SLOW COOKED LAMB SHOULDER ON BUTTER BEAN STEW, WITH PICKLED CHILLI SALSA VERDE
This is a wonderfully simple autumnal dish – a slow cooked, melt-in-your-mouth lamb shoulder served on a hearty butter bean stew and topped with a vibrant pickled chilli salsa verde. Ed Cudlipp, otherwise known as 'Cud Cooks', created this dish to serve as a seasonal Sunday lunch to large groups of family or friends.
The lamb is slow cooked for over 4 hours in a rich stock with shallots, garlic, leeks and herbs, until it is meltingly tender and falling off the bone. It then goes back in the oven on a bed of butter beans, which cook in the stock until they form a rich, creamy stew. The stew is served with a unique take on a classic salsa verde sauce, which uses pickled chillies in place of gherkins to give a gentle heat. The salsa verde is vibrant and acidic, and cuts beautifully through the richness of the lamb and beans.
Ed uses the Campden Casserole Low 4.3L as a perfect pan for slow cooking the lamb, owing to its thick base to evenly distribute heat and the lid to keep in the moisture. The Professional Knives provide a perfect tool for finely chopping all the ingredients in the salsa verde.
INGREDIENTS:
Lamb and butter bean stew
1 whole, bone-in lamb shoulder
10-15 small shallots, depending on size
2 leeks
1 whole garlic bulb
5 rosemary stalks
5 thyme stalks
6 cans of cooked butter beans
1.5 litres of high-quality chicken stock (enough to fill the base of the pan to the bottom of the lamb)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Pickled chilli salsa verde
Large bunch of parsley
Large bunch of mint
Small bunch of basil
4 garlic cloves
3 pickled green chillies
3 tinned anchovies
2 tbsp capers
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
METHOD:
LAMB AND BUTTER BEAN STEW
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1. Peel the shallots, slice the leeks into 1-inch rounds, and slice the whole garlic bulb in half. Add these to the base of the Campden Low Casserole 4.3L and dress with the rosemary and thyme. Season generously with salt and pepper and add a good glug of olive oil.
2. Rub the lamb shoulder in a light coating of olive oil and season the outside generously with salt and pepper. Place the lamb shoulder on top of the shallots and leeks and put uncovered into a preheated oven at 220°C for 30 minutes to sear the lamb.
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3. Remove the lamb from the oven and fill the pan with chicken stock so it covers the vegetables and reaches the bottom of the lamb shoulder. Place a lid on the pan and put back into the oven at 120°C-130°C for 4-5 hours.
4. Remove the lamb from the oven and take the lamb out of the pan. Remove around 1/2 of the cooking liquid and add 1 can of mashed butter beans to thicken the sauce. Check the seasoning and adjust. Then, add 5 cans of cooked butter beans to the cooking liquid, and place the lamb back on top.
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5. Return the pan to the oven on 220°C for 30-40 minutes, uncovered, to heat the beans and crisp up the lamb.
LAMB AND BUTTER BEAN STEW
-
1. Peel the shallots, slice the leeks into 1-inch rounds, and slice the whole garlic bulb in half. Add these to the base of the Campden Low Casserole 4.3L and dress with the rosemary and thyme. Season generously with salt and pepper and add a good glug of olive oil.
2. Rub the lamb shoulder in a light coating of olive oil and season the outside generously with salt and pepper. Place the lamb shoulder on top of the shallots and leeks and put uncovered into a preheated oven at 220°C for 30 minutes to sear the lamb.
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3. Remove the lamb from the oven and fill the pan with chicken stock so it covers the vegetables and reaches the bottom of the lamb shoulder. Place a lid on the pan and put back into the oven at 120°C-130°C for 4-5 hours.
4. Remove the lamb from the oven and take the lamb out of the pan. Remove around 1/2 of the cooking liquid and add 1 can of mashed butter beans to thicken the sauce. Check the seasoning and adjust. Then, add 5 cans of cooked butter beans to the cooking liquid, and place the lamb back on top.
5. Return the pan to the oven on 220°C for 30-40 minutes, uncovered, to heat the beans and crisp up the lamb.
PICKLED CHILLI SALSA VERDE
1. Finely chop the parsley, mint leaves, basil, pickled chillies, garlic, and anchovies.
2. Add the chopped ingredients to a mixing bowl with the capers, red wine vinegar, mustard, and salt.
3. Add a generous amount of olive oil and mix. Keep adding olive oil until the correct consistency is reached - the sauce should be loose but not runny.
SERVING
1. In a large serving bowl, place the bean stew and sit the lamb on top.
2. Drizzle the lamb and beans in the chilli salsa verde.
3. Shred the lamb and remove the bones on the table, in front of your guests.