INGREDIENTS |
- 860g lamb saddle, cut into 2 pieces
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 20ml olive oil
- 10g cracked garlic
- 2g rosemary
- 2 French thyme sprigs
- 55g lamb saddle marinade
- 1.5 kilo salt crust
- Truffle sauce
Lamb saddle marinade
- 15g garlic
- 1g cardamom
- 50g mastic
- 0.50g black pepper
- 0.50g French thyme
- 1g rosemary
- 1pc carob pod
- 35 ml olive oil
Salt crust
- 1500g ground coarse salt
- 40g (2 pcs) egg whites
Truffle sauce
- 400g liquid strained from green wheat pilaf
- 200g roasted lamb saddle dripping
- 20g truffle paste
- 10ml truffle oil
Green wheat pilaf
- 75ml olive oil
- 85g minced leeks
- 75g minced onions
- 2pcs bay leaves
- 155g fresh mushroom quarters
- 350g roasted green wheat, washed and soaked
- 65g diced dry figs
- 1 pc carob, cut into 4 pcs
- 2 pcs star anise
- 2 pcs cardamom
- 1 pc loumi
- 3 pcs cloves
- 1000g vegetable stock
- 0.50g sweet pepper
- 0.50g caraway
- Pinch of white pepper
- Pinch of mastic
- 20g truffle paste
- 30g sautéed vegetables, small diced carrot, baby marrow, red and yellow pepper, sautéed with olive oil
- 20ml white truffle oil
Garnish
- Roasted pumpkin cubes
- Roasted walnuts
- Green leaves
PREPARATION |
1. Trim the lamb saddle.
2. Season with salt and black pepper.
3. Wrap with butcher’s twine to hold its shape.
4. Combine garlic, cardamom, mastic, black pepper, French thyme and rosemary in a mortar. Grind with a pestle till fine consistency. Grate over carob and mix it all together. Add olive oil and mix till creamy in texture. Heat olive oil; add cracked garlic, rosemary and thyme.
5. Pan-fry the saddle on both sides till brown.
6. Spread the lamb marinade on two parchment papers. Place each piece of lamb saddle on a parchment paper then roll.
7. Mix salt and egg whites together. Spread salt crust in a baking tray, place two rolls of lamb then cover with salt crust.
8. Bake in a 180˚C oven for 20 minutes and then crack open the crust.
9. Remove from the salt crust, unwrap and set aside in closed container.
For the green wheat pilaf
10. Heat olive oil in a sauce pot. Add minced leek and minced onion; cook for 20 minutes on low heat till translucent. Add bay leaves and mushroom quarters. Add roasted green wheat and roast for 15 minutes. Add diced dry fig and carob. Combine star anise, cardamom, loumi and cloves in a cheesecloth; add to the pot. Add vegetable stock. Add sweet pepper, caraway, white pepper and mastic. Cover with parchment paper and cook for 1 hour or till cooked through. Strain, then add truffle paste, sautéed vegetables and white truffle oil. Reserve the liquid strained from the green wheat pilaf. Simmer all the ingredients together for the truffle sauce till homogeneous.
For the display
11. Dress green wheat pilaf in a plate. Top with braised lamb saddle pieces and the truffle sauce.
12. Garnish with diced roasted pumpkin, roasted walnuts and green leaves.
