TWICE-COOKED MILK-FED LAMB, WITH PUREE OF SWEETED CHICKPEAS, AND PUMPKIN “PEAS” WITH A REDUCED LAMB SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:

Lamb:           

Saddle of milk-fed lamb

80 gr. pimentón paste

100 ml. oil

3 sprigs thyme

3 bay leaves

Freshly-ground pepper

2 oranges

2 lemons

Purée of stewed chickpeas:

100 gr. chickpeas

½ onion

5 black peppercorns

1 sprig parsley

50 gr. green beans

1 neck of lamb

30 gr. belly pork

50 gr. farinheira (Portuguese sausage with flour)

50 gr. meat chorizo

1 large sprig mint

Lamb sauce:

400 gr. lamb bones and trimmings

50 gr. leek

3 cloves garlic

2 shallots

600 ml. mineral water

0.5 dl oil

50 gr. butter

 Pumpkin "peas":

300 gr. pumpkin

0.2 dl oil

30 gr. butter

1 clove garlic

1 sprig thyme

PREPARATION:

Lamb: Separate the carré. Remove the legs and use in another preparation. Bone all the top of the backbone and shoulders, without separating them. Use the bones and trimmings for the sauce. Wash the lamb in water with orange and lemon juice. Dry and rub with a paste made from pimentón, oil, thyme and pepper. Marinate for 1 day. Season the carrés and loins with salt and pepper and dress with a little orange juice, thyme and garlic. Place in a vacuum pack. Wrap the top of the backbone with the shoulders in kitchen film, forming cylinder shapes. Freeze lightly in the blast chiller. Remove the film and tie. Sauté the rolls in a little oil. Chill in the blast chiller. Cook for 24 h. at 66ºC (150ºF) in vacuum packs in the Roner oven. Leave to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cook for another 30 min. in the Roner oven. Add ice to the water and cool. Chill for 12 h. in the refrigerator.

Stewed chickpeas: Soak the chickpeas in salted water for 12 h. Cook in water with a sprig of parsley, peppercorns, half an onion and a carrot. Drain and set aside. Wash the neck of lamb in water with orange and lemon juice. Simmer in water with the belly pork, chorizo and the farinheira for 1 hour 45 min. Remove the meats and strain the stock. Cook the green beans in part of the stock. Set aside. Add mint to the strained stock and leave to infuse. Purée the chickpeas with the green beans. Blend the stock. Strain through a fine strainer and correct the seasoning. Set aside.

Pumpkin "peas": Form pea-sized balls of pumpkin. Use any trimmings to make pumpkin juice.

Lamb sauce: Cut the meat trimmings and the bones into approximately 2 cm pieces. Brown the bones and the meat with oil. Drain off the fat and add the leek, garlic and shallots. Caramelise, add the butter and stir well. Cover with water and deglaze. Cook gently, then cool and set aside.

TO SERVE:

Heat the roll of lamb in the Roner oven at 55ºC (131ºF) for 8 min. Cut and heat in a frying-pan containing very hot oil to make the outside layer crisp. Sauté the carrés and loins. Cover with foil and place on a grill at 50ºC (122ºF) for 7 min. Sauté the pumpkin "peas" in a little very hot oil. Add pumpkin juice, salt, pepper, a crushed clove of garlic and a sprig of thyme. Add a knob of butter. Heat the stewed chickpea purée and the lamb sauce, season with salt and pepper, add a few mint leaves and bind with butter. Untie the roll of lamb and serve with the carré, the loin, the stewed chickpea purée and the pumpkin. Add a little sauce and a few mint leaves.