Ingredients
| FOR THE KŪMARA PURÉE | |
| 2 or 3 big kūmara | |
| olive oil | |
| 1 teaspoon brown sugar | |
| 250ml vegetable stock | |
| FOR THE PICKLED KŪMARA | |
| 400ml water | |
| 450ml rice wine vinegar | |
| 100g sugar | |
| peel of 1 lemon, white pith removed | |
| peppercorns, juniper berries, star anise | |
| 5 sprigs thyme | |
| 1 large kūmara | |
| FOR THE STEAMED BABY KŪMARA | |
| 8 baby kūmara | |
| sunflower seeds, to serve | |
| FOR THE LAMB RACK | |
| 4 whole lamb racks | |
| 200-300g caul fat | |
| 150ml olive oil, plus a little extra | |
| 2 carrots, diced | |
| 2 onions, diced | |
| 4 sticks celery, diced | |
| 200g mushrooms, diced | |
| 2 tomatoes, diced | |
| 6 cloves garlic | |
| 10 sprigs thyme | |
| 1 bay leaf | |
| a splash red wine vinegar | |
| 200ml red wine | |
| 80g butter, cold | |
| 3-4 tablespoons of rice koji (I used Urban Hippie brand) |
I wanted to add a fermented touch to this dish, which comes from the rice koji. The natural sweetness of the kūmara is kept in balance by including a pickled element.
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Instructions
| 1. | KŪMARA PURÉE |
| 2. | Wash, peel and dice the kūmara. |
| 3. | Put the oil into a hot pan, then add the kūmara and sugar and start caramelising on a low heat. |
| 4. | When it starts to stick to the pan, add the vegetable stock and cover, cooking until tender. |
| 5. | Put into a blender, season with salt and blend until smooth. |
| 6. | PICKLED KŪMARA |
| 7. | For the pickling liquid, put the water, vinegar, sugar, lemon peel, peppercorns, juniper berries, star anise and thyme in a pot and bring to the boil. |
| 8. | Remove from the heat, let it rest for 30 minutes then strain. |
| 9. | Peel the kūmara and slice it on a mandolin, each slice about 3mm thick, then cut into matchsticks. |
| 10. | Bring a pan of water to the boil, then blanch the kūmara for 3 seconds and refresh in iced water. |
| 11. | Strain and place the kūmara into the bowl of pickling liquid. |
| 12. | Leave to pickle for about 2 hours. |
| 13. | STEAMED BABY KŪMARA |
| 14. | Peel the kūmara and steam in a bamboo steamer for about 35 minutes until soft inside. |
| 15. | Heat the oven to 80°C. |
| 16. | Put the kūmara in the oven to dry for 30 minutes. |
| 17. | Season with a touch of oil and salt; also a touch of maple would not hurt. |
| 18. | Sprinkle with deep-fried, crushed sunflower seeds. |
| 19. | LAMB RACK |
| 20. | Separate the lamb fillets from the bones. |
| 21. | Roll the fillets in caul fat and set aside. |
| 22. | Roast the bones in the oven at 200°C until nicely brown and caramelised (about 45 minutes). |
| 23. | Heat the oil in a large pot, then add the carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms, tomatoes, a few cloves of garlic, 3 sprigs of the thyme and the bay leaf and cook gently to caramelise, about 15 minutes. |
| 24. | Add the roasted bones and the red wine vinegar and boil until the vinegar has evaporated. |
| 25. | Add the red wine and let the alcohol evaporate for a minute. |
| 26. | Cover with water and simmer the stock for a good 3-4 hours. |
| 27. | Strain and then reduce until you get a nice brown colour. |
| 28. | Heat the oven to 200°C. |
| 29. | Put a touch of oil in a very hot pan with the remaining garlic and thyme and caramelise the lamb fillets on both sides for about 3 minutes in total. |
| 30. | Transfer to the oven for about 3 minutes, then rest until you are ready to serve. |
| 31. | To serve, reheat the lamb by cooking in melted butter in a preheated pan for about 2 minutes, then slice and season with salt. |
| 32. | Place on the plate with the whole baby kūmara, the kūmara purée and the pickled kūmara. |
| 33. | Season the lamb sauce with the rice koji, then cover the fillets with sauce and place some more in the centre of the plate. |
Recipes & food styling Grant Allen & Giada Grilli / Photography Tony Nyberg / Styling Fiona Lascelles
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