Talented and creative chef Simon Rogan has received a constant stream of accolades and critical acclaim over the seven years since he opened the doors of his first restaurant L’Enclume in Cartmel situated in the southern Lake District. His menu at L’Enclume features many local herbs and wild ingredients and the restaurant is considered amongst the top 5 eating destinations in Europe. His second restaurant, Rogan and Company, opened in May 2008 also in Cartmel and Simon also heads up a research centre called Aulis Research and Design dedicated to the creation of healthier natural cuisine based on ingredients found in nature.
Recipe – Goat’s milk fed spring lamb, ramsons,turnips baked in salt and sheep’s milk curds
Ingredients
For the Lamb sauce
- 1 milk fed spring lamb, 4 weeks old weighing approx 7-8kg
For the salt baked turnips
- 4 medium size whiteturnips
- 500g flour
- 300g Unrefined sea salt
- 300ml water
For the Sheep’s milk curds
- 400ml sheep’s milk
- 2ml rennet
- 4ml water
For the lamb stock
- 1.5kg lamb trim & bones
- 100ml rapeseed oil
- 100g butter
- 250g chopped carrot
- 250g chopped celery
- 250g chopped onion
- 2g thyme
- 1ltr White chicken stock
- Flavoured vinegar
To Serve
- Young ramson shoots
- Young turnip shoots
Method:
For the Lamb
- Break the lamb down into joints of leg, shoulder, saddle and belly. Vacuum pack the shoulders, wrap in foil and cook in the oven for 12 hours at 80 degrees. Cut across the saddles into 5, wrap each one with paper over the bones, vacuum pack and cook in a water bath for 16 minutes at 60 degrees. Refresh in ice water. Vacuum pack and wrap the bellies in foil and cook in an oven for 8 hours at 80 degrees. Break down the leg into well trimmed muscles and cook in a bath for 90 minutes at 56 degrees. Refresh in ice water. Take the loin meat off the bone and cut all the joints into relevant portions.
For the salt baked turnips
- Peel the turnips. Make dough with the flour, salt adding the water little by little until firm dough is achieved. Roll out the dough, cut into four and completely encase the turnips. Place on a lined baking sheet and bake in an oven for 30 minutes at 180 degrees. Leave to cool down in the crust for half an hour, break open the crust, slice and cut into 22 mm discs.
For the sheep’s milk curds
- Mix the rennet with the water. Heat the sheep’s milk with a touch of salt to 39 degrees, pour in rennet and pour into 4oz polystyrene cups.
For the Lamb sauce
- Brown the lamb bones and trim in the oven at 170c and brown the vegetables with the oil in a sauté pan. Deglaze both with a little water, then add them to a pressure cooker with the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, skim and place the lid on the pressure cooker. When full pressure is achieved turn down and cook for 2 hours. Cool down before removing the lid. Strain, add the thyme, reduce by two thirds, strain again, whisk in the butter and season with salt, pepper and the vinegar of your choice.
To Serve
- Seal the portioned lamb in rapeseed oil and a little butter, season and place a piece of each joint in the centre of the plate. Scoop out a wedge of curds and lay on the plate next to the lamb. Arrange over some turnip discs that have been reheated in a little butter emulsion. Spoon over the sauce and finish with the young shoots of ramson and turnip.
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