Confit lamb ribs recipe with date syrup and toasted spices

Unctuously sticky ribs.

“I came across some crisp-fried lamb ribs in Chinatown in Queens once, when I was eating my way through New York City. The dish was served as a whole piece of fatty ribs and belly, crispy on the outside and absolutely smothered by a pile of toasted sesame and cumin seeds that I thought would be overpowering, but which actually cut through the meat perfectly,” remembers chef Analiese Gregory.

“Later, when I was in Morocco, where spices, date syrup and lamb were some of the readily available ingredients in the medina where I would shop every day, I created this version.”

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

1.5kg lamb ribs

50g salt

Olive oil, as needed for cooking the ribs, plus 2tbsp for the breadcrumbs

15g fennel seeds

15g cumin seeds

120g panko breadcrumbs

100ml date syrup

Method:

1. Sprinkle the lamb ribs all over with the salt. Arrange them on a tray and refrigerate for eight hours or overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 120°C (250°F).

3. Wash the ribs, pat dry and put in an ovenproof pot, drenching them in olive oil. Bring the heat up slowly on the stove until the olive oil starts to bubble. Transfer to the oven and cook, covered, for approximately two hours, or until the ribs are tender and the meat comes easily away from the bone. Take the ribs out of the oil and chill down in the fridge until firm.

4. Combine the spices in a frying pan over a low heat and toast until fragrant, then pour into a bowl to cool down. Put the panko crumbs and two tablespoons oil in the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until crispy and golden. Add the crumbs to the spices, mix together and season with sea salt.

5. Preheat a deep fryer or stovetop pot of oil to 180°C (350°F). You’ll need enough oil to cover the ribs. Take the ribs and cut down between the bones to make individual ribs. Deep fry until brown and crispy on the outside, approximately five minutes. Drain and toss them in a bowl with the date syrup. To serve, arrange on a plate and cover with the spiced crumbs.

How Wild Things Are: Cooking, Fishing And Hunting At The Bottom Of The World by Analiese Gregory, photography by Adam Gibson, is published by Hardie Grant on March 4, priced £22.

Manuka honey madeleines recipe

Perfect with a mug of tea.

“I’ve been experimenting with taking processed sugar out of some of my recipes and replacing it with more natural alternatives, such as honey and malt syrups,” says Tasmania-based chef, Analiese Gregory.

“This is one of the recipes that adapted exceptionally well to honey, and I love the flavour the madeleines get from intense ones, such as manuka and leatherwood. For me, these cakes are best served straight from the oven. They don’t benefit from being kept for too long!”

Ingredients:

(Makes 24 madeleines)

170g butter, plus some for brushing the metal mould

3 eggs

185g manuka or leatherwood honey, or other honey as preferred

160g plain flour

¼tsp salt

¼tsp baking powder

Soured cream, to serve

For the apricot jam:

250g apricots

2½tbsp water

50g honey

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Melt the butter and let cool to room temperature.

2. In a stand mixer, whisk the eggs and honey until light and fluffy, approximately 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients, then add them to the egg mix and fold by hand. Once the dry ingredients are incorporated, gently fold in the cooled melted butter. Chill in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes.

3. To make the jam, take the seeds out of the apricots, then roughly dice them. Combine with the water and honey in a saucepan and cook on a medium heat for approximately 10 minutes, or until a jammy consistency is reached.

4. Butter a madeleine mould with a pastry brush. I use a 12-cake non-stick metal one; the old copper madeleine moulds are amazing, but I would grease and flour them first. Fill each indentation half full and bake for 10 minutes. They should be set and golden, with minimal colour on top and light brown underneath.

5. Serve immediately with soured cream and jam.

Cashew miso cream recipe with young vegetables

Use the freshest veg you can.

“I suppose every chef that ever worked for Michel Bras has their version or homage to his famous dish ‘The Gargouillou’, comprised of over 50 different vegetables, herbs and flowers, purées, pickles, fruits and French country ham,” says chef Analiese Gregory. “This one incredible dish taught me so much about seasonality, flavour, ingredient combinations, and how truly great dishes transcend food trends and fads.

“This is a very simple salad, loosely inspired by my time at Bras, that basically includes every vegetable we have in the fridge in early summer in Tasmania. An autumn, spring or winter version would be just as great – just different.”

Cashew miso cream recipe with young vegetables

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

½ baby romanesco

1 baby cucumber

1 baby gem lettuce

4 (yellow) butter beans

2 Paris market carrots

2 courgette flowers (if available)

2 purple carrots

2 hakurei turnips

1 baby Chioggia (candy stripe) beetroot and its leaves

1 pink turnip

6 amaranth leaves (if available)

6 blueberries

4 purple basil leaves

4 shiso leaves (if available)

4 Greek basil tips

Olive oil, to serve

For the cashew miso cream:

250g raw cashew nuts

220ml water

50g Chickpea miso or a sweet, nutty brown rice miso

¼tsp salt

Method:

1. Soak the cashews in cold water for at least two hours or overnight.

2. Drain, then combine with the water, miso and salt and blend on high speed until smooth. It may take a while.

3. Clean and slice the vegetables, keeping edible leaves on where possible. All vegetables in this particular salad are raw, sliced thinly or into florets or left whole depending on the vegetable. It’s about taking a whole bunch of beautiful, in-season vegetables and treating them like crudités, dragging them through the cashew dip.

4. Dress a plate with the cashew miso cream and arrange the vegetables on top. Dress with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

How Wild Things Are: Cooking, Fishing And Hunting At The Bottom Of The World by Analiese Gregory, photography by Adam Gibson, is published by Hardie Grant on March 4, priced £22.

How Wild Things Are: Cooking, Fishing And Hunting At The Bottom Of The World by Analiese Gregory, photography by Adam Gibson, is published by Hardie Grant on March 4, priced £22.

By Ella Walker, PA