SPRING LAMB ON THE MENU AT PHIL’S KITCHEN

New Zealand lamb loin with glazed lamb neck, Jerusalem artichoke, crispy cabbage and red onion and berry jam

Spring is a very exciting time of the year!  Everything is fresh and new and bursting into life – it’s one of the best seasonal menu changes and for chefs coming out of another lockdown it’s providing some fresh inspiration for new menus around the country.

Auckland-based chef, Phil Clark of Phil’s Kitchen loves working with all the amazing new spring produce which is bursting with flavour, colour and tenderness. It’s easy for a chef to be inspired by the newness and freshness of spring to create mouth-watering dishes which look equally amazing on the plate.

We asked Phil what his favourite new menu dish is and he says without a doubt it’s his new lamb dish which is getting him the most excited.  He loves it when the orders come through for this dish as it’s a lot of fun to plate up.  The dish features a New Zealand lamb loin with glazed lamb neck, Jerusalem artichoke, crispy cabbage and red onion and berry jam. 

The dish was designed with three main ingredients used in three different ways which has turned into something quite special.  New Zealand lamb loin was Phil’s choice as the main protein as it’s a nice clean piece of meat which looks stunning on the plate.  It’s a beautifully tender cut of lamb which he doesn’t have to do too much to, so it’s less labour intensive unlike the rest of his dish!  Lamb neck is the secondary protein which is braised and delicately shaped inside cabbage leaves and also served as a clean piece, glazed in a jus with a ginger and red onion crumb on top.

Phil spends a lot of time prepping the cabbage – such a humble ingredient – but one that takes this dish to another level.  He says it was a bit of an experiment, and his method may sound crazy to some, but he braises a whole cabbage in butter which adds an extra richness and level of flavour to the cabbage.  Nothing is wasted as Phil uses the whole cabbage – the outer leaves are pulled away and cut while warm, then roasted off to create a thin crispy texture.  The inner leaves are the perfect vehicle to fill with the soft tender lamb neck which Phil makes into balls and finally the inner heart or whiter part of the cabbage is cut into wedges and cooked down again using the same butter the cabbage was originally cooked in.  Phil says it’s about creating levels of flavour from something very simplistic and is worth the extra work.

Jerusalem artichokes are abundant at the moment and their earthy flavour is the perfect match for lamb.  Phil uses them on this dish as crispy chips and glazed dehydrated balls.  The remnants are made into a smooth and luscious purée, perfect for scooping onto your lamb loin.

With the savoury flavours of the cabbage and the lamb, the addition of the red onion and berry jam adds a delicious fruitiness creating a beautiful harmony on the palate.

Phil says the inspiration for this dish comes from the environment where he forages every week for ingredients.  He loves to venture out to West Auckland to pick the freshest produce for the week ahead.  He gets inspired seeing the lambs grazing alongside the crops of cabbages, kale and broccoli and chewing on the cresses and borage flowers he forages to use as garnishes.  

This not only gives him a sense of how the dish should taste, but it helps with the plating. Phil likes his dishes to remain as natural as possible and to look like each component has effortlessly fallen on to the plate.  By hand picking and foraging for his ingredients he gets great ideas on how to place them on the plate to capture that natural look - as if it has come straight from the environment.  Phil says it can take several weeks of trial and error to get the plating right and nothing goes on social media until he is 100% happy with the plating.  From there on it’s a lot of fun in the kitchen, plating and serving each order and seeing his customers’ reactions to his new dishes.

But don’t take our word for it, check it out for yourself at Phil’s Kitchen in Kingsland.