Lamb rump with eggplant, fennel, peas and zucchini

Bring elegant fine dining into weeknight cooking with this lamb rump recipe from Darren O'Rourke. Serve with roasted eggplant, braised fennel, zucchini, peas and cannellini beans for a luxurious but simple accompaniment.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  3-4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Series. Cooking. Rated PG.

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The Cook Up with Adam Liaw

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Ingredients

• 1 medium globe eggplant
• 1 lamb rump, cap on (around 400 g)
• 1 cup (250 ml) lamb stock
• Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 1 cup sliced fennel, some fronds reserved, to serve
• 1 cup finely chopped zucchini (core removed)
• ½ cup blanched peas
• ½ cup cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
• 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 190˚C (fan-forced). Use a sharp knife to pierce the eggplant in several places, then place onto an oven tray lined with baking paper. Roast for 40-60 minutes, or until softened – this will depend on the size of the eggplant. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
2. Reduce the oven temperature to 160˚C (fan-forced). Heat a large frying pan, then place the lamb, fat-side down, to render the fat. Once browned, transfer to a second oven tray lined with baking paper and roast for 15 minutes, or until a digital thermometer registers an internal temperature of 52˚C.
3. While the lamb roasts, bring the lamb stock to the boil in a small saucepan and heat until it reduces by half. In a second large saucepan, heat a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add the fennel and gently sweat in the oil, then stir through the zucchini, peas and cannellini beans. Cook for a further few minutes, until warmed through.
4. Peel the eggplant, then transfer the flesh to a medium bowl. Stir through the yoghurt and season well with salt and pepper. Thinly slice the lamb. Spoon the eggplant purée onto serving plates, then top with the vegetables and lamb. Spoon over the reduced lamb stock, drizzle with extra olive oil and sprinkle with reserved fennel fronds.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.