AUTUMN LAMB SHOULDER

Mel is head chef at Greystone Cellar Door and is renowned for her incredible knowledge of wild foods and edible plants. Mel is one of only a few licensed foragers in New Zealand. Her food tells the story of North Canterbury through the combination of ingredients she has foraged and the best local farmers. She has developed a special ‘Long Lunch’ menu here with four courses that change weekly – all paired with wine – around what is in season and what she has gathered. “I was born and raised in North Canterbury in an environment where food was either being produced, hunted, fished or gathered from our local environment. My philosophy is to create simple, tasty fare from seasonal, local, and foraged produce. I let the seasons dictate my menu, which changes weekly.” 

SERVES 4-6

1 lamb shoulder 

2 red capsicums 

4 large onions 

2 zucchinis 

6 heirloom tomatoes 

6–8 fresh/dried Kawakawa leaves 

6–8 cloves of garlic 

1 tsp smoked paprika 

4–6 tsp Sumac (4 dry, 6 fresh) 

Local olive oil 

A bottle of Greystone Pinot Noir 

Greystone Verjuice to taste 

Salsa Verde 

 Crush together the Kawakawa, garlic, and sumac with enough olive oil to make a paste. Rub 3/4 of the paste into the lamb shoulder and leave to marinate for at least a few hours. 

Once marinated, sear lamb all over until well caramelised. Halve and sear onions in the same pan, deglaze the still hot pan with half a bottle of Pinot and bring to a boil. Put all in a roasting dish with the lamb on top of onions. 

Cover and braise at 160 degrees Celsius for two-and-a-half to three hours until lamb is tender. Strain meat cooking juices and reduce to make jus, taste to check balance. 

Halve the tomatoes, place in a roasting dish, rub with the remainder of herb paste, salt and pepper cook until caramelised. 

Roughly chop the capsicums and cook in the oven until soft, then blitz while hot with smoked paprika, a pinch of sumac, and enough olive oil to make a smooth sauce, add salt, pepper, and Verjuice to achieve balance. 

Slice zucchinis thinly and dress with Verjuice, olive oil, salt, pepper. 

Plate as desired. Use sauce and jus liberally to coat lamb, zucchinis, and tomatoes. Serve with your favourite bread, salsa Verde or roast potatoes.