Paper Chef #12 - Bush Tucker Lamb

A beautiful green marbled lamb parfait with orange basil seed champagne jelly. The dish features Australian bush herbs and spices. The aroma is intensely pernod/anise and citrus with hints of nuts and coffee from the wattleseeds. The dish goes with the whitebait tapenade sauce as part of Paper Chef #12. The recipe follows.

Ingredients

2 kg meaty lamb bones or thick forequarter pieces (shanks are a better choice if budget permits)
1 tablespoon ground roasted wattleseed (or substitute coffee grounds)
1 teaspoon mountain pepper berries (or substitute juniper berries)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic, chopped
1 strip of orange zest (or orange blossom essence at end of cooking)
2 lemon myrtle leaves (or substitute lime leaves, lemon zest, lemon grass)
2-4 aniseed myrtle leaves (or pinch of ground aniseed or fennel seed)
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley (strong tasting basil is not recommended)
2 tablespoon finely chopped chives
2 tablespoon orange juice
4 tablespoon dry white wine

Blanch the lamb in boiling water and rinse. Place the blanched lamb in a pot of fresh water together with the wattleseed, mountain pepper berries, onion and garlic. Simmer for 2 hours until tender.

Remove the lamb and let cool before picking off the meat. Strain the cooking liquid and discard the pulp. Return the liquid to the pan and boil until the liquid reduces to about 1 cup and looks thick. Add the orange zest, lemon myrtle and aniseed myrtle. Boil for another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stand for 15 minutes. Discard the zest and leaves. Skim off the fat when cool.

Combine the remaining ingredients with the lamb meat. Season to taste. Press into a lined loaf tin. Refrigerate at least 5 hours or overnight until set. Pour over the champagne jelly and basil seeds mixture and refrigerate until the jelly sets.

To serve, turn out from the tin and slice. Pipe a spiral of whitebait tapenade sauce on a plate. Neatly arrange a lamb slice over the sauce. Serve with melba toasts and a side sauce dish of yoghurt cream. Recommended with glazed wattleseed figs from Paper Chef #9.



Related Articles:

Paper Chef #9 - Glazed Wattleseed Figs
Akudjura Tapenade
Australian Bush Herbs - lemon and aniseed myrtle
Paper Chef #12 - On a Budget
Paper Chef #12 - Ingredients
Paper Chef #12 - Bush Tucker Lamb
Paper Chef #12 - Orange Basil Seed Champagne Jelly
Paper Chef #12 - Sauces