Saddle of lamb with pearl barley and nettle pesto

• 1 saddle of lamb for 4 people on
Piece (back)
• 125 g cooked pearl barley
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 slices of celery, finely diced
• 30 g parsley, finely chopped
• 10 g thyme, finely chopped
• 10 g rosemary, finely chopped
• Zest of 1 untreated lemon
• 40 g sour cream
• 100 ml stock (preferably
of lamb)
• 20g butter
• 30 g goat's cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the nettle pesto:
• 1 large handful of young
Nettle leaves
• 120 g walnuts
• 30 g roasted hazelnuts,
Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds,
Hemp seeds (shelled)
• 150 ml rapeseed oil
• Zest of 1 untreated lemon

Roast and smoke the pearl barley in the smoker beforehand to intensify the flavour. Then cook in plenty of salted water for around 12-14 minutes until al dente and then drain.

Heat the butter on the grill, in a pan or roasting pan, add the finely diced carrot, onion and celery and sauté lightly. Then add the parsley, thyme and rosemary as well as the cooked (and possibly smoked) pearl barley and deglaze with the lamb stock. Then add the sour cream and goat's cheese and season with salt, pepper and lemon zest.

In the meantime, grill the lamb first on the skin side, then on the underside of the back. Then place on the pearl barley. Lower the grill temperature to around 115 °C and let the back of lamb cook until it reaches a core temperature of 55-58 °C.

There are a thousand different ways to flavor pesto. It is important that the ingredients are ground in a mortar. This is when the herbs develop their warm aroma. Covered with a layer of oil, it keeps very well in the fridge for several days.

Recipe by Giuseppe Messina for "Bayern glüht". A campaign of tested quality from Bavaria in cooperation with FIRE&FOOD.