SLOW COOKED LAMB NECK WITH ROSEMARY AND OLIVES

Tony Bilson told me ages ago that the best way to ensure that the food and wine matched well is use the same wine you will be drinking in the cooking.

RECIPE                (Serves 6)

INGREDIENTS

 Marinade

• 8 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 cup fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 T Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup lemon juice and rind finely chopped
• small jar of anchovies (including oil)
• 2T tapenade

Lentil Mix

• 1 cup Australian green lentils cooked in enough water
• 2 onions (peeled. sliced and diced)
• 2 large carrots (sliced and diced)
• 3 sticks celery (sliced and diced)
• 1/2 bunch silver beet/ chard, (washed thoroughly and chopped )
• small container of black olives (pitted)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2T olive oil

Lamb necks for roasting. (You could use lamb shoulder too.)

**Please note, you need to discard fat after it is cooked.  Either use paper towel as blotting paper to soak up surface fat or refrigerate and discard solidified fat before reheating,

• 4 large lamb necks (either chop into four and serve 2 chops per person or debone neck and  ask your butcher to cut away as much fat as possible.)
• 1 deboned neck cuts into 2 halves (keep the bones for the stock)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Extra sprigs of rosemary and bay leaves (discard after cooking)
• 3 cups red wine /chicken stock or water + 1 cup water
• Vegetables and greens to serve

METHOD

Marinade

Blitz all ingredients in blender until all is finely chopped

Lentil Mix

Lentils- prepare as the packet recommends.

Sautee onions, carrots, celery and silverbeet in olive oil. Sweat with the lid until the vegetables are just cooked. Add the drained olives and combine with lentils. Season with salt and pepper to taste.    

Slow-roasted lamb neck

1. Salt and pepper season lamb pieces and sautee in some olive oil until just browned. Brown the bones also.
2. Deglaze pan with wine and water and make a stock from the bones with 3 cups wine and 1 cup water, simmering gently on the stove. .
3. Massage cooled pieces to coat evenly with marinade and if you have the time refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 150°C. Place lamb and marinade into an oiled  baking dish which has been lined with extra sticks of rosemary and bay leaves. Pour 2 cups stock into dish. Cover with a sheet baking paper and then cover pan with foil. Bake for 2 hours
5. Uncover lamb and turn the pieces over. Add an additional 1 cup stock water to pan. Reduce heat to 120 C
6. Bake uncovered for a further 1 hour or until lamb is very tender. Remove from oven and strain sauce if it's too runny and boil to reduce the volume quickly. (No one dares using cornflower to thicken stock these days!)
7. Add the seasoned lentil mix to the lamb and pour over the sauce and reheat.
8. Serve 2 chops each or one half of deboned neck each.
9. Serve with your choice of vegetables

SHORTCUTS

Use a tin or twoof lentils drained. Can skip using vegetables in this mix but it's best to include the olives. Leave the olive seeds in for the guests to contend with but do warn them.