Lamb with Purple Sprouting Broccoli & Harissa Dressing
Not every plate in La Cucina carries an Italian passport, and this one heads further south; harissa, pomegranate molasses and lamb chops straight off the coals. What earns it a place here is how it’s served. Everything lands on one platter, the dressing spread underneath rather than drizzled on top, and the whole thing goes to the middle of the table to be pulled apart; that instinct is as Italian as they come. It’s also quietly one of the best arguments for a cold lager you’ll find; the crisper the beer, the better the harissa behaves. James Martin’s version serves four and cooks in about fifteen minutes.
Ingredients
For the lamb
• 8 lamb chops
• Salt and pepper
For the vegetables
• 4 leeks
• 200g purple sprouting broccoli
• 50ml olive oil
For the dressing
• 3 tbsp harissa paste
• 200g crème fraîche
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 1 orange, juice and zest
• 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• Salt and pepper
Method
- Heat a barbecue until hot and the coals are white.
- Make the dressing: whisk the harissa, crème fraîche, citrus juice and zest, and pomegranate molasses together, then season.
- Put the leeks, whole and unpeeled, straight onto the coals, and lay the chops on the grill; cook for 3 to 4 minutes each side, then rest for a few minutes and season. Meanwhile, toss the broccoli in the olive oil and grill until charred.
- Once the leeks are blackened and soft, strip away the burnt outer layer and slice.
- To serve, spread the dressing across a platter, pile on the vegetables and lamb chops, and take it to the table.
Serving Line
Harissa asks for a cold lager, and Menabrea Bionda answers; crisp, clean and percect for dialing down the heat.
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