CHEF’S CORNER

Tell us three ingredients that make any preparation tasty?
In Indian and Asian cuisine it would be spices,oil and anything that would add nutritional value to the recipe. I also think tomatoes make a dish tasty,especially in vegetarian preparations.

The three preparations that according to you would be the perfect combination of taste and health?
* Grilled chicken breast- any grilled dish has very little oil plus it has a smoky flavour that adds to it.
* Steamed fish
* Raw salads again with tomatoes,which has a high amount of antioxidants.

What is that one ingredient you cannot do without?
Ginger. It is available everywhere,blends really well with Asian cuisine and it can completely take a preparation to a new level with its flavour.

Are Puneities open to trying out newer things?
Everyone in Pune is open to experimentation. But at the same time,they want to retain the Indianness of their tastes.

Carre d’ agnello (Roast lamb rack,roast pumpkin,olive tapenade)

Serves 4
Ingredients:1200 g lamb rack,60 ml herb oil,4 g salt,pepper,rosemary leaves,oregano leaves and marjoram leaves.

For the pumpkin puree
320 g pumpkin,olive oil,garlic clove in the skin crushed,thyme,salt,pepper,butter and extra virgin olive oil.

For the roast pumpkin
800 g pumpkin small,olive oil,salt and pepper,thyme,garlic cloves with skin crushed.

For the lamb jus
60 g olive tapenade,1000 g lamb bones and trimming washed and chopped,500 g carrot rough chop,500 g celery rough chop,700 g onion rough chop,2 g black peppercorns,bay leaves,200 g tomato paste,5000 g water,5 g rosemary,10 g parsley spring,thyme spring,oregano and 100 g olive oil.

Method of preparation
Pumpkin puree: Cut pumpkin in half and clean out the seeds. Place in a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil,season and add thyme and garlic. Bake in oven for 40 minutes at 140 C till pumpkin is soft. Scrap out the pulp and pass through a fine sieve. To order: warm the puree,add the butter and olive oil and re-season.

Roast pumpkin: Cut the pumpkin into cubes. Trim off the skin and marinate with seasoning,garlic,thyme and olive oil. Roast in oven for 7 minutes at 160 C

Lamb Jus: Roast the bones in baking tray in a hot oven until deep brown. Cool down. In a stock pot in the olive oil,sauté the mirepoix until deep brown caramelized. Add the tomato paste,continue to sauté until mirepoix has considerably shrunken and paste is cooked out. Add the cold roasted bones to the pot. Deglaze the roasted bone baking tray and add the liquid to the pot. Add the cold water. Bring to a boil,skimming,add the other ingredients. Turn down to a low simmer and simmer for at least 8 hours. Strain,skim. Bring to the boil,skimming and reduce to about 2/3. To order: Warm a little jus,stir in tapenade.

Lamb rack: French the lamb rack. Portion the rack into double rack positions (two bones- 1 piece). Season with salt and pepper and brush all over with herb oil. Heat a pan to high and sear the rack fat side down. Roast in the oven. Warm the pumpkin wedges in the oven. Remove the rest of the lamb. Spoon a stripe of pumpkin puree on the plate. Arrange two pumpkin cubes overlapping each other. Slice the lamb in half give two racks on the bone per portion. Place on the plate. Spoon some tapenade just around the plate. Combine rosemary leaves and oregano leaves in a small bowl and sprinkle loosely over each lamb.