Autumn Lamb and Red Wine Autumn lamb is available until the end of October and tends to have more flavor than spring lamb owing to the maturity of the meat. It is the perfect partner to other autumnal produce such as orchard fruit and root vegetables. A butterflied boned leg of lamb cooks wonderfully on the barbecue for late summer days. Autumn lamb should be readily available from butchers and supermarkets. Look out for bright red meat and white fat as a sign of freshness.
Fall Lamb Ingredients:
- 1 leg of lamb, bone-in [ http://www.australian-lamb.com/lamb/recipes/method_cut/044_cut.php## ] or boneless
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
- ½ cup brown sugar - 2 tablespoons sage, dry or powdered
- ½ lemon, for juice and zest
Pumpkin Ingredients:
- 2 pounds pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cut into large pieces
Gravy Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine - 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup warm water
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Peas Ingredients:
- 3 cups green peas
- 3 sprigs fresh mint
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions: - Preheat oven to 350°F. Trim lamb of excess fat and make 6-8 deep slashes diagonally down flesh side, about 1 inch apart. Insert garlic slices into slashes. Combine lemon juice and zest with the sugar and sage and mix well. Rub mixture over top of lamb. Place on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 1 hour, or until internal temperature reaches 130-140°F for medium-rare or more well-done, as desired. - When the lamb has been in the oven for 20 minutes, place the pumpkin on the rack next to the lamb or in a separate oven dish and roast for 40-50 minutes until tender and golden brown. - Transfer lamb to a warm dish, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for about 10 minutes. - To make the gravy, remove cooked lamb from the pan to rest and pour off as much fat as possible, leaving the pan juices. Place pan on medium heat. Stir in the tomato paste, then gradually add the wine. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until juices are starting to thicken. Blend the cornstarch with the warm water, add to the gravy and stir until mixture boils and thickens, adding more water if mixture is too thick. Strain, season to taste and keep warm. - Steam the peas in a little salted water with 2 sprigs of mint until just tender. Drain. Chop the leaves from the remaining sprig of mint and add to peas with the butter and pepper. Shake over heat to melt butter. Carve the meat and serve with the pumpkin, peas and gravy.
Lamb works very well with Australian shiraz and robust pinot noirs. Some of my favorites are:
• Strong Arms Shiraz
• 3 Rings Shiraz
• Londer Pinot Noir
• Balletto Pinot Noir
Remember when you cook that the FRESHER the Meat and Produce you use, the BETTER the Flavors! And always use the wine that you drink to cook with. Bon appetit!
