Chef Jennifer O’Brien Aussie Lamb Tinga Tostada
- Prep time 20Min
- Cook time 4Hr
- Technique Braise, Bake
- Meat Lamb
- Cut Shank
- Serves 30
This hearty and smoky lamb tinga, served on a crispy tostada with creamy avocado, a poached egg, and tangy pickled red onions, is the perfect antidote to the "Sunday Scaries" with its bold flavours and textures.
Ingredients
Pickled Red Onions:
- 5 g Coriander seeds, toasted
- 500 g Red wine vinegar
- 100 g Water
- 200 g Granulated sugar
- 10 g Kosher salt
- 150 g Red onion, sliced 1/8 in
- 50 g Roasted red beet (for color)
Lamb Tinga:
- 6 each Australian Lamb Shanks (approximately 2.7kg total)
- As needed Kosher salt
- 6 Tbsp Canola oil
- 300 g White onion, Sliced 1/8 in
- 30 g Garlic, chopped
- 15 g Cumin
- 120 g Chipotle paste
- 900 g Vine-ripened or Beefsteak tomato, chopped
- 950 g Chicken stock
Tostada (per serving):
- 1 each Tostada (6 in)
- 1/4 C Refried black beans
- 3 oz Lamb Tinga
- 1/4 each Avocado, sliced and fanned
- 1 Tbsp Mexican crema
- 1 oz Queso fresco, crumbled
- 1 each Egg, poached
- 4 each Radishes, sliced thin
- 2 each Cilantro sprigs
- 4 each Jalapeños, sliced thin
- 8 each Pickled Red Onion slices
- Sea salt, to taste
Method
Directions:
- For the Pickled Red Onions: Wrap the coriander seeds in cheesecloth. Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and coriander sachet to a boil. Pour over the red onions in a nonreactive bowl. Add the beet and refrigerate for service. Be sure pickling liquid covers onion.
- For the Lamb Tinga: Season lamb with salt. Heat the oil in large rondeau until just smoking. Brown the shanks on each side. Remove from pan, reserving to the side.
- Reduce heat to medium low and saute the onions, gently lifting the fond from the bottom of the pan. When onions are just translucent, add the garlic and cumin. Saute 1 additional minute. Stir in the chipotle paste and cook for 2 minutes. Deglaze with the tomatoes and chicken stock.
- Add the shanks back into the rondeau, loosely cover, and cook in the oven at 325 degrees F for approximately 3 1/2 hours, or until tender and falling off the bone. Be sure to flip the shanks halfway through the cooking time.
- Once cooked to desired tenderness, remove the shanks, cool slightly, and pull meat from the bone. Remove fat from the cooking liquid and reduce the liquid down to a thick viscosity. Reincorporate the lamb, chill, and hold for service.
- For the Tostada, per serving: Gently heat the lamb and beans separately. Spread the refried beans in the center of the tostada. Mound braised lamb over top. Fan out the avocado to the side. Drizzle with crema and sprinkle with queso fresco. Top with a poached egg and garnish with the radish, jalapeño, pickled onion, and cilantro. Finish with sea salt over the avocado.
Chef Notes:
Spread 1 Tbsp refried beans in the center of the plate to stabilize the tostada for service.
