Stuck in self-isolation due to COVID-19? Let us bring a touch of fine dining to your home with a series of recipes from our favourite restaurants from around the globe…our COVID-19 Kitchen Quarantine cookbook.
The fourth in our series of gourmet recipes comes from Auckland’s waterfront fine dining establishment, Euro. For as long as we can remember, Euro at Princes Wharf has been a Kiwi fine dining icon, only getting better with age. It’s the perfect spot for a leisurely long lunch of contemporary NZ/European cuisine, complemented by expertly curated NZ wine. (The service is fantastic, too.)
The recipe features New Zealand’s unique Te Mana Lamb, which if you’ve been lucky enough to taste, needs no explanation. For those who haven’t, in short – let’s just say it’s the ‘Wagyu’ of lamb. Bucking the trend for lean lamb meat in recent times, Te Mana Lamb boasts a high amount of high intramuscular fat, making it incredibly tender yet still mild in flavour. This isn’t just any fat, either – we’re talking Omega 3 here, the good stuff. What’s more, we have good news – Te Mana Lamb is now available in New Zealand online direct to home chefs (previously it was only available at New Zealand’s top restaurants). Head to their website here to place your order (and don’t forget to check out their amazing venison and beef also).
Foodie fans might recognise Executive Chef Gareth Stewart as the co-host of New Zealand’s My Kitchen Rules television series – and he now curates the menus across the Nourish Group’s much-loved establishments, including Auckland’s Jervois Steak House, The Culpeper and Soul, and Wellington’s Pravda and Shed 5.
If that’s not enough to convince you that Euro is absolutely worth a visit once lockdown lifts, you can read their glowing Zomato reviews here.
Euro at Home during Level 3
The Nourish Group are now offering weekly curated My Nourish Kitchen boxes which include their most loved dishes from Euro, SOUL, Jervois Steakhouse and Andiamo, all ready for you to prepare in the comfort of your own home. You’ll receive the recipes and ingredients needed to recreate the dishes, as well as the signature sauces and accompaniments to complete the restaurant dining experience at home. Head to https://mynourishkitchen.co.nz for more information and to order.
Dining in at Euro during Level 3
Due to the country-wide government-enforced lockdown of non-essential businesses in New Zealand, Euro remains closed at this time. If you would like to support Euro, why not make an advance booking or purchase a gift voucher valid at any of their fabulous sister Nourish group restaurants here.
Ingredients
POTATO GNOCCHI
750g Potato puree (Agria)
100g Parmesan
1 tsp Salt
2 Egg yolks
200g Pasta flour
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 pinch Fresh nutmeg
Salt and pepper
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BROCCOLI PUREE
1 Head of broccoli
50g Butter
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FOR THE LAMB
1 Te Mana Lamb shoulder (oyster cut - this is the shoulder blade)
1 tbsp Cumin seed
1 tbsp Coriander seed
2 tbsp Smoked paprika
1 tsp Dried mint
1 tbsp Black pepper
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 tbsp Sea salt
1 Lemon zested
1kg Chopped vegetables - onion, carrot, leek, celery, 1 bulb of garlic cut in half, 1 bay leaf
150ml Shiraz
2 tbsp Olive oil
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TO SERVE
8 Spears broccolini
2 tbsp Olive oil
Instructions
- To prepare the Lamb:
Toast the seeds and black pepper then grind them with the smoked paprika, garlic powder, lemon zest, and dried mint. Add the flaky salt then rub this marinade all over the shoulder and marinate for 6 hours.
In a Weber (or BBQ that has the ability to smoke), make a small fire that will give off a lot of smoke but with low temperature. You want the temperature to be around 110 degrees with heaps of smoke. Smoke for 5 hours.
Preheat oven to 130 degrees.
Caramelize the chopped vegetables in a pot large enough to fit the lamb shoulder that also has a lid. Add the garlic and bay leaf and deglaze with the red wine. Once the shoulder has had its time on the Weber, transfer it to the pot with the caramelized vegetables. Cook the shoulder in the oven for 3 hours at 130 degrees with the lid on.
The lamb should be falling off the bone and there should be a fair amount of natural juices in the pot. Strain off the juice and reduce to a coating consistency and nape over the lamb.
- To make the Potato Gnocchi:
Bake the potatoes on rock salt until soft and cooked through. Remove the flesh of the potato and push through a sieve. Cool the potato on a tray with glad wrap directly on so it doesn’t sweat.
Put a pot of salted water on the stove to simmer and ready a bowl of iced water.
Place the cold potato in a bowl and mix in the parmesan, nutmeg, olive oil and egg yolk. Then add the flour to form a dough.
Roll the dough on a floured surface into logs so you can cut pillows. Make the pillows approx. 1 inch long and with the diameter of $2 NZ coin.
Cook the gnocchi in the simmering water until they float to the top, then scoop off and plunge into the iced water. Once the gnocchi is cool, remove from the iced water to avoid the gnocchi absorbing excess water.
Transfer to tray with kitchen towel to dry them off.
- To prepare the Broccoli Puree:
Put a pot of salted water on to boil, cut the broccoli into florets and slice the stalk.
Over blanch both the florets and the stalks for approx. 4-5 minutes. Once cooked through, puree in a blender with the butter and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
- To finish:
Blanch 8 spears of broccolini and heat a frying pan for the gnocchi.
Pan-fry the gnocchi pieces on medium heat in 2 spoons of olive oil.
Slide the bones out of the shoulder and divide into 4 portions. Spoon the broccoli puree on to the plate followed by the lamb shoulder. Place the pieces of gnocchi and blanched broccolini over the top and drizzle the reduced lamb juices over the top.