Matt Moran – Chef, Restaurateur, Farmer
Restaurants – ARIA Sydney, Chiswick, Chophouse, Barangaroo House, North Bondi Fish, Opera Bar, Opera Kitchen, Riverbar Kitchen Brisbane
Recipe from Matt’s Kitchen Garden Cookbook
Serves 4
3.5 hours prep | 3.5 hours cooking
Brine
8 juniper berries
6 cloves
1tsp black pepper
600g salt
400g sugar
To make the brine, crush the juniper berries, clove and black pepper in a mortar and pestle. Place all the brine ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan filled with 4litres of water and bring to the boil over high heat. Remove from the heat, strain through a fine-meshed sieve and store in the fridge. Do not use until cooled completely. Place the lamb in a container, pour over enough brine to cover the lamb, cover with plastic film and place in the fridge for 3hours. Remove the lamb and pat dry with a paper towel. Preheat the oven to 110°C.
Lamb
1.3kg lamb shoulder on the bone, trimmed
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 sprig rosemary
2 litres chicken stock
Place the brined lamb in a casserole dish with the garlic, rosemary and chicken stock. Cover and roast for 3½ hours or until the meat is falling off the bone.
Mint Salsa
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
¼ bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves picked
1 bunch mint, leaves picked
200ml grapeseed oil
1½ tbs chardonnay vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Place the garlic, parsley, mint and grapeseed oil in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
To Serve
With the lamb falling off the bone, simply serve with the mint salsa.
Tip: Many accompaniments and sides complement the lamb perfectly. Some other options are hummus, eggplant caviar and a simple green or chickpea salad.