Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Braised and BBQ’ed Lamb Neck Chops, Caramelised Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts

Chef: Jonny Schwass as heard on Afternoons Friday 8 June 2012

Tags: bbq, lamb, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, chops

Ingredients

Lamb Neck Chops

• 8 neck chops
• good quality brown stock
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion
• 1 stick of celery
• salt
• pepper

Caramelised cauliflower

• half a head of cauliflower, chopped
• 10ml olive oil
• salt

Brussels sprouts

Method

Season the chops liberally with salt and pepper. Place Neck chops on a baking tray above a roasting dish and bake in a 210 C oven, until chops have coloured and rendered at least 20 percent of there fat. Remove rack and chops from oven add, chopped vegetables to lamb fat and roast for 5 minutes to release sugars, add the brown stock and return chops to roasting dish. Turn oven down to 130 and braised for three hours until tender. Remove from oven, cool and refrigerate until fat sets.

Caramelised cauliflower

At the same time you are roasting the lamb chops and at the same temperature, bake the chopped cauliflower until it becomes quite dark in colour. Remove from oven pour 100ml of water over the cauliflower and blitz in your food processor, adding a little butter if it wont break the budget.

Brussels sprouts

Cut the sprouts in half and remove the hard core as you would if you were slicing a cabbage. Heat a solid bottom pot to a high heat, then with a pot lid in one hand and the sprouts in the other add the sprouts, a pinch of sugar and salt and 100 ml of water and whack the lid on the create a mini pressure cooker. Cook for no more than three minutes or until the water is gone, whichever comes first.

To plate

Warm the cauliflower puree and dot it randomly and with gusto over the plate, break a few leaves from the Brussels and scatter them and the sprouts with culinary abandon. Grill the chops in a hot pan or BBQ to reheat and place the chops near the middle of your picture, no need to stack of pile, let gravity be your kitchen guide. Sauce with a little of the braising liquid and enjoy.