This is the recipe that Stephen Terry wowed the judges with on the Great British Menu. A bit complicated, but worth the effort.
Alternatively, something similar is often on the menu at the excellent Hardwick, as part of the baa baa black sheep platter!
Ingredients
For the lamb
1 x 1.4kg/3lb lamb shoulder, ideally Pen-y-Wyrlod
1 onion, peeled, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 leek, chopped
½ head garlic, cloves peeled
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp unsalted butter
200g/7oz large leaf spinach
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the ham stock
2 ham knuckles
10 chicken wings
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
For the umble pie filling
1 lamb’s tongue, soaked in cold water for 24 hours in the fridge
1 lamb’s heart
2 onions, peeled, chopped
2 heads garlic, peeled
4 carrots, peeled, chopped
4 sticks celery, chopped
2 leeks, chopped
drizzle olive oil
2 lamb’s kidneys
150g/5oz lambs’ liver
200ml/7fl oz lamb stock
For the umble pie pastry
225g/8oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
½ tsp English mustard powder
115g/4¼oz lard, cubed
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
For the lamb sauce
drizzle olive oil
1 onion, peeled, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
1 leek, finely chopped
2kg/4lb 6½oz lamb bones, ideally Pen-y-Wyrlod (including reserved bones from lamb shoulder, above), roasted
lamb shoulder cooking liquid, from above
½ head garlic
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 plum tomatoes, juice squeezed out
5 black peppercorns
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the carrots and leeks
8 carrots, with green tops on, peeled
8 leeks, cut in half lengthways
ham stock (from above), to cover
For the potato and onion cake
3 tbsp Welsh salted butter, plus extra for greasing
4 onions, peeled, sliced
6 large potatoes, peeled, sliced
For the garnish
drizzle olive oil
1 x 4-bone best end of lamb, sliced into cutlets
Preparation method
Preheat the oven to 120C/248F/Gas ¼.
For the lamb, place the lamb shoulder into a large, lidded pot along with the onion, carrots, celery, leek, garlic, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Pour in enough cold water to cover the lamb, cover with the lid and cook in the oven for 10-12 hours, or until the lamb shoulder is very tender.
Remove the lamb shoulder from the pot and strain the cooking liquid, reserving it for the lamb sauce. Discard the solids left behind in the sieve. Carefully remove the meat from the bone, keeping the pieces of meat as whole as possible, discarding any sinew or cartilage. Set aside. Reserve the lamb bones for the lamb sauce.
Melt the butter in a pan until foaming, then add the spinach along with a splash of water. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted. Drain, then squeeze out any excess moisture from the spinach and allow to cool. Mix the picked lamb meat with the spinach and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Technique: Removing the meat from cooked lobster
Removing the meat from cooked lobsterWatch technique3:34 mins
Lay three sheets of cling film on a clean work surface, overlapping each sheet by half. Place the lamb and spinach mixture in a row in the centre of the cling film, then roll the cling film around the mixture to make a tight sausage shape, twisting the ends to seal. Chill in the fridge for at least four hours, or until firm. Cut the ‘sausage’ into 2cm/1in thick rounds and remove the cling film. Cover and return to the fridge until required.
For the ham stock, place the ham knuckles, chicken wings, thyme and bay leaf into a large pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for four hours, skimming off any scum from the surface of the water. Strain the stock through a fine sieve and set aside. Discard the ham knuckles, chicken wings and herbs.
For the umble pie filling, place the lamb’s tongue, lamb’s heart, onions, garlic and chopped vegetables into a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 3-4 hours, or until the tongue and heart are tender. Allow the tongue and heart to cool to room temperature in the stock. When cooled, remove the tongue and heart from the pan. Peel the skin from the tongue, then finely chop the tongue and heart. Set the prepared meat and vegetables aside and discard the cooking liquid.
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and fry the lamb’s kidneys and liver for 2-3 minutes on both sides, or until golden-brown but still pink in the middle. Allow to rest for five minutes, then finely chop and set aside.
Bring the lamb stock to the boil in a pan, then simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until thickened and syrup-like in consistency. Stir in the chopped tongue, heart, kidneys and liver, then set aside.
For the umble pie pastry, sift the flour and mustard powder into a large bowl, add the lard and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Knead together to a smooth dough, then roll into a ball, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Technique: Rubbing in
Rubbing inWatch technique0:46 mins
Roll the pastry out on a floured work surface so that it is 2-3mm thick, then use to line four small dariole moulds. Cut the remaining pastry into circles large enough to cover the tops of the moulds.
Fill each mould with the umble pie filling, then place the lid on top by brushing the edges with the beaten egg and pressing down to seal. Chill the pies in the fridge until needed.
For the lamb sauce, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan and fry the onion, carrots, celery and leek for 3-4 minutes, or until beginning to colour. Add the roasted chopped lamb bones, then cover with the reserved lamb shoulder cooking liquid. Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, plum tomatoes and black peppercorns. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for one hour and 30 minutes, skimming away any scum that rises to the surface.
Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve, discarding the solids, then return to a clean pan and simmer until the liquid has reduced to a sauce consistency. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
For the carrots and leeks, place the carrots and leeks into an ovenproof pan and pour in enough of the reserved ham stock to cover the vegetables by three-quarters. (Reserve the remaining ham stock.) Place a circle of greaseproof paper over the vegetables, then cook in the oven for one hour and 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the vegetables from the stock and allow to cool, then chill in the fridge until needed.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
For the potato and onion cake, melt two tablespoons of the butter in a pan until foaming, then fry the onions for 10-12 minutes, or until golden-brown and softened.
Butter a 15cm/6in round, lidded, cast-iron baking dish and layer a third of the sliced potato on the bottom. Spoon over a third of the browned onions, then repeat with the remaining sliced potato and remaining onions, seasoning each layer with salt and freshly ground black pepper and dotting with the remaining tablespoon of butter.
Cover the dish with the lid and cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the potato cake is tender. Keep the oven on. Allow the potato cake to cool to room temperature, then slice into four portions. Wrap each portion in aluminium foil and chill in the fridge until needed.
Bake the umble pies in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden-brown and crisp. Wrap the potato and onion cakes in foil and place in the oven to warm through for the last 15 minutes. Remove the pies and potato and onion cakes and keep warm.
For the garnish, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and fry the best end of lamb cutlets for 2-3 minutes on both sides (for medium rare), or until cooked to your liking. Allow to rest on a warm plate.
In the same pan used to cook the lamb cutlets, fry the reserved lamb shoulder and spinach rounds for 2-3 minutes on both sides, or until golden-brown all over. Keep warm.
Bring the lamb sauce back to the boil, then keep warm.
Warm the carrots and leeks through in a little of the remaining reserved ham stock, then drain.
To serve, divide the lamb shoulder and spinach rounds among four serving plates, placing the lamb on the right-hand side of the plates. Place each umble pie into the centre of each of the plates, then arrange the a lamb neck cutlet on the left-hand side. Lay two carrots and two leeks in front of the pie, followed by a slice of the potato cake. Drizzle the lamb sauce over and around and serve.
Source: BBC Good Food. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/penywyrlodlambwithum_91193
