The traditional way to spend the 31 October is to of course carve your pumpkin into a spooky design.
For me, this is such a waste, as pumpkins taste their very best at this time of the year and by using them only as a display you're missing out on all those delicious flavours. So this year I've chosen to experiment with our pumpkin and I'm using it as a serving dish for my famous lamb ragout.
With Halloween falling on a Friday it's the perfect opportunity to get your friends and family together for a special meal, which displayed like this, really will create that wow factor. My top tip would be to make sure you have more espelette chillies on the table and some harissa - for my taste, the more the better!
Bon appetite.
Lamb Ragout with Root Vegetables and Espelette Chillies - Serves 4/6
Ingredients
800g lamb shoulder or lamb neck fillet, cut into large chunks
4 lamb tongues
4 lamb testicules (white kidneys)
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bouquet garni
Fresh thyme & fresh rosemary
1 fresh pumpkin with its lid
1 butternut squash, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
½ litre stock (chicken, lamb or beef)
1 tsp. tomato puree
Butter
Vegetable oil
4 tsp. espelette chillies or purée or both
Freshly chopped parsley and coriander
Method (the day before)
Mix your lamb with the espelette chillies, crushed garlic, fresh thyme and rosemary, diced onion and carrots. Cover and leave to marinate overnight in the fridge.
Method
1. To begin, clean and rinse the lamb tongues with water and a splash of vinegar.
2. Place the tongues in a large pan and fill with cold water. Bring to the boil. Simmer for around 20/40 minutes or until soft, you can place a knife inside to check if they are cooked. You want them soft but not overcooked, as they will finish cooking with the lamb.
3. Cool the tongues down by placing them in cold water. Peel the skin off and put to one side.
4. Peel, wash and prepare all of your vegetables. Put to the side.
5. Heat a splash of vegetable oil in a large cast iron pot. Add a knob of butter and the diced marinated lamb and vegetables. Sear the lamb until it's golden brown or until well caramelised. Get rid of any excess fat.
6. Pour the stock in and bring to a boil. Add the bouquet garni and simmer for about 30 minutes on a low heat or in the oven with the lid at 180°C.
7. Meanwhile, fry your diced butternut squash until slightly cooked through in a non-stick frying pan with a good splash of olive oil and a little butter.
8. Season the butternut squash well and sprinkle over the espelette chillies. Remember you can always add more of this at a later stage.
9. At this stage check your lamb. It should be tender but still have that resistance when you press it. Once your lamb is at this stage, add all of your vegetables and lamb tongues. Taste and season and put it back in the oven for a further 20 minutes.
10. Meanwhile, pan-fry the lamb kidneys for about 3-4 minutes in olive oil and butter. Put to the side.
11. Once your lamb is cooked through, add the lamb kidneys and freshly chopped flat parsley and a little coriander.
12. Pour the mixture into your dried out empty pumpkin. Serve immediately.
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