Lamb loin with black olive crust and prune and anise sauce
Lomo de cordero con graten de aceitunas negras y salsa de ciruela y anís
This recipe combines the soft flavour of black olives with the sweetness of prunes– a modern take on the Moorish tradition of combining meat with fruit.
½ a baguette – day old is fine, processed into soft crumbs
½ cup / 125 ml olive oil
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
1 Teaspoon chopped rosemary
¼ cup / 60 ml coarsely chopped blanched almonds
¼ cup / 60 ml finely chopped black olives
1 Teaspoon Brandy4 lbs / 2 kg of lamb tenderloin – if available, ask the butcher to cut the loin from the ribs and keep the ribs to make a stock base of the cherry anis sauce
1 tablespoons olive oil
Fresh ground back pepper½ cup / 125 ml dried pitted prunes chopped coarsly*
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 anis star
½ cup / 125 ml dry sherry (or lamb stock if you have it)
½ cup / 125 ml water
1 Teaspoon brandy
Advanced preparations, up to two days before the lamb is to be served:
The Prune Anis Sauce
Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan and add the prunes when the oil is shimmering. Sauté the prunes on medium heat for 5 minutes until they are bright and shining. Add the anis star and simmer for another minute. Add the sherry, water and brandy. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until the sauce is reduced to ½ cup / 125 ml. Allow to cool and refrigerate covered.
Advanced preparations, the day the lamb is to be served:
The Crumb Crust
In a few batches in the food processor, process the baguette into a course crumb. In separate batches process the almonds, the black olives and then combine the parsley and rosemary in the last batch.
Wait until just before you begin to cook the lamb to combine the bread crumbs, almonds, black olives, olive oil, rosemary, parsley and brandy in a large bowl. The crumb crust should be only slightly moist.
Twenty minutes before serving the lamb, warm the prune anis.
Heat the oven to 400 F / 200 C.
In a frying pan, brown the lamb tenderloin in the olive oil. Place the browned lamb in an oven proof baking dish.
Deglaze the frying pan with 2 Tablespoons sherry. Add the sherry deglaze to the Prune sauce.
Gently pack the crumb crust around the lamb tenderloin. Place in the hot oven for 20 minutes for rare lamb. Add 5 to 10 minutes for the lamb to be medium.
Cut the lamb tenderloin into 1 inch slices. Serve the lamb on warm plates, on top of the Prune Anis sauce.
* This recipe works well with a variety of dried fruit. The Persian Barberry is a wonderful substitute. The Barberry, while not widely available in Spain, is generally available in Middle Eastern grocery stores in North America.