GETTING THE BEST OUT OF LAMB BELLY WITH FREDDIE PONDER
Ambassador Chef, Freddie Ponder from Tables Restaurant in New Plymouth loves cooking with New Zealand lamb. Not only is it a versatile and flavoursome product to work with, the lamb Freddie uses is raised on the wholesome green pastures down the road from his restaurant which underpins the paddock-to-plate philosophy which is so important to chefs.
A popular lamb cut he loves to have on his menu is lamb belly. Not only is it a cost-effective menu item, but it has a wonderful robust flavour and texture which comes from a long slow braise which renders the fat and enhances the flavour.
To get the best from lamb belly, he likes to roll it using garlic, onion and thyme and then slowly braise it in a flavoursome stock. Freddie used lamb belly for a course at his recent Ambassador Series dinner and matched the lamb with a smokey flavoured hangi potato and the sweet flavours of carrot purée, pickles and grapes creating a beautiful dish full of flavour harmony. Equally as good with lamb belly are the flavours of artichoke and pickled mushrooms – below Freddie shares one of his recipes using lamb belly.