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Mutton-stuffed johnny cakes with curry broth and pickle

Preparation time
overnight

Cooking time
over 2 hours

Serves
Serves 4

 

By Andi Oliver
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

For the Antigua green seasoning

  • 2 fresh thyme sprigs (about 10g)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 50g/1¾oz flatleaf parsley
  • 4 spring onions, chopped
  • 10 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 Scotch bonnet, chopped
  • 6 small Caribbean seasoning peppers (or mixture red, yellow or green pimento peppers), approximately 20g/¾oz, chopped
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 400ml/14fl oz olive oil

For the mutton

  • 1kg/2lb 4oz chopped mutton, on the bone
  • large pinch salt

For the curry

  • 1–2 tsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp black cardamom, bashed
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 1 Scotch bonnet, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
  • 1 litre/1¾ pints beef or lamb stock
  • 2 generous pinches salt

For the Johnny cakes

  • 500g/1lb 2oz self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 400ml tin coconut milk
  • 20g/¾oz caster sugar (or coconut sugar)
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp Caribbean curry powder
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp coconut milk
  • 1 free-range egg yolk, lightly beaten

For the escovitch pickle

  • 1 onion, very thinly sliced
  • 2 Scotch bonnets, very thinly sliced
  • 1 large beetroot, peeled and very thinly sliced
  • handful green leek tops, very thinly sliced
  • 250ml/9fl oz white vinegar
  • 300ml/½pt water
  • 20g/¾oz caster sugar
  • 1 tsp allspice berries
  • 5g black peppercorns
  • 4 tbsp olive oil

Method

  1. To make the Antigua green seasoning, blend all of the ingredients together with a hand blender or in a food processor. Keep in a screw-top jar in the fridge.

  2. To make the mutton, place the meat in a large bowl and add 3 tablespoons of the green seasoning (store any remaining seasoning back in the fridge). Season with the salt, stir to coat and leave to marinate for 2 hours in the fridge. Brown the meat in the butter until golden, for 10–15 minutes. Fry in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Then set aside for later.

  3. To make the curry, heat a small splash of oil in a large casserole and fry the spices for a couple of minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the Scotch bonnet and gently fry for a further couple of minutes. Add the carrot and fry for few minutes. Add the browned meat and give it a good stir. Pour in the stock and add the salt. Cover and simmer for around 4 hours or until the meat is meltingly tender. Keep an eye on the levels of liquid in the pan and keep topping up so that the meat is covered. Once cooked, remove the meat with a slotted spoon, leaving the liquor behind in the pan as this will become the broth. Set the meat aside to cool completely (overnight in the fridge ideally) and then pull the meat from the bone.

  4. To make the johnny cakes, bring all of the ingredients together in a large bowl to form a soft dough. Lightly dust a work surface with flour, tip the dough out and knead gently for 2–3 minutes. Divide into 12–16 even-sized pieces and roll them into rough balls. Leave on a tray and cover with a tea towel for 30 minutes.

  5. Preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3. Roll out each ball of dough into a rough circle and, using a 9cm/3½in round cookie cutter, cut out 12–16 circles. Take a tablespoon of the chilled meat that you have pulled off the bone and place in the middle of each circle. Bring the dough up around the meat and pinch gently at the top to create a dumpling or patty shape. Lay on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush each johnny cake with a mix of the coconut milk and egg yolk and bake in middle of the oven for around 25 minutes until golden.

  6. Meanwhile, place the remaining cooking liquor from the mutton curry over a medium–high heat and gently simmer until it reduces a little. Once bubbling, turn off the heat and stir through a little butter.

  7. To make the pickle, slice all the vegetables evenly and very thinly – use a mandolin to make it easier but a good sharp knife will do just as well. Place all the vegetables in a saucepan and add the sugar, spices, vinegar and water. Place over a low heat and stir to dissolve the sugar for a few minutes. Set aside to cool. Blend the pickle mixture with a hand blender or in a food processor and add some oil to emulsify it. Place in a squeezy bottle.

  8. Serve the johnny cakes and broth with the pickle for squeezing over.

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