When Johnny’s Green Room executive chef Matteo Toffano and venue manager Lani Stubbs let you in on their brunch secrets, you listen. Early-weekend, late-morning dining is a staple they’ve perfected (which goes well with the venue’s Lygon Street rooftop).
Their first piece of advice? Whether a meal or a cocktail, keep things light.
“Usually if you’re going out for brunch, you may have been out the night before, so it should be super refreshing and really light,” Stubbs says.
Leaning on Johnny’s strong Italian influences, Stubbs and Toffano have created for Broadsheet the perfect brunch pairing: lamb arrosticini with gremolata washed down with a citrusy Grey Goose and Italicus spritz.
“You have the fattiness, you have the lemon zest, you have the beautiful herby flavour of the lamb, so that’s why we pair it with the Grey Goose spritz,” Toffano says. One word of warning, though – don’t skimp on the quantities. “If it was me, I would make three or four arrosticini per person … and you’ll then have two or three spritz with it, too.”
The lamb
Start with the gremolata, that classic Milanese combination of lemon zest and juice with garlic, extra virgin olive oil (Toffano recommends Mount Zero) and plenty of chopped parsley.
“You can prepare that half an hour [or] one hour before, so it can sit and all the ingredients come together,” says Toffano. “And then once the arrosticini is ready, you can just pour on top.”
For the lamb, Toffano uses backstrap, a lean and tender cut with great flavour. Start by removing the sinew and dicing it. Once cubed, give the lamb half an hour to marinate in a mix of dry Sicilian oregano, lemon zest, parsley and extra virgin olive oil. Skewer the lamb and pre-heat the barbeque (or pan, if you prefer).
“You want to have the temperature of the grill pretty hot so it just has a nice, beautiful crust all around the meat, but you want to have it medium rare inside,” says Toffano. “That’s why we use lamb backstrap because it gets perfect medium rare and it’s nice and juicy.”
Once seared – about six minutes, turning frequently – spoon over the gremolata and serve. All up, it should take around 40 minutes, start to finish.
“It’s quite easy. It’s pretty practical to do and paired with a beautiful spritz, it’s a nice addition to your brunch,” Toffano says.
The spritz
Stubbs’s spritz is a simple and fresh foil for the arrosticini.
“The flavours of the lamb are super juicy and fatty and the lemon in the spritz just cuts beautifully through the fat and the meat,” Stubbs says.
As you’d expect from Johnny’s Green Room, the drink is full of Italian flavours. Those unfamiliar with Italicus will find the liqueur subtly citrusy, with plenty of floral notes – it’s infused with lavender and yellow roses, among other botanicals.
“It has similar sort of notes – citrusy and quite sweet, like honeysuckle,” Stubbs says.
The spritz is built in the glass – a wine glass or gin balloon glass is perfect. Add the Grey Goose vodka, Italicus, vermouth and lemon juice, topping up the glass with ice and soda. Garnish with a lemon wedge and some classic lamb-friendly rosemary.
“With the ingredients we use it’s not overpowering for breakfast time,” Stubbs says. “It’s not strong – just those nice, summery spritz flavours.”
Lamb arrosticini with gremolata
Serves 4
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 6 minutes
Ingredients:
800g lamb backstrap
10g garlic, finely chopped
5g dry oregano
30ml extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp dry chilli
Salt and pepper
Gremolata
4 tbsp parsley, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
½ tsp fresh garlic, grated
50ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method:
For the gremolata, place all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well and store in fridge until needed.
For the lamb, clean the back strap of any fat and sinew. Cut the meat into four strips lengthwise and then each strip into 2cm by 2cm cubes. Place the lamb into a bowl with the rest of the ingredients, combine well and let marinate for 1 hour.
To make the arrosticini, place lamb cubes onto four medium skewers, one by one, until each skewer is full. Cook quickly on either the barbeque or a fry pan for six minutes, turning constantly to allow the meat to cook evenly.
Dress each of the arrosticini with the gremolata and serve immediately.
Cocktail: Johnny’s Vodka and Rosemary Spritz
Makes 1 serve. Approx. 1.5 standard drinks
Ingredients:
20ml Grey Goose vodka
20ml Italicus
20ml vermouth bianco
5ml lemon juice
Sprig of rosemary
Wedge of lemon
Method:
Using a wine glass or gin balloon, add the Grey Goose vodka, Italicus, vermouth bianco and lemon juice, and top with soda and ice. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and lemon, and serve.
This story was produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Grey Goose.
