Black Pepper Lamb In Montreux, Switzerland
Travelling to Montreux seemed like the realization of a long held childhood dream. Sanjeev’s father, Harish Chandra, had visited Montreux in 1952, when he was a young man travelling across Europe. He frequently talked about it to his family for decades afterwards and Sanjeev grew up wanting to see this fabled city for himself.
Montreux is the heart of the Swiss Riviera, the name given to the gorgeous stretch of land along the northern bank of Lake Geneva. The snow covered peaks of the Swiss Alps form a spectacular backdrop to the blue waters of the lake and the green hills on which the town is built. You can take a boat tour around the lake and see the stunning scenery from every angle.
Vineyards run down the slopes surrounding the city, where you can sip a glass of wine and enjoy lunch while gazing out over the water. Majestic historic buildings, flower lined paths along the waterfront, a famous jazz festival and superb cuisine are just some more reasons to fall in love with this city. It is easy to understand why generations of tourists have visited Montreux, and many celebrities from Tchaikovsky to Charlie Chaplin made it their home.
We arrived in Montreux almost exactly 70 years after Harish’s visit. Fortunately it was summer, so we did not have to contend with snow as Harish had to. Montreux, however, is beautiful in any season.
One of the places that Harish visited and frequently talked about was the famous Château of Chillon, a brooding medieval castle that sits jutting out into the waters of the lake. He would often quote from the famous poem by Lord Byron, the The Prisoner of Chillon, that had been inspired by this setting.
Many captives passed through the dungeons of Chillon when it was a stronghold of the Dukes of Savoy. The most famous of them was François Bonivard, a nobleman who fought to make Geneva, then under the control of Savoy, an independent republic. Bonivard spent years as a prisoner before being freed by troops from Bern in 1536. Today the cell that he lived in has been carefully preserved and you can still see messages carved on the walls by generations of inmates.
Lord Byron heard the tale of Bonivard while living in a villa on the banks of Lake Geneva in 1816, and was moved to compose The Prisoner of Chillon. The poem became celebrated for its portrayal of Bonivard’s heroic resistance, making the Château of Chillon renowned across the world. Today it is one of the most visited medieval castles in Europe.
The castle dates back to the 11th century, when it controlled the road from Italy to the rest of western Europe. At Chillon the Dukes of Savoy would levy customs duties, a most lucrative source of funds. Traders from Venice and Genoa, laden with pepper, ginger, and other spices brought from India would cross the Alps through the Great St. Bernard Pass on their way to Burgundy. The spices they carried commanded enormous prices across Europe, where they were eagerly sought by royal kitchens.
Some of the spices, especially black pepper, also found their way into the cuisine of the region and still influence it to this day. We had delicious lamb shanks cooked with red wine and black pepper, while sitting outside watching the evening lights twinkling along the shore creating a magical, memorable scene.
Black pepper is also the star in my recipe below as I pay homage not only to the spice traders who carried it across the world at great personal peril but also to Harish Chandra, who loved cooking with spices, especially black pepper. This lamb dish was one of his favourites.
Cubes of succulent, tender lamb, napped by a rich, thick sauce are a delicious treat with soft warm, buttery naan or with Coconut Rice. Make this easy recipe anytime you want to impress your guests, celebrate a special occasion or simply pamper your family!
Black Pepper Lamb
2 lb boneless leg of lamb, cubed into 1 inch pieces
For The Marinade:
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 inch piece ginger, grated
10 fresh curry leaves
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
1 tsp each, ground spices, divided: turmeric, coriander, cumin, dried fenugreek leaves (Kasoori methi), fennel (optional) OR use 2 tsp Malabar Masala
1 tbsp ground black pepper, divided
For The Curry:
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 large onion, sliced
10 fresh curry leaves
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tbsp each: coconut cream, skimmed off the top of a can of premium coconut milk, tamarind extract* (see note)
2 tbsp each, chopped: fresh coriander, fresh mint leaves
Place lamb in large mixing bowl. Add all the marinade ingredients and the salt as well as half tsp of all the ground spices. Reserve remaining spices.
Mix lamb well with marinade ingredients, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer.
When ready to cook, place a large heavy bottomed saucepan over medium high heat.
Add oil and after a few seconds, add the mustard seeds.
Let seeds splutter gently for a few seconds, then add onions, curry leaves and chopped garlic. Saute until onions are lightly browned, about 10 min.
Add lamb with all its marinade, scraping everything into the onions in the saucepan.
Brown lamb for 5 min until lightly seared and sealed on all sides.
Reduce heat to low and add coconut cream, tamarind extract, additional salt to taste and the reserved ground spices.
Mix everything well, cover and cook for about an hour and a half until lamb is very tender and the sauce is thick, stirring now and then to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. If the sauce is not thick and clinging to the meat, uncover saucepan, turn up the heat and cook off some of the excess liquid.
Fold in the chopped fresh herbs, taste and adjust spicing if needed (you can add more freshly ground black pepper here, if desired) and serve.
Serves six
*Note: To make tamarind extract, soak a small walnut sized lump of seedless tamarind in 1/2 cup of hot water. Mash with a fork and let soften for 15 min or longer. Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and strain this mixture, pressing against the solids to extract all the liquid. Discard solids from the sieve. Reserve tamarind extract for use in the recipe and refrigerate extras for another recipe.
