Pomegranate

Figs and pomegranate

Posted by Gary

Hello Reader, 

It’s Autumn, which means the 2023 footy season has started. 

It began well with the Storm winning Thursday night and the Broncos winning a nail-biter last night. 

It was so relaxing laying in bed, daydreaming about life’s pleasures and checking the NRL app for updates. 

The big game of the weekend is tomorrow arvo. The Dolphins are playing against the Sydney Roosters, and it’s the Dolphin’s first official NRL game. My eldest and youngest children will be in the crowd cheering for the Dolphins. The Dolphins supporters will be screaming #phinsup 

The Redcliffe Dolphins are a well-established club (founded in 1947) in Brisbane and have produced great players like Ian “Bunny” Pearce and Arthur “Arty” Beetson. 

I’ve been a Broncos fan since the team’s formation and entry into the National Rugby League (1987). When the NRL announced the 2023 entry of the Dolphins as an NRL club and Wayne Bennett would be the team’s first NRL coach, I decided to make the Dolphins my number one team. 

Check out more from Rupert McCall.

I wasn’t sure what to cook today, so I drew inspiration from two sources. Yesterday, Lorraine posted five recipes for figs. I saw a salad with figs and pomegranates. Long-time readers know my fondness for pomegranate arils. 

The second source is the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet Facebook support group. Last night I saw someone’s recipe for lamb shanks and marmalade. 

I’ve modified the recipe because I prefer a pressure cooker rather than a slow cooker. I also used shank meat rather than the whole shank. Buying shank meat means I can portion according to weight to ensure I only eat about 150 grams per serving. 

The diet is going well, I’ve spent the best part of this week under my goal weight, and this morning I reached a milestone I never dreamed possible. 

A tweet from @garydlum

In last week’s post, I mentioned I had spent the weekend in Melbourne attending and participating in a medical conference. The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia hosted it. 

Photographers were present and shot me during my talk on Friday morning. 

A tweet from @DrGaryLum

Recipe

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker
  • Saucepan

Ingredients

  • Lamb shank meat – I bought a 550 grams packet. This weight will give me four portions of <150 grams.  
  • Marmalade – I used some homemade whiskey and Seville orange marmalade. I also reduced the quantity of the recipe from the CSIRO TWD group.
  • French onion soup mix – I chose the low-sodium version. 
  • Rosemary – foraged from the sidewalk of my street. 
  • Orange
  • Peach
  • Pomegranate
  • Figs

Instructions

  1. Boil some water in a kettle and add two teaspoons of the marmalade and some French onion soup mix to a cup of boiling water. 
  2. Mix the soup mix and marmalade until it forms a loose slurry. 
  3. Add the shank meat to the cooking vessel and pour over the soup and marmalade mixture. 
  4. Add some fresh rosemary leaves. 
  5. Cook in the pressure cooker for 45 minutes. 
  6. Allow the pressure to equilibrate naturally, and transfer the meat to the refrigerator. 
  7. Sieve the cooking liquor and reduce it in a saucepan. 
  8. The reduced cooking liquor will form a sauce. 
  9. Wash the figs and divide them to create a star shape. 
  10. Remove the arils from the pomegranate by beating it with the back of a cook’s knife. 
  11. Quarter an orange and dissect out the flesh. 
  12. Wash the peach and cut it into small pieces. 
  13. Arrange the fruit and meat on a plate and drizzle the reduced cooking liquor over the food. 
  14. Give thanks to the Lord. 
  15. Eat with a fork or chopsticks. 

Final thoughts

The syrupy sauce from reduced marmalade, French onion, and rosemary was exquisite. 

Cooking meat on the bone will always bear more flavour. I believe that. Life, however, is about compromises, and I am willing to compromise a bit on taste to make it easier to maintain a habit. I rely heavily on routines to optimise my mental health. 

If I were cooking this and enjoying it with someone else, I would use a whole shank and pull the meat from the bone after it has cooked. 

I now have some lamb meat left for this week and half a pomegranate left to enjoy on Monday night with soy-flavoured poached salmon. 

I hope your week to come is peaceful, joy-filled and happy. 

Fig and pomegranate with lamb shank meat
Claire’s marmalade
Fig and pomegranate with lamb shank meat
Fig and pomegranate with lamb shank meat
Fig and pomegranate with lamb shank meat
Fig and pomegranate with lamb shank meat

Sous vide lamb backstrap

Posted by Gary

Hello dear reader

How are you this week? I had a fabulous week. Spiritually, personally, and professionally, it’s been a great week.

It’s been a weird week weather-wise in Canberra. Some days have been warmer than expected, and other days it’s been windy and cold. My gut is telling me we’re really into the autumn run and temperatures and humidity are about to plummet.

Sous vide lamb backstrap with pomegranate, mint, and coriander pumpkin mash plus curry roast cauliflower

Ingredients

  • Lamb backstrap (eye of the tenderloin)
  • Salt
  • White pepper
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Ground cardamom
  • Ground rosemary leaves
  • Ground nutmeg
  • Ground coriander seeds
  • Fresh coriander leaves
  • Fresh mint leaves
  • Frozen pomegranate arils
  • Kent pumpkin
  • Sour cream
  • Vegetable oil
  • Olive oil
  • Cauliflower
  • Curry powder

Instructions

  1. Go to the supermarket or butcher and buy a piece of lambstrap.
  2. When you get home dry the surface of the meat with absorbent kitchen paper.
  3. In a small bowl or ramekin make a spice mix with the salt, pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, rosemary leaves, nutmeg, and coriander seeds. I mix with chopsticks because I’m Asian. 😉
  4. Pour the spice mix onto a small tray and then season the meat by pressing the meat into the spice mix and cover the entire surface.
  5. Place the seasoned meat into a vacuum bag and vacuum slea the bag.
  6. Store the meat in the refrigerator for a few hours. Overnight storage would be better, but it’s not essential.
  7. When it’s time to cook, turn the oven on to 180 °C (fan forced).
  8. With a Chinese cleaver cut the pumpkin into chunks about the size of a squash ball or perhaps a little smaller.
  9. With a paring knife, trim the stalk of the cauliflower but don’t remove it. The stalk is good. There’s nothing wrong with a firm stalk, it’ll be fresh and good to eat. If the stalk is limp then it’s probably not very good and no amount of paring will help.
  10. Pour a little vegetable oil into the palm of your hand and rub your hands together and then rub each piece of pumpkin. Place the pumpkin onto a baking sheet.
  11. Pour some oil over the cauliflower. You’ll need more oil because of all the added surface area on the cauliflower. Rubbing it on with your hands will help but don’t be stingy with the oil.
  12. Sprinkle a generous amount of curry powder over the cauliflower and rub it on the cauliflower to smooth out any oily lumpy bits.
  13. Put the cauliflower on the baking tray next to the pumpkin chunks.
  14. Cook the vegetables until you can penetrate the pumpkin with the tip of a sharp paring knife and it slides in and out without any resistance. It should feel tight and not loose. Loose and sloppy means you’ve gone too far.
  15. Heat the water bath to 55 °C (131 °F) and cook the lamb for 40 minutes.
  16. Remove the lamb when it’s finished cooking.
  17. Remove the meat from the vacuum bag and dry the surface with absorbent kitchen paper.
  18. Heat a cast iron skillet and wipe the hot surface with some rice bran oil and sear the lamb.
  19. Let the meat rest while attending to the vegetables.
  20. Place the hot pumpkin into a bowl and mash them roughly with a fork.
  21. Mix through some sour cream to make the mash a little more creamy.
  22. Slice the meat to the thickness you desire.
  23. Smear the mash over the dinner plate and place the slices of lamb on one side of the mash. On the other side, garnish the mash with some roughly torn mint leaves and coriander leaves. Add some pomegranate arils which will add a lovely sweetness to the mash. I think pomegranate arils also add an amazing visual appeal. It’s almost sensual. I wish I had got some dried flower petals to add but I didn’t want to drive to Kingston to buy some.
  24. Place the roast cauliflower on the plate.
  25. I would use a decent steak knife with this meal rather than a standard dinner knife.
  26. Give thanks to the Lord.
  27. Enjoy the meal.

How was the meal?

This dish was inspired by my girlfriend. She loves pomegranate and last weekend we enjoyed a slow-roasted lamb rump served with a pomegranate and mint salad. That dish was superior to what I cooked tonight. The slow-roasting process produces firmer yet still tender flesh. It also had more flavour through the meat itself.

The seasoning I used was distinctive and I could taste it with each mouthful but I think I prefer last weekend’s rump over the backstrap.

All that said, this was still pretty good and I’ve sequestered half of it to the refrigerator for another meal.

Final thoughts

  • Do you like pemegranate arils in a dish?
  • How thick do you like to slice your meat?
  • How was your week?
Sous vide lamb backstrap with pomegranate, mint, and coriander pumpkin mash plus curry roast cauliflower
Sous vide lamb backstrap with pomegranate, mint, and coriander pumpkin mash plus curry roast cauliflower
Sous vide lamb backstrap with pomegranate, mint, and coriander pumpkin mash plus curry roast cauliflower