MARINATED HOGGET WITH GLOBE ARTICHOKES
MARINATED HOGGET LEG, GLOBE ARTICHOKES, SPRING GREENS, SALSA VERDE
Lambing is underway at Thyme and spring lamb will in due course be featuring across our menus, but in the meanwhile we have chosen Hogget for our recipe of the month. Think lamb but more so.
Lamb is four to six months old, whereas Hogget has had a whole year of grazing fresh pastures, developing a fuller flavour and surprisingly this meat is much less expensive than younger lamb, yet is perfect for a spring BBQ. Ask your butcher, or even better visit a farm shop that has good lamb, hogget and mutton on offer …. You won’t be disappointed.
Serves 8 people as a main course size
Hogget Marinade
Ingredients
1 whole leg of hogget, boned & butterflied
50g fresh rosemary
50g fresh parsley
50g fresh oregano
100g wild garlic
juice of 1 lemon
500ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
100g Sea salt flakes
Method - this process should be done the night before cooking
Place the hogget leg into a deep roasting tray, skin side down.
Rub the the meat all over with the sea salt flakes, leave to cure for 30 minutes
Then place all of the other ingredients into a food processor and blitz until a smooth paste.
Now evenly cover the hogget leg with the herby paste. Making sure to rub the marinade well into the leg, cover the tray with cling film and leave overnight in a cool place (fridge if possible) to take on all those lovely favours.
Salsa Verde
Ingredients
100g flat leaf parsley, picked & chopped
100g garden mint, picked & chopped
50g oregano, picked & chopped
100g wild garlic
50g liliput capers
2 banana shallots, peeled & chopped
500ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Method
Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and blitz until smooth
Set the salsa to one side until ready to serve
Vegetables
4 globe artichokes, prepped and cooked
3 whole spring greens, stems taken out of each leaf & roughly chopped
2 large white onions, peeled and diced
150g unsalted butter
juice of 3 lemons
Sea salt & black pepper to taste
To Prepare:
Heat up a BBQ following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Place the Hogget leg directly onto the cooking griddles.
Turn the leg every few minutes initially, so as not to burn the marinade but instead ensure an even char.
Cover with a lid and slowly cook for 30-40 minutes to medium.
When cooked, remove from the griddle and set to one side to rest for 30 minutes.
While the meat is resting melt the butter in a large heavy based saucepan over a high heat.
When the butter has melted add the chopped onions and cook for 5 minutes or until soft, stirring at all times to avoid burning.
Add the spring greens and artichokes, cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes or until the greens are just soft and the artichokes are heated through.
Toss the vegetables in lemon juice, season with salt & black pepper to taste and remove from the pan onto a clean cloth to absorb excess butter.
Place all the vegetables onto a large serving dish.
Carefully slice the hogget leg and place on top of the vegetables.
Finish the dish with generous amounts of salsa verde, some pea shoots and even a sprinkling of feta cheese.
