Jason Lynch's Lamb Pastilla

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Jason Lynch of Restaurant Le Caveau at the Grand Pré Winery in the Annapolis Valley is a spirited young chef who likes to challenge your taste buds while keeping his emphasis on regional products. You can buy high-quality harissa in tins or tubes in Middle Eastern grocery stores.

 

  • 2 pounds (1 kilogram) boneless lamb shoulder
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Spice mixture:
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
  • 2 teaspoons cardamom
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 12 whole cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1/2 pound (250 grams) frozen butter puff pastry sheets, defrosted.
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cream

Garnish:

  • 1 cup mint pesto (see below)
  • 3 tablespoons harissa, thinned with a little water if necessary
  • 3 tablespoons plain yogurt

 

Preheat oven to 325 F. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Place in a stock pot with spice mixture and garlic and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, cover pot, place in the oven and bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until meat starts to fall apart. Remove lamb and allow to cool.

Turn oven up to 375 F. Cut rolled out puff pastry into 12 equal pieces. Place puff pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush with egg wash, prick with a fork and bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.

Return pot to stove over high heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 15 minutes or until reduced sauce is the consistency of heavy cream. You should have about 2 to 3 cups.

Pull lamb apart, add to sauce and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve: place a piece of puff pastry on a serving plate, top with warm lamb mix and a second piece of puff pastry. Garnish plate with mint pesto, harissa and a drizzle of plain yogurt. Serves 6.

 

MINT PESTO

Use this minto pesto to garnish the above or any lamb dish.

 

1 bunch fresh mint

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

Pinch sea salt

 

Combine mint, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil in a food processor and pulse until it has the consistency of a pesto. Season with salt to taste.