Cannon of mutton or lamb also known as Back-strap is an excellent cut of meat that needs very little cooking if done right and marinated right. The peppercorns give it an extra zing but not only that they bring out some unique flavours in this superb cut of the meat. I prefer to use Mey Selections North Ronaldsay mutton for this but any other breed is perfect too. Ingredients Cannon of Mutton - 5-600 Gms. Ginger - Two X two inch pieces Garlic - Six cloves Cumin - One teaspoon Turmeric Powder – ½ teaspoon Green Chillies - Two large Cinnamon - One inch piece Cardamom - Four pods Cloves - Three to four Crushed Pepper Corns - One level tablespoon Lemon Juice - One tablespoon Yoghurt Thick - 200 Gms Salt - Two teaspoons Coriander Stalks - One tablespoon chopped Oil - Two Tablespoons (Mustard oil preferred if not available use any except olive oil)
Method Clean the cannons if not already done by your butcher. Otherwise ask your butcher to clean & trim them for you. Cut into one inch cubes. Rub in some of the salt, lemon juice and turmeric and set aside. Take the remaining ingredients except the crushed peppercorns and in your blender make a fine paste. You may wish to break the cinnamon into small pieces and the ginger to be cut into pieces as well. Break the chilli into bits. Once pureed mix in the peppercorns. Remove to a bowl. Check the seasoning and marinate the mutton. Coat the chunks thoroughly in the masala. The best thing to do would be to leave the chops marinated over night. Leave them out for a couple of hours at least before setting them covered in the refrigerator. If you leave them for more than a day there is nothing to worry about. You can keep the meat in the marinade for upto three days. When ready to cook if you are not barbequing the meat is to pre-heat the grill in the oven. Space the meat out on a grilling tray preferably with ridges in it for the juices to drain well and the meat to get heating all round. Remember that due to the marinade the meat will always remain pink inside. This does not mean that it raw. In fact it’s best to keep the meat medium rare for best results. This is a superb cut of mutton and will not disappoint you but you could easily disappoint it by over cooking. Test them for your self. The duration of cooking time will depend on the number of hours the meat has been marinated. There are several ways in which to use the pan drippings, one of the best is to slice two medium onions and saute them in a little bit of oil. Try not to use the lamb fat drippings, as the taste will become too strong. You may wish to skim and discard the fat. Add to the onions two chopped tomatoes, sauté for a while and add the pan juices. In this you may wish to add chunks of potato to serve as an accompaniment or just serve it as Gravy. Season at will but you will automatically get a good flavour. Sprinkle some chopped coriander and fresh mint if you have to complete the gravy. This cut of meat will also cook very well on the barbecue, which is exactly what they are for anyway. In case you decide to grill them or barbecue them, do not place them with all the marinade on them. Scrape off a bit when placing on the fire. Use the marinade for something else later or just make nice gravy from it. Recipe by Cyrus Todiwala, Chef/Patron, Cafe Spice Namaste.