Lamb Bites for Easter

Easter. Lamb I suppose. Regular readers know my views on that by now. But hey, lamb/hogget/mutton is delicious at any time of year. As with many culinary delights, the two optimum cooking options are hard and fast or low and slow. Thus I like a lamb leg done at a fairly high heat, pink and succulent in the middle. But it's hard to beat a slow braise.

Today's thoughts are inspired by the perfect score lunch at Tim Allen's sō-lō in Merseyside. While the idea of some braised meat beside some roast isn't totally original, this was my take. Now, unless you're being really flash, doing lamb (or indeed any meat) two or three ways isn't an every day thing. But I did it once, serving roast leg of hogget, with a wee bit of braised shoulder on the side. To braise shoulder of lamb involves browning it, usually with vegetables, adding some liquid, covering, then cooking in a slow oven. The time, obviously, depends on the size of your shoulder. This recipe has turned out to be one of the most popular ever in the history of Tom Cooks! and you can find it here.

Quantities will depend on how many you're feeding. If you're not able to shred the meat with two forks it needs longer cooking.

Side Dish of Braised Lamb

Ingredients

Quantity of slow braised shoulder of lamb (or hogget or mutton); 1 or 2 preserved lemons, finely chopped, seeds removed; cumin.

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Put the meat in a small saucepan. It will need some liquid, ideally some of the cooking juices, but water will do. This is purely to stop it drying out, as it's already cooked. Stir in a generous amount of cumin, and some of the lemon, remembering that you can always add more. Warm the ingredients together, checking the seasoning as you go. You might want salt and pepper. I didn't. You want the end result to be moist but not wet. If you're a chef, or a flash git, you can shape it in a mould/timbale/coffee cup, or even serve as a side dish. Very simple, if fiddly.

This has a decidedly Moroccan flavour. Probably no one makes more imaginative use of lamb than the cooks of North Africa, Greece, Turkey and the Middle East.

Now to koftas. Koftas you will find everywhere. In essence they are meatballs, and some of the recipes I have found are incredibly simple. Today's is loosely based on an Ottolenghi idea. It's the only one I've found involving a mixture of meat.

Typically you would cook a kofta on skewers, ideal for the barbecue. Yotam and I are cooking ours in a frying pan then in the oven, so the precooking chill is essential to allow them to hold their shape. Some add a sneaky wee bit of flour to the mixture to help the cohesion, but it's not traditional.

Lamb Koftas (serves 6)

400g lamb mince; 400g beef mince; 1 small onion, peeled and grated; 2 cloves of garlic, crushed; 50g toasted pine nuts, roughly chopped (optional); 30g finely chopped parsley (for Middle Eastern dishes flatleaf is more common); 1 red chilli, deseeded and very finely chopped, OR a good pinch of chilli flakes; s & p; Kofta Spices (see below).

Kofta Spices

Here words begin to fail me, as the suggested amounts of different spices varies hugely. What everyone agrees is that you want a lot of flavour. No bland burgers, these. A generous amount of salt and black pepper, please, no matter what else you choose to do.

I've attached a table with extracts from various recipes. Note that these are for different amounts of meat. We are using 800g here. Adapt accordingly. On that basis Jamie would suggest two TABLESPOONS of cumin. I can't believe that's right. The other thing that struck me was the BBC recipe. According to them, 500g of meat will serve 8! In association with Weightwatchers, perchance?

I think my advice is to choose what you fancy, but don't under season.

KOFTA SPICING – AMOUNT OF MEAT IN RECIPE IN BRACKETS
OTTOLENGHI (800g)	JAMIE OLIVER (400g)	BBC (500g)	NIGELLA (450g)
	1tbsp ground cumin	1 tsp ground cumin	1 tsp ground cumin
	1 tsp ground coriander	2 tsp ground coriander	1 tsp ground coriander
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
1½ tsp ground allspice			¼ tsp ground allspice
¾ tsp ground nutmeg
		1 tbsp chopped mint

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Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together well. Using your hands is best. Dampen your hands and shape the koftas. They should be a torpedo shape about 8cm in length and 60 g in weight. Put on a plate, cover and chill for at least 6 hours.

Preheat your oven to 220˚C/Mark 7.

In batches, sear the koftas in vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Sear on all sides till golden brown (about 6 minutes). At this stage they will be medium rare. Transfer to an oven tray and cook for 2 - 4 minutes for medium or well done respectively. Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.

And what to do with them? Flat breads and a crunchy salad are always good. Tzatziki is traditional, but a simple yoghurt and mint dressing is good too. Nigella makes a garlic sauce: Ottolenghi has a concoction with tahini and pine nuts. I'm sure you can think of something delicious for yourself.

Happy Easter and happy eating.