2009/01/15
*NOTE: The white balance on my camera was screwed up for these shots. The meat was actually a bit pink, and the carrots weren't so flourescent.
I had never had mutton, but I love lamb. I really love it. Based on what I'd read, I understood that mutton tastes like lamb, only more so. So I figured that, if I was gonna get some mutton, I might as well get a flavorful cut. And indeed, it is delicious. Like lamb, but more so.
I also knew that mutton would be tougher. So I employed a variety of cooking methods, in order to break down the tough muscle fibers in the shoulder. I smoked it for about 20 minutes on the grill using a mix of wood chips and some dried out fall leaves. I grilled it to give the outside a bit of a char. Then I vacuum sealed it with a bit of olive oil, some pimenton, chili pepper flakes, rosemary, and oregano, and cooked it sous vide for 8 hours @ 65.5 C (150 F). Then I chilled it in an ice water bath and reserved it in the fridge until the next day.
When I was ready to serve it, I took it out of the package and cut it into large chunks, square on one side, natural and rustic on the other. I seasoned the chunks with salt and pepper, and then sauteed the chunks with a bit of olive oil. It was ridiculously delicious and tender. I just realized that I neglected to take any photos that showed the inside of the pieces of mutton. Cutting a piece open revealed a nice pink color inside, and they were still very juicy. I served the mutton with baby carrots and four condiments: harissa, hummus, fig-olive tapenade, and tzatziki (not pictured).
For the carrots, I peeled them first, but only very thinly. Then I blanched the baby carrots in batches in salted and sweetened water, then shocked them in an ice bath and reserved them. Leave all the dark-colored carrots for the last batch, because their color will bleed and would otherwise discolor the other carrots. When ready to serve, glaze the carrots in a pan with some butter and sugar.
Here are the recipes I used for the condiments, all of which turned out to be excellent:
Harissa:
- 75g dried anaheim chilis
- 2 fresno chilis
- 2.5g cumin seed (1 tsp)
- 3.5g caraway seed (1.5 tsp)
- 1g coriander seed (.5 tsp)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 olive oil
Place dried chilis in a bowl. Pour boiling water over them to cover them. Let them sit, soaking, for an hour or so. Roast fresno chilis over open flame until skin is blackened all over. Set the charred chilis aside to cool. Once cool, peel the skin off and remove stems.
Drain soaking liquid from anaheim chilis into a saucepan. Reduce over high heat until soaking liquid thickens into a syrupy consistency. Meanwhile, toast caraway, cumin, and coriander seeds until fragrant, then grind in a spice grinder.
Puree all ingredients except olive oil in food processor for a minute or so, stopping to scrape down bowl as necessary. You aren't looking for a silky puree, just a chunky amalgam of all the ingredients. Then drizzle in the olive oil slowly with the food processor running. Taste and adjust the salt level, keeping in mind that you may use the harissa as an ingredient, and so it shouldn't be too salty. You can always add salt to whatever you use as a condiment. It'll keep for about two weeks (or much longer if you omit the fresh chilis and use a tablespoon canned tomato puree instead of the fresh tomatoes).
Hummus:
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice from 1 juicy lemon
- .25 cup water
- 6 tablespoons tahini (if not homemade, I prefer Joyva brand)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cloves garlic
- .25 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted then ground
- salt, to taste
- cayenne pepper, to taste
Puree the chickpeas, garlic, cumin, cayenne, and some salt (start with half a teaspoon) in a food processor for about twenty seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and puree again.
Mix together the lemon juice and the water. With the food processor spinning, slowly drizzle in the lemon juice and water. Then mix the tahini with the olive oil. Drizzle that in slowly with the food processor running. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and process another twenty seconds or so. Hummus will keep for a week or so, covered in the refrigerator.
Fig-Olive Tapenade:
- 8 dried black mission figs
- .5 cup or so of kalamata olives, pitted
- .25 tsp caraway seeds
- couple pinches oregano
Toast caraway seeds until fragrant, and grind in a spice grinder. Puree all ingredients in a food processor, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as necessary, until grainy paste is formed. This will keep for quite a while, covered, in the refrigerator.
Tzatziki:
- 1 medium cucumber (or 1/2 of a long English cuke)
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Set a mesh sieve over a bowl. Wash cucumber, then grate entire cucumber into the mesh sieve, using a coarse grater. Let drain over the bowl for ten minutes or so, pressing to remove as much water as possible from the grated cucumber. Whisk together drained, grated cucumber with all other ingredients. It'll keep for a few days, covered in the refrigerator.
Posted by Barzelay on 2009/01/15 @ 1:36 | Comments (0) | Meat, Sauces, Condiments