There's a traditional Welsh dish which pairs lamb with cockles and a fine pairing it is, particularly if the lamb is salt marsh lamb and the cockles come from a nearby seashore. Sadly I couldn’t easily find fresh cockles or salt marsh lamb so I used supermarket ingredients with clams instead of cockles. But anyway, I like the rhyming chime of 'lamb with clams’!
Shellfish with lamb might sound a little odd but trust me, the sweetness of the lamb and salty sweet clams are perfect together. I made a light leek velouté with a subtle curry note to bring the dish together. (leeks being an emblem of Wales). A tiny amount of finely chopped fresh rosemary and some baby mint leaves were sprinkled over and you could add a few chilli flakes, if you wish. The velouté can be made ahead of time and re-heated. One lamb rump will provide more than two portions for this dish, but leftovers can be eaten as a cold cut. The list of instructions may sound complicated but really, its not a difficult dish.
Ingredients (serves 2)
For the leek velouté:
30g butter
130g leeks, white part only, finely chopped
¼ tsp celery seeds
A scant tbsp of flour
200ml semi skimmed milk (use full fat if you wish)
¼ tsp ground fenugreek
¼ tsp white pepper
A squeeze of lemon juice
Salt to taste
For the lamb:
1 rump of lamb
Dijon mustard
1 tbsp ground black pepper
For the clams:
12 fresh clams (purged)
200ml salted water
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
Fresh rosemary, mint leaves and chilli flakes to garnish
Method
For the leek velouté:
Shellfish with lamb might sound a little odd but trust me, the sweetness of the lamb and salty sweet clams are perfect together. I made a light leek velouté with a subtle curry note to bring the dish together. (leeks being an emblem of Wales). A tiny amount of finely chopped fresh rosemary and some baby mint leaves were sprinkled over and you could add a few chilli flakes, if you wish. The velouté can be made ahead of time and re-heated. One lamb rump will provide more than two portions for this dish, but leftovers can be eaten as a cold cut. The list of instructions may sound complicated but really, its not a difficult dish.
Ingredients (serves 2)
For the leek velouté:
30g butter
130g leeks, white part only, finely chopped
¼ tsp celery seeds
A scant tbsp of flour
200ml semi skimmed milk (use full fat if you wish)
¼ tsp ground fenugreek
¼ tsp white pepper
A squeeze of lemon juice
Salt to taste
For the lamb:
1 rump of lamb
Dijon mustard
1 tbsp ground black pepper
For the clams:
12 fresh clams (purged)
200ml salted water
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
Fresh rosemary, mint leaves and chilli flakes to garnish
Method
For the leek velouté:
- Melt the butter in a medium sized pan (I use a small chef’s pan) and add the chopped leeks.
- Cook gently until the leeks are completely softened
- Add the flour to the pan and cook gently for a further minute. Add the milk gradually, stirring as you go.
- Add the celery seeds, fenugreek and white pepper.
- Simmer until the sauce thickens. Add more milk if required.
- Blend into a purée (I use a stick blender).
- To finish, add a squeeze of lemon juice and salt to taste.
- Heat oven to 180C.
- If there is a thick layer of fat on top of the rump. trim some away, then brush the top with Dijon mustard.
- Place the ground black pepper on a plate and roll the top of the lamb rump over it to form a thick crust.
- Place the lamb in a roasting dish and cook for 20 minutes.
- Remove the lamb from the oven leaving it in its roasting dish. Cover with foil and leave to rest for 20 mins.
- Bring the salted water, with the rosemary, to a simmer.
- Add the clams and simmer until the shells open up (a few minutes).
- Slice the lamb, thinly.
- Place velouté in the base of each serving dish.
- Arrange 5 lamb slices in the centre of each dish and place 6 clams around the lamb.
- Sprinkle frugally with very finely chopped rosemary (use the rosemary from the clams) and mint.
- Scatter over some chilli flakes (optional)
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