Tender spring peas and tender spring lamb cooked directly over hot coals. Fat – rendered out by the slow heat – drips onto the fire, scorching the meat and amping up that beautiful caramelised crust. (Side note: you’re going to smell great after cooking this.) A lemon and chamomile-driven sauce, bolstered with chicken stock, adds a cut-through moreishness.
Ingredients
Lamb leg
- 20g each of rosemary, parsley, oregano leaves
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 100g olive oil
- 1 lamb leg, boned
Chamomile oil
- 10g dried chamomile
- 100g vegetable oil
To finish
- 300g chicken stock
- ½ garlic clove, sliced
- 3 slices preserved Meyer lemons
- 150g fresh peas
- 100g pea shoots
Method
Lamb leg
Make a marinade the night before by blending the herbs, garlic and oil together in an upright blender until smooth. Place the lamb in a suitably sized dish, coat with the marinade and chill overnight. The next day, light a nice fire and let the wood burn down for 45 minutes or so until you have a decent bed of coals. Take the lamb out of the fridge when you light the fire and let it come to room temperature. Using your hands, remove most of the marinade and place the lamb onto a rack around 1 metre above the surface of the fire. Cook slowly for around 1¼ hours, or until it reaches 50°C when tested with a cooking thermometer. The trick here is to manage the heat so that it is consistent but slow; the slower it cooks the more tender it will be. Remove from the fire and let it rest, covered, in a warm spot for 10 minutes.
Chamomile oil
Place the dried chamomile and oil in an upright blender. Blend on high speed for 4–5 minutes, or until the oil becomes hot to the touch. Pour everything into a small container and leave at room temperature overnight to infuse. The following day, strain the oil off the top of the sediment and chill.
To finish
Place the stock, garlic and Meyer lemon slices into a small pot and bring to the boil. Simmer until it has reduced by one-third then season well with sea salt. Add the peas and take off the heat. Dress the pea shoots with the chamomile oil and season lightly. Carve the lamb leg and arrange on a serving plate, spoon over the peas and some of the sauce, then top with the pea shoots.
Recipe extracted from On Sundays: Long lunches through the seasons by Dave Verheul, published by Hardie Grant Books.
