Guest recipe by Emberz executive chef Simon Henry

Serves 4

Ingredients

Lamb

1kg diced Blue Sky Butchery half lamb leg
1 t ground cumin
½ c flour
1 t smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
2 t dried oregano
10ml canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 bird’s eye chilli
1 T cider vinegar
250ml orange juice
400gm tin diced tomatoes
¼ c raisins
250ml beef stock
3 cloves garlic, crushed

Whipped pumpkin

2kg crown pumpkin, peeled
2 cloves garlic, crushed
10ml canola oil
20gm butter
75ml cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C. Cut the chilli in half and scrap out and discard the seeds. Place the chilli, raisins, orange juice, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, onion and the vinegar into a food processor and blend into a smooth paste. Set aside.
2. Season the flour with salt and pepper and toss through the diced lamb, shaking off the excess. In a casserole dish heat the canola oil and sauté the diced lamb in small batches until lightly golden and caramelised then transfer to a bowl.
3. Making sure there are no burnt bits stuck to the bottom of the casserole dish, add the chilli paste and cook out for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes, stock and return the caramelised diced lamb with any meat juices. Season with salt and pepper then cover with a tight lid and braise in the oven for 1 ½ hours, stirring every 30 minutes until the lamb is very tender.
4. While the lamb is cooking, cut the pumpkin into rough chunks and toss in canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a large baking tray and cover with foil, and roast for 45 minutes or until tender. Transfer to a large bowl and while still very hot add the butter, cream and garlic then mash until smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Place the cooked lamb into a large ovenproof baking dish or divide between individual ramekins. Place the mashed pumpkin in a large piping bag with a star nozzle, pipe the pumpkin on top of the lamb or if simply spoon the puree on top of the lamb and spread evenly over the top. Return to the oven set at 180°C and bake until the filling is hot the pumpkin is lightly golden on top.