By Willie Lebus
I’ve been on a non stop cookathon this weekend. It finished with a sensational lamb curry produced from scratch in a couple of hours. The trick is to roast and crush your own spices.
Serves 4
Garam Marsala -
A sprinkle of the following into a large saucepan.
Coriander Seeds
Cardamom Pods
Cloves
Black Peppercorns
Blade Mace
Toss these in the pan until hints of smoke appear, then crush in a machine until a powder is formed.
The Curry -
Ingredients -
2 Lamb fillets
1 Large onion
1 leek
5 cloves garlic
2 or 3 red chillies
Tomato puree
2 Romano peppers
4 ripe tomatoes
½ pint Sauvignon Blanc
¼ Pint Dry Amontillado OLD Sherry
A good chunk of fresh ginger
Fenugreek
Cinnamon
Olive oil
Redcurrant jelly
The Method -
Chop all the ingredients. Add some olive oil to a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, chilli with or without seeds, and red pepper – fry gently until just before the onion is coloured. Add the leek and the Garam Masala, cinnamon, fenugreek and chopped ginger. Continue simmering until all amalgamated.
Add the chopped/cubed lamb fillet (you can use cooked meat. I’ve combined lamb and pork belly with lardons for a very interesting result). When the meat’s coloured, add the chopped tomatoes, the tomato puree, white wine and Sherry, and transfer to an oven at 325 degrees F (that’s about 160 degrees C for those who use metric), cover and cook for one hour.
Remove from the oven and check the liquid. You may need to add a bit more wine, sherry and water. Add a large dollop of redcurrant jelly. Cook for a further hour when the lamb should be tender. Serve with rice or just as good/better creamy mash.
Drink with a sturdy southern French/Spanish Grenache based red, or a plump full on New World red. A touch of sweetness is perfect. YUM!
If you like this, check out Willie’s previous recipe blog post, the Extra Hot Chilli Redcurrant Jelly – great with barbequed Lamb and Steak.
Tags: Lamb Curry Recipe, willie lebus