First of all today, a few barbecue dos and don’ts. Do not leave raw food out in the sun before cooking – keep it cool but at room temperature and covered until you are ready to cook it.
Try not to pack food on to a skewer too tightly. Leave some gaps around each piece so that they can cook through thoroughly.
If you have time to use the oil as a marinade, put it into a shallow non-metallic dish, ideally large enough to take the food in one layer, and remember to give it a turn every now and then while it is marinating.
This citrus oil is you own infusion oil and is also ideal for a salad dressing and in a stir fry or as a dipping oil for bread.
For your leg of lamb you will not find better than Connemara Hill Mountain Lamb.
The Simply Better team has been working with these farmers and they have recently been awarded protected geographical indication (PGI) by the EU – a prestigious EU scheme. It takes four years to achieve this status and is a prestigious recognition of quality. We have been using it in the restaurant and it is superb.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Citrus oil
Makes 300ml (½ pint)
1 lemon
1 small orange
1 large lime
300ml (½ pint) rapeseed oil
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 Thinly pare the rind off the lemon, orange and lime and place in a small pan with the oil and peppercorns. Heat gently for about five minutes, then remove from the heat and pour into a heatproof glass bottle. Leave to cool completely before closing up the bottle and use in recipes as required. This will keep happily in the fridge for up to one month.
Butterfly leg of lamb with caramelised onion skewers
Serves four to six
1 large leg of lamb
Good handful of tiny rosemary sprigs
6-8 small garlic cloves, whole or cut in slivers
About 4 tbsp medium dry sherry
About 3 tbsp citrus oil (see recipe above)
For the caramelised onion skewers:
24 small onions
12 small rosemary branches, stripped clean
About 4 tbsp citrus oil
Icing sugar, for dusting
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh green salad, to serve
1 To bone the leg of lamb, find the bone that runs close to the edge of the length of the leg on one side. Split the leg up that bone using a sharp knife and carefully peel the meat back off it on both sides. At the fat end there is a small ground of little bones that you will need to remove as neatly as you can.2 Continue to cut the meat off the bones until you have completely opened up the leg of lamb into a shape that looks like butterfly wings. Trim off any excess fat and tidy up the cutting. The idea is to have a piece of meat approximately 4-5cm (1½-2in) thick. If all of this sounds like too much trouble, just get your butcher to do it for you.3 Make small incisions all over the lamb and push in pieces of rosemary and slivers of garlic. If you are really keen on garlic you could get small whole cloves in there too. Drizzle over the sherry and then the oil and season generously. Place it on the barbecue cut-side down. Cook over medium coals for 25-35 minutes for rare, turning occasionally. Leave to rest in a warm place for at least 10-15 minutes. 4 Meanwhile, prepare the onion skewers. Cut the onions in half and thread four halves on to each rosemary branch that has been soaked in cold water for 30 minutes – you find that they are too soft to go through the onion try piercing through with a skewer first to make a hole and then pierce the rosemary through.5 Brush the skewers with a little of the citrus oil and place on the barbecue. Dust with icing sugar and cook over medium coals for 15-20 minutes or until lightly charred and caramelised. 6 Carve the lamb into slices and arrange on plates with the caramelised onion skewers and some fresh green salad, if liked.
First of all today, a few barbecue dos and don’ts. Do not leave raw food out in the sun before cooking – keep it cool but at room temperature and covered until you are ready to cook it.
Try not to pack food on to a skewer too tightly. Leave some gaps around each piece so that they can cook through thoroughly.
If you have time to use the oil as a marinade, put it into a shallow non-metallic dish, ideally large enough to take the food in one layer, and remember to give it a turn every now and then while it is marinating.
This citrus oil is you own infusion oil and is also ideal for a salad dressing and in a stir fry or as a dipping oil for bread.
For your leg of lamb you will not find better than Connemara Hill Mountain Lamb.
The Simply Better team has been working with these farmers and they have recently been awarded protected geographical indication (PGI) by the EU – a prestigious EU scheme. It takes four years to achieve this status and is a prestigious recognition of quality. We have been using it in the restaurant and it is superb.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Citrus oil
Makes 300ml (½ pint)
1 lemon
1 small orange
1 large lime
300ml (½ pint) rapeseed oil
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 Thinly pare the rind off the lemon, orange and lime and place in a small pan with the oil and peppercorns. Heat gently for about five minutes, then remove from the heat and pour into a heatproof glass bottle. Leave to cool completely before closing up the bottle and use in recipes as required. This will keep happily in the fridge for up to one month.
Butterfly leg of lamb with caramelised onion skewers
Serves four to six
1 large leg of lamb
Good handful of tiny rosemary sprigs
6-8 small garlic cloves, whole or cut in slivers
About 4 tbsp medium dry sherry
About 3 tbsp citrus oil (see recipe above)
For the caramelised onion skewers:
24 small onions
12 small rosemary branches, stripped clean
About 4 tbsp citrus oil
Icing sugar, for dusting
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh green salad, to serve
1 To bone the leg of lamb, find the bone that runs close to the edge of the length of the leg on one side. Split the leg up that bone using a sharp knife and carefully peel the meat back off it on both sides. At the fat end there is a small ground of little bones that you will need to remove as neatly as you can.2 Continue to cut the meat off the bones until you have completely opened up the leg of lamb into a shape that looks like butterfly wings. Trim off any excess fat and tidy up the cutting. The idea is to have a piece of meat approximately 4-5cm (1½-2in) thick. If all of this sounds like too much trouble, just get your butcher to do it for you.3 Make small incisions all over the lamb and push in pieces of rosemary and slivers of garlic. If you are really keen on garlic you could get small whole cloves in there too. Drizzle over the sherry and then the oil and season generously. Place it on the barbecue cut-side down. Cook over medium coals for 25-35 minutes for rare, turning occasionally. Leave to rest in a warm place for at least 10-15 minutes. 4 Meanwhile, prepare the onion skewers. Cut the onions in half and thread four halves on to each rosemary branch that has been soaked in cold water for 30 minutes – you find that they are too soft to go through the onion try piercing through with a skewer first to make a hole and then pierce the rosemary through.5 Brush the skewers with a little of the citrus oil and place on the barbecue. Dust with icing sugar and cook over medium coals for 15-20 minutes or until lightly charred and caramelised. 6 Carve the lamb into slices and arrange on plates with the caramelised onion skewers and some fresh green salad, if liked.
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