Eunice Power

This month Eunice shares her lovely summery recipe for Lamb Carpaccio with Caponata, Knockalara sheeps cheese and rocket

This beautiful dish is a wonderful way to serve new season lamb, the sweetness of delicious Sicilian caponata offers a perfect background to the delicate, slightly gamey rare lamb, the sheeps cheese gives the dish a sharp freshness. Knocklara sheeps cheese can be replaced by a good quality feta.

Lamb Carpaccio with Caponata, Knockalara sheeps cheese and rocket

2 x lamb rumps
50g rocket
50g Knockalara sheeps cheese or feta

Caponata

For the aubergines:

1 medium aubergine cut into 1-inch/2.5cm cubes
2 tablespoons of olive oil

For the tomato sauce:

1x400g /14oz tin Italian plum tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 anchovy, rinsed
Salt and black pepper

For the vegetables:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks of celery, cut into 1cm cubes
1/2 onion, diced to ½ in/1cm cubes
1 red pepper, cut into 1cm cubes
45ml /3 tbsp white wine vinegar
½ tablespoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
1 teaspoon tomato puree
5 green olives, pitted and rinsed.
Rocket, to garnish

To make the caponata

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6.

Sprinkle the diced aubergine with 1 teaspoon of salt and leave to stand in a colander for 10mins. Wash and drain the aubergine then spread it in a single layer on a baking tray.

Drizzle with olive oil and mix well to coat the aubergine evenly with oil. Bake in the oven until soft and golden, about 20 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice during cooking to keep the aubergine from sticking to the pan.

Make the tomato sauce while the aubergines are baking. Empty the tin of tomatoes into a food processor and process until smooth. Heat the oil in a large pan (with lid) over medium heat. Add the garlic and anchovy and cook until the garlic is pale gold and the anchovy has melted into the oil.

Add the tomatoes, cover partially with the lid (this helps with splattering) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have reduced down to a thick and concentrated sauce, about 15 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and set aside.

Cook the vegetables. Heat the olive oil in the rinsed out pan over a medium heat. Add the celery, onion and pepper dice and cook, stirring once or twice, until a translucent and tender, but still with a bit of a crunch, about 5 minutes.

Add the vinegar and sugar to the pan, and continue to stir fry the vegetables until the vinegar has evaporated.

Add the vegetables and the aubergine to the tomato sauce, stir in the capers and olives. Allow to cool

For the lamb

Preheat the oven to 180ºC

Season the lamb with freshly ground pepper and salt.

Put a heave based frying pan on a medium heat, add a little olive oil to the pan. When the oil is hot, pan fry the lamb, skin side down for about 5-7 minutes until the skin crispy, then seal the lamb on the other side.

Roast the lamb in the oven for 8/9 minutes, remove and allow to cool.

When cool, wrap in cling film and place in the freezer for 1 hour until set.

Using a sharp knife or a meat slicer,slice the lamb as thinly as possible.

To serve

Divide the rocket between four plates, put a tablespoon of caponata in the centre, lay three to four thin slices of lamb on top, and sprinkle with sheeps cheese.

Serve immediately

Photography Harry Weir www.harryweir.com (image first appeared in Food&Wine Magazine)
Food Styling Leona Humphreys www.onefineplate.com

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More recipes from Eunice Power are available on www.eunicepower.com

Room reservations can be made on www.powersfield.com - hope to see you in Dungarvan during the year.

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Eunice Power is a professional chef with over twenty years experience in the hospitality business. She runs Powersfield House in Dungarvan County Waterford, which is our B&B of the Year for 2012 and also the winner of the Best B&B Breakfast. Her philosophy is to use fresh, seasonal, locally produced food, sourced organically where possible. 

Eunice has a successful outside catering company, writes about food (she is the author of an excellent cookery book written for local company Waterford Stanley) and teaches at Paul Flynn’s Tannery Cooking School, where her enthusiasm and zest for a life filled with good food are given free rein."