Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb in Hay

This is a regular Sunday roast, sometimes with lamb shoulder and sometimes with a whole leg of lamb. The results are very similar, a succulent, sweet roast with a background flavour of fresh hay, mint and rosemary.

It may seem like a long process, but it's not a complex one, ensuring the hay is fresh and clean is the most important part though. Many pet shops sell hay but it's been treated with chemicals, so either spend a lot of time washing it or get your hay direct from source. It still needs a good clean, it's been growing outside!

The second important part is ensuring an airtight seal around the lamb, using a deep roasting pan with a lid is the easier option, but covering with tin foil also works well.

I tied down the lid and used tin foil to seal in the vapour. The lamb cooks on a low, gas mark 2, heat for a good 7 hours. You can do this overnight, but the smells will keep you awake all night.

Once the lamb is tender, almost falling off the bone, take it out of the oven and leave to settle for 30 minutes. Then carefully, and you really do need to be careful as the meat will just fall off, remove the hay from the top. Place the lamb in a fresh roasting pan, carefully removing all traces of hay, this takes a little patience (oooh, Take That).

Place the lamb in a very hot oven to crisp up the outside of the lamb, if using lamb shoulder you could just pull all the meat off and serve in a nice lamb gravy.

Let the lamb rest for a good 30 minutes and serve with some nice seasonal veg. Yum.

1. Lay a bed of hay on a nest made of an onion, carrot, garlic and celery
2. After the first layer of hay, lay a bed of herbs, rosemary, sage, tarragon, parsley
3. Season the meat with salt and black pepper
4. Place some anchovy fillets on top of the lamb before more herbs and the rest of the hay

Easy as 1,2,3 and 4

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Slow Braised Ox Cheek Suet pudding

Steak and kidney suet pudding, Oxtail suet pudding and a few others gave me this idea. A slow braised Ox cheek served in a suet pudding, but please don't have too much it's extremely rich, but oh so good!

The best thing about this is the richness of the sauce and the way in which the meat just flakes apart and melts in your mouth.

Ingredients for Ox Cheeks

• 2 Ox cheeks, membrane removed, fat removed and diced to 1 inch pieces
• 1 carrot
• 1 white onion
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 bouquet garni
• 250 ml red wine
• 300 ml beef stock
• 300 ml stout
• 1 star anise
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tbs plain flour
• 2 tbs olive oil

Directions

1. Make some seasoned flour to coat the Ox Cheeks
2. Heat oil in a stock pot or pressure cooker
3. Coat the Ox cheeks in flour and quickly fry to seal the juices
4. After removing the cheeks fry off the diced onions, diced carrot and diced celery
5. Add the wine and stout and boil to remove alcohol
6. Turn down to a simmer and add stock and the cheeks. Top up with water to ensure the pot is at least half full.
7. Add star anise and bouquet garni
8. If using pressure cooker, put on lid and bring to pressure before reducing heat, cook for further 150 minutes
9. If using stock pot, put on lowest heat and simmer for 6-7 hours until the meat becomes flaky but still holding its body
10. Once cooked separate the meat, I use a strainer, save the sauce and reduce to thick consistency.
11. Make the puddings, add the meat and some of the thick sauce.
12. Cover the pudding and steam for two hours.
13. Serve with more of the thickened sauce, new potatoes and fresh green beans

 

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Asparagus and Caramelised onion tart with Cornish Yarg

I've seen a few recipes for this over the past few years, and when in Dublin over the weekend I had a version that was cold in the middle, warm on the outside and burnt on the top! So when I got back to the UK I thought it was about time to make my own and see if I could do better, and yes I can.

There are three stages to making this, the caramelised onion was made the day before and the Asparagus was cooled before using.

 

I also cheated on the pasty, I used shop bought puff pasty but it's a cheat that's worth doing as I've never managed to make a great puff pastry.

 

 

 

Caramelised Onion

There is not trick to this, just good slow cooking and patience. This can be done the day before.

Ingredients

• 3 medium sized white onions
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup of water

Directions

1. Peal and cut the onions into half circles about a cm in thickness
2. Put pan onto a low heat, enough to make the water simmer but not boil
3. Add the onions and cook until the onions are a golden brown, keep adjusting the heat to ensure the onions don't burn
4. After the water has evaporated cover the pan with a lid, and continue to cook until the onions go a golden brown colour. Many people cheat here by adding sugar. If you leave the onions to slowly cook they will release their own sugars.
5. When the onions are almost done, add the balsamic vinegar ad set aside to cool.

Tart

Directions

1. Trim and boil the asparagus for about 10 minutes, just enough to make them retain their crunch
2. Allow the asparagus to cool and roll out the pastry to a couple of mm thickness, or buy the pre rolled puff pastry. About a 4 inch square
3. score a square inside the rolled out pastry and place a thin layer of the caramelised onion inside, not too thick as it will overpower the tart
4. Lay out the asparagus on top and place slices of Cornish Yarg cheese on top
5. Sprinkle some salt and pepper then cook on gas 5 for about 20 minutes

 

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Coriander soup (sopa de cilantro)

This is a delicious refreshing soup with a spicy kick that's great as a lunchtime dish or as a small starter.

I first had sopa de cilantro in Tybee Island, Georgia in 1990, and it wasn't until now until I decided to try and replicate this and I'm very glad I did. I like it very spicy so I added a couple of extra birds eye chillies for a nice kick, but this can be a little overwhelming for many people.

And it's very green!

 

Ingredients

• 100g of Coriander, finely chopped
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, grated
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 pint good vegetable stock
• 2 medium sized green chillies
• 200 ml double cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional, birds eye green chillies

Direction

1. Put the oil, onion, celery, garlic and the finely grated Coriander roots in a saucepan and start to soften on a medium heat, do not allow to brown or overcook.
2. Once the onion and clearly are softened add the stock and bring to a boil.
3. Add the rest of the coriander and finely chopped chillies, then turn down to a simmer.
4. After 15 minutes blend to a fine mixture and add the cream.
5. Return to the heat and bring to a simmer for a further ten minutes, adjusting the seasoning towards the end of the cooking.
6. Serve with a few coriander leaves, fresh taco's and a sprinkle of a good strong cheddar cheese.

Roasted Sweet red pepper soup

What a great lunchtime simple recipe. Full of flavour and easy to make, especially nice with some fresh home made bread and butter, with a big dollop of mascarpone. Yum!

I've spent a few months working on the flavour balance for this recipe, and this is the final result.

I used all organic ingredients in the soup and think this does improve the flavour.

The main trick is roasting the Peppers to help remove the skin, but also adds a depth of flavour which improves the soup.

Ingredients 2 Sweet red peppers 4 red bell peppers 1 medium sized white onion 2 sticks of celery 1 carrot 3 cloves of garlic, ground 1 inch of root ginger, ground 1 medium hot chilli, seeds removed 1 small starchy potato(king Edward or Maris piper) 1 pint of good vegetable stock Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cut the onion, carrots and celery into small chunks
   
2. Roast the peppers over a flame or under a hot grill then place in a covered container to allow to sweat, this helps to release the thought skin
   
3. Allow to cool and remove the skin and seeds, cut into inch sized pieces
4. In a large saucepan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and cook off the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and ginger.
5. When the onions etc. are soft and translucent, add the peppers stock and the very finely diced red chilli pepper and the potato
6. Bring to the boil, topping up with hot water so all the peppers are covered. Continue to cook for 15 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat and blend, being careful with the hot soup mix. The longer you blend the finer the soup will be. I like the soup with a little texture.
8. Adjust the seasoning by adding some salt and black pepper, be careful adding the black pepper as you have already added chilli.
9. Serve with a nice dollop of mascarpone or sour cream and fresh bread.

Enjoy!

Simple white loaf

Just had family around for Sunday lunch and we got talking about baking, as you do when you have a Mary Berry baking book on the table. Ended up talking about how easy it is to make a simple white loaf, or three as it turned out to be, of bread.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredient

1. 1kg of strong white flour, OO flour is the best. I used Allinsons but have used McDougals in the past.
   
2. 15g quick dried yeast
3. 1 tbs sugar
4. 300ml water
5. 350ml full fat or semi-skinned(low fat) milk
6. 20 g salt
7. 3 tbs Olive oil

Direction

 

1. Put 200ml of boiling water in a large jug
2. Add 100 ml of cold water
3. Add the milk and sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved
4. Stir in the yeast the top off with the olive oil
5. Allow to stand for 5 minutes
6. Sieve the flour and slat together

Using a mixer

1. Turn the mixer on the low setting then slowly add the yeast mixture. Only add it all if it needs it, the mixture should not be too wet.
2. Keep mixing for a good ten minutes to allow the gluten to stretch

Mix by hand

1. Make a well in the centre of the flour and our in a little of the yeast mixture and using your fingers slowly blend into the flour.
2. Keep doing this until all the flour is incorporated then knead the dough for a good fifteen minutes, make sure you keep the surface well floured to stop the dough from sticking.

Continue

1. Kneed the dough for a further five minutes
2. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with cling film
3. Ace bowl in a warm ace for an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Second rise

1. When the dough has doubled in size, take out and divide as required.
2. Knock out the large air bubbles by kneading the dough for a couple of minutes
3. Place onto a floured surface to allow to rise a second time, or in loaf tins, this should be about 20 -25 minutes.

Cooking

1. Heat the oven to the highest setting
2. Pace a cooking tray full of hot water in the bottom of the oven
3. cook the bread on the highest setting for 15-20 minutes, until there is a nice brown crust
4. turn down to fan 160/ 180 or gas 4 for 20 minutes
5. Test to see if cooked by tapping the bread to see if it sounds hollow
6. Leave to cool on wire rack

 

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