Recipes, Lamb Recipes

BBQ Lamb Ossobuco with Sicilian Caponata

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Here is a lamb ossobuco recipe that is beautiful in its simplicity and begging to be eaten al fresco with a glass of cold Sicilian white wine. Lamb ossobuco, a slightly unusual cut from the leg, is simply grilled over the smouldering embers of a charcoal barbecue and served next to my take on caponata; a dish synonymous with the magical, beautiful, and wild island of Sicily. Unlike veal ossobuco, these steaks are cut from the upper part of the leg, making them suitable for grilling like a steak. Cook them over coals and let them rest to a beautiful pink. Keep it simple with just salt and a drizzle of oil to let the quality of the meat shine. A word for caponata, which has to be one of the finest preparations of vegetables going. I spent a week in Sicily and found a variation of the dish on every menu I read, with each kitchen offering up a slightly different example. The key components remained though, and they are vegetables fried in olive oil, dressed in an agrodolce style and served at room temperature. Some of the ingredients vary as does its consistency and appearance and that is fine. What caponata is not, and this mistake is often made in this country, is an aubergine stew, heavy with cooked tomatoes – something more akin to a ratatouille. Don’t make that mistake. In terms of what to serve with lamb ossobuco, you need look no further than this recipe.

Serves: 2

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Caponata

Method

Start with the Caponata

  1. Remove the tops from the aubergines and courgette, then dice them into 2cm cubes. Place in a large bowl, season with sea salt, and set aside for 15-minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the red onions, and garlic. Season with sea salt, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 20-minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions are soft and sweet.
  3. Boil a small pan of salted water. Blanch the tomato for 15-seconds, then cool, peel, chop roughly, and add to the pan. Cook for 10 more minutes.
  4. Using the same boiling water, blanch the celery for 3-minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the pan.
  5. Add the capers, sultanas, and pine nut kernels to the pan. Stir together and cook for 2-minutes. Turn off the heat, add 100-150ml of vinegar, and season with salt. Let sit for 5-minutes, then adjust seasoning, adding sugar or honey if needed.
  6. Heat a large pan with half olive oil and half vegetable oil to 170°C. Drain the liquid from the courgettes and aubergines, then fry in batches until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl lined with kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.
  7. Once all the aubergines and courgettes are fried, add them to the other pan and stir gently to avoid smashing them.
  8. Season again with a little vinegar and adjust salt levels as needed.
  9. Finally, stir in the basil leaves, allowing them to wilt in the residual heat.

To Cook the Lamb

  1. Light the barbecue and wait until the coals turn grey/white.
  2. Drizzle oil and season the lamb ossobuco generously with sea salt.
  3. Place the lamb on the grill, cooking for 2-minutes on each side. Continue cooking for an additional 4-6 minutes, flipping every 30-seconds.
  4. Remove from the grill and let rest for at least 10-minutes.
  5. Serve the lamb ossobuco with a generous spoonful of caponata and a lemon wedge.

Order meat online

For 15 years, George worked in some of London’s most loved restaurants, including Padella and Primeur, and spent five years as Head Chef at the Garden Museum Café. He earned praise for his simple, thoughtful cooking, with dishes rooted in the classics and always respectful of the ingredients.

In 2021, George realised a long-held ambition with the release of his first cookbook, A Year in the Kitchen. It celebrates the annual cookery cycle, guiding readers through the British seasons, showcasing native produce and encouraging creativity year-round.

In 2022, George left London and returned to his native Yorkshire. His passion for seasonal cooking and respect for quality British ingredients have remained central to his work. Like his food, George is led by the seasons, open to new opportunities and always following his heart.

Instagram

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Ask yourself this. When did you last have a really good pork chop? This is why we keep coming back to it. Native, rare breed pork. Dry aged on the bone. Proper depth of flavour. Nothing like the pale, wet stuff you see elsewhere. These are our Pork Chops with Rosemary and Anchovy Butter. Two thick, rindless chops. Two discs of handmade compound butter. Anchovy, rosemary, lemon zest, a little shallot. Old friends. It works.
Ask yourself this. When did you last have a really good pork chop? This is why we keep coming back to it. Native, rare breed pork. Dry aged on the bone. Proper depth of flavour. Nothing like the pale, wet stuff you see elsewhere. These are our Pork Chops with Rosemary and Anchovy Butter. Two thick, rindless chops. Two discs of handmade compound butter. Anchovy, rosemary, lemon zest, a little shallot. Old friends. It works.
@swaledalebutchers
@swaledalebutchers
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Follow
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Burns Night, 25 January. Two pastry wrapped tributes to Robert Burns. Made with chef Josh Whitehead of @finer_pleasures. A haggis sausage roll with coarse cut native breed pork. A hot water crust pie of mutton and lamb haggis, oats, onions and spice. Food for a cold night.
@swaledalebutchers
@swaledalebutchers
•
Follow
Burns Night, 25 January. Two pastry wrapped tributes to Robert Burns. Made with chef Josh Whitehead of @finer_pleasures. A haggis sausage roll with coarse cut native breed pork. A hot water crust pie of mutton and lamb haggis, oats, onions and spice. Food for a cold night.
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Winter. It felt strange being in Yorkshire, watching the news from the south where snow lay thick and sudden, while here January had arrived quietly, cold and wet, but not yet truly winter as we know it. Up here the season has always moved at a slower pace, and there is something steadying in remembering that. The idea that we should charge straight on after Christmas is a modern one, and it sits awkwardly with bodies and minds that are still tuned to pause, to take stock, to look back at the year just gone. Out on the farms, there is no rush but plenty to do. Some are already lambing, others preparing for it, working with the land rather than against it as the days begin, almost imperceptibly, to lengthen. The fields are still subdued, but there are signs, if you look closely, that life is beginning to stir again. And so, it feels right, now and then, to slow everything down and simply notice Yorkshire in January, not as something to be endured, but as a quiet and beautiful part of the year in its own right.
Winter. It felt strange being in Yorkshire, watching the news from the south where snow lay thick and sudden, while here January had arrived quietly, cold and wet, but not yet truly winter as we know it. Up here the season has always moved at a slower pace, and there is something steadying in remembering that. The idea that we should charge straight on after Christmas is a modern one, and it sits awkwardly with bodies and minds that are still tuned to pause, to take stock, to look back at the year just gone. Out on the farms, there is no rush but plenty to do. Some are already lambing, others preparing for it, working with the land rather than against it as the days begin, almost imperceptibly, to lengthen. The fields are still subdued, but there are signs, if you look closely, that life is beginning to stir again. And so, it feels right, now and then, to slow everything down and simply notice Yorkshire in January, not as something to be endured, but as a quiet and beautiful part of the year in its own right.
@swaledalebutchers
@swaledalebutchers
•
Follow
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@swaledalebutchers
@swaledalebutchers
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Follow
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@swaledalebutchers
@swaledalebutchers
•
Follow
Chef George Ryle @grylos, signing off the year with us. A delicious Christmas ham glaze. Nothing clever. Nothing rushed, but some useful tips. Thank you for watching, cooking along, and sticking with us this year. Merry Christmas.
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