Got a mountain of lamb left-over from Sunday lunch? Here’s two great recipes to use up cold lamb.
Lamb Moussaka
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large aubergines, sliced 1/2 cm thick
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
400g leftover lamb, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato purée, mixed with 150ml (5fl oz) water
150ml (5fl oz) red wine
Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
150g (5oz) crème fraiche
50g (2oz) parmesan, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, Gas 4, 350°F. Arrange the aubergine slices on two lined oven trays and brush with half the olive oil and a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until tender and floppy.
2. Heat the remaining oil in a pan over a high heat and sauté the onions for a few minutes until soft, then add the garlic, the cinnamon, the oregano and the lamb and fry over the heat until the lamb is heated through. Pour in the diluted tomato purée and red wine and simmer for about half an hour until the liquid is reduced. Season and stir in the parsley.
3. Make the cheats bechamel sauce. Whisk the crème fraiche, the parmesan, the eggs and the nutmeg together.
4. Arrange about a third of the aubergines on the bottom of an oven-proof dish, layer some lamb mixture on top then repeat the layers with the remaining aubergine and lamb.
5. Finish with a layer of aubergine then spread the ‘bechamel’ over the top. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until browned on top. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Lamb Pasties
Makes about 15
Ingredients:
8 generous tablespoons cooked lamb
1/2 can of cooked peas, drained
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons onion marmalade
2-3 tablespoons tomato puree
500g pre-made shortcrust pastry
1 egg beaten
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C or Gas 6. Chop the lamb into small pieces. Mix together in a bowl with the peas, rosemary, and seasoning.
2. Add the onion marmalade and tomato puree, ensuring that the mixture is not too runny. These are approximate amounts – each pasty takes about a heaped dessertspoonful so that’s how much filling you want to end up with.
3. Roll out the pastry and using a 10cm round cutter, cut out 15 rounds.
4. Take each circle of pastry, place some mixture on one half, leaving about 1cm border from the edge. Dampen the edge of the pastry with cold water and then fold in half pressing the edges together. Don’t overfill them or they may burst during cooking.
5. Arrange the pasties on a lined baking tray. Prick each one gently with a fork, brush with the beaten egg and cook for about 15 minutes until the pastry is cooked and golden brown on top.
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