Harissa. We love the stuff at FFMM. It goes well with pretty much anything. You can smear it over fish, spoon some into a stew to add some depth, stir it through a pile of roasted vegetables and chickpeas or just add a blob to soft, scrambled eggs. Naturally, it’s great with meat too and it really does come into its own with lamb. To make your own, dry-roast cumin seeds (1tsp), fennel seeds (1tsp), coriander seeds (2 tsp) and as many dried chilli flakes as you want until toasted. Grind them into a powder and tip into a blender. Add a tin of tomatoes (drained), along with a couple of garlic cloves, a pinch of paprika, a few chopped chillies and about half a cup of olive oil. Season to taste. Now, turn the gas on and - using tongs - char two red peppers over the direct flame until blackened. (This would work even better over a fire. At a push, you can use a griddle pan. Make sure the peppers are charred though.) Allow to cool, remove skins and seeds and tip into the blender. From there, blend until you’re happy with the consistency. Add additional water or oil, if necessary. Boom. You just made harissa. Look at you, all exotic and stuff.
For the rest, here’s what you’re after:
- 1 x FFMM lamb rump
- 1 x teaspoon pine nuts, to serve
- Sea salt, to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- Olive oil
- White wine
What you’ll do:
1. Preheat oven to 200 Degrees Celsius.
2. Meanwhile, score the lamb rump on the fat side and rub with olive oil all over. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
3. Get an oven-proof, medium-sized pan nice and hot and lay your lamb fat-side down in the pan. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, and flip meat. The fat should have coloured nicely.
4. Add a small splash of wine to the pan, being careful to shake the pan as you do.
5. Immediately, place pan in the oven and cook for 20 - 25 minutes or until done.
6. Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
7. To serve, slice meat and fan it onto a plate. Spoon over a generous amount of harissa and garnish with pine nuts.