Cooking Up The Cotswolds with Koj #3

Cooking Up The Cotswolds with Koj #3

Koj is a British-Japanese chef based in the Cotswolds. After reaching the pinnacle of amateur cooking success in the final of MasterChef 2012, he turned professional after a fast track training programme in Michelin starred kitchens across the UK and Europe, before specialising in Japanese cuisine where his heart and heritage lie. He has cooked Japanese style food for The Queen, sports stars, supermodels and Hollywood royalty. We have also teamed up with Koj, to offer bespoke foodie weekends, weeks or mid weeks when you are staying at a Luxury Cotswold Rental Property.

Rack of Lamb with mint and hazelnut crust

Ingredients

Mint and hazelnut crust

• Large handful (20g) fresh mint leaves, stalks removed
• 40-50g chopped hazelnuts
• 100g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 3 tbsp panko (or dried) breadcrumbs

Equipment

• Non stick baking parchment
• Rolling pin
• Large frying pan, for browning the lamb
• Baking tray, for roasting the lamb
• Food processor or hand held stick blender for the puree
• Pestle and mortar for the salsa verde (or use food processor)

Lamb and garnish

• 2 racks of lamb, french trimmed (about 800g or allow 2 ribs per person)
• Olive oil
• Unsalted butter
• Sea salt
• 400g swiss chard or rainbow chard (or spinach or kale)
• 750g Jersey royal potatoes

Cauliflower puree

• 1 medium cauliflower
• 50g unsalted butter
• 50g double cream (or use water)
• Sea salt
• Water, for steaming (or use a microwave)

Salsa verde

• 1 handful (15-20g) flat leaf parsley
• 1 handful (15-20g) basil
• 1 handful (15-20g) fresh mint
• Any other fresh green herbs you fancy (rosemary, marjoram etc)
• 1 lemon for zest and juice
• 1 small clove of garlic
• 2-3 anchovy fillets (omit to keep it vegetarian)
• 1 tbsp capers
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt, to taste

Method

Crust

Dice the soft butter into a large mixing bowl, then chop the mint finely and add it to the butter. Beat the mint through the butter then add the salt, pepper, hazelnuts and breadcrumbs and combine thoroughly. Place the butter between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to about 3-4mm thick. Place in the fridge until needed.

Lamb

Preheat the frying pan with a little oil. Rub the lamb with oil and season with salt, then sear for a minute on each side until brown. Place the lamb in a roasting tray and allow to cool a little. Take the crust from the fridge and cut it to fit the lamb. Preheat the oven to 200 celsius then 20-25 minutes before serving, place the lamb in the oven to roast for between 8-12 minutes (depending how big the lamb is and what temperature it was). If the crust hasn't gone crispy, place under a grill for a couple of minutes until golden and crispy. Rest the lamb for at least 5 minutes in a warm place.