Oregano and Lime Roasted Leg of Lamb with Smoked Paprika Paella
Photography by Minka Firth.
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
1.5-2 kilogram leg of lamb, French trimmed
Marinade
½ cup orange marmalade juice of
2 limes
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon ground allspice
4 whole heads of garlic, tops sliced off
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Paella
1½ cups Spanish Calasparra rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
knob of butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 zucchini, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1½ teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
3 cups chicken stock
1 x 300 gram tin cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen peas, cooked
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
½ cup white wine to deglaze pan
METHOD
Lamb: Put the marinade ingredients in a food processor and blend. Place the lamb in a roasting dish and cut 6 deep slits in the meat. Spoon some of the marinade into each cut and rub the rest over the leg. Season. Put the whole heads of garlic around the lamb, drizzle with a little oil and season again.
Preheat the oven to 180 ̊C.
Add ½ cup of water or white wine to the pan. Cover the lamb tightly with an oiled piece of tinfoil and roast for 2 hours. Remove the tinfoil and roast for a further 30 minutes, basting occasionally and adding more liquid to the pan if required.
Transfer the lamb and garlic to a platter, cover lightly and rest for 20 minutes. Skim any excess fat from the pan juices, add the white wine and simmer until reduced and syrupy.
Paella: Heat the oil and butter in a paella or sauté pan and cook the onion, zucchini, garlic and the paprika until tender. Stir in the rice and chickpeas then add the stock. Season and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook gently for about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and a nice crust has formed on the base. Stir through the peas, remove from the heat and rest for 5 minutes. Fork through the flat leaf parsley before serving.
To serve: Thinly slice the lamb and serve with the whole roasted heads of garlic and the paella.
Calasparra Rice is a short-grain rice grown on the Ebro Delta of Spain and traditionally used for the famous Valencian dish of paella. Although similar to Italian Arborio rice, the Spanish do not stir the rice while it is cooking, instead allowing it to develop a delicious crust on the base. It is available in different grades, the best being Bomba.
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