Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Pecorino and Herbs
Photography Damien Van Der Vlist.
Serves: 8
INGREDIENTS
2 kilogram butterflied leg of lamb
Stuffing
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and coarsely ground
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon each oregano and mint, chopped
70 grams pecorino cheese, crumbled
fine zest 1 lemon 1 tablespoon olive oil
Minted Labneh
1 cup labneh
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons chopped mint
3 tablespoons olive oil
pinch paprika
To cook
2 lemons olive oil sea salt and freshly ground pepper
METHOD
Stuffing: Combine the ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Preheat a barbecue or large ridged grill plate.
Lamb: Make slits all over the lamb with the point of a small sharp knife. Pack the stuffing into the slits, pushing it well in so it doesn’t catch and burn while cooking. Rub both sides of the lamb with the juice from 1 lemon then olive oil. Season well.
Place skin side down on the barbecue and cook for about 10-15 minutes each side or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely and rest for 10 minutes.
Labneh: Stir the lemon juice, garlic, mint and olive oil into the labneh. Tip into a serving bowl, drizzle over a little more oil and sprinkle with paprika.
To serve: Slice the lamb thinly across the grain and arrange on a platter. Drizzle over any lamb juices. Serve with the labneh and lemon wedges.
Labneh: Yoghurt that has been drained to remove the whey becomes a spreadable ‘cheese’. It can also be rolled into balls and marinated in olive oil.
Menu: Serve with the Grilled Octopus and Greek Salad with Pide, a side of Green Beans with Olives, Preserved Lemon and Mint and the Baklava Tarts with Grilled Plums to finish.
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In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.