pepper dressing, the salad leaves and tzatziki in bowls.
Read more
Neven Maguire: perfect pasta suppers
Neven Maguire: a world of flavour at your fingertips
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