Deep fried Lamb with Aubergine Caviar & Caramillised onions

Deep fried Lamb with Aubergine Caviar

(Some of this dish needs to be prepared the night before or in the morning at the latest.)

Ingredients

• Lamb fillets
• Large Aubergine
• Small cocktail onions (if you can't find these, use pickled ones and just drain and soak in water for several hours)
• Fresh Mint
• Organic caster sugar (normal is fine but I like organic)
• Unsalted butter
• Salt and plenty of it
• Port or red wine (I prefer Port for cooking)
• Good olive oil (preferably Italian, to make it more authentic)
• Sunflower oil
• Jiffy cloth (don't worry your not going to eat this)
• Small French bread.
• Aged Balsamic if you have it.

Aubergine Caviar Recipe

- 1st to make the Aubergine caviar the night before if possible or the next morning at the latest.

- Peel and cube a large Aubergine

- Heat a good old glug of Olive Oil in a saucepan until smoking, add the Aubergine and 2 x tbsp of salt you may need more later, go by your taste buds. Stir continuously until golden and till they have softened and look mushy, remember Aubergines soak up oil, that's why we need to leave them overnight.

- Drain and put in a bowl lined with a damp jiffy cloth overnight.

Caramelised Onions & Port/Red wine reduction

- Peel your small onions or drain your pickled cocktail onions and place in fridge overnight.

- Place about 50g butter in a pan till smoking and add the onions and 3 tbsp of caster sugar and stir continuously until golden and caramelised, you may have to drain off any excess butter.

- Add a cup of Port or red wine and simmer for about 20 minutes until it has reduced, stir occasionally.

Aged balsamic Croutons

- Cut the French bread into very thin slices, drizzle with olive oil and fry or lightly toast under grill under golden.

- When toasted drizzle with aged balsamic, leave for later.

Deep fried Lamb

- Turn on your deep fat fryer to highest setting, or heat oil in a pan. Use sunflower oil as it gets hotter than olive oil.

- Slice you lamb into small bite size thick pieces.

- Put your Aubergines back in a pan to heat up but add in some chopped fresh mint. Do not let this burn, just heat gently

- When your oil is hot enough, put your Lamb in the fat fryer and fry for just 1 minute. Longer if using a pan, and longer if you like your meat well done.

- Drain on kitchen paper and then time to plate up.

When plated up as picture above put your onions in place you'll only need about 5-6 per plate, spoon over the Port/Red wine reduction.

(I cooked something very similar to this in the restaurant on Masterchef, but this is my own version & I love it yummmmmmy, fab for dinner parties)

If you do not add the French Bread croutons then this recipe is Gluten/Wheat free, it is also nut free, it does contains butter so not suitable for those with dairy allergies.