My favourite thing - Sunday roast

If you were to ask me what my absolute favourite meal was I would have to answer, roast lamb, with crispy roast potatoes, gravy and a pile of vegetables.  As I will soon be leaving home I am using my last few weeks here as a chance to learn some more useful skills from my mum and, of course, this includes cooking a roast dinner from scratch.

I chose to roast a leg of lamb as it's one of my favourite joints of meat.  The first thing you have to do is prepare the meat, cut away any excess fat and gristle from the edges of the meat.  Then score the meat, season with salt and pepper and stuff the slits with sprigs of fresh rosemary.  By wedging the rosemary into the slits the meat will take on its great taste, something which is often lost if you just sprinkle it on top.

The prepared lamb

Roasting times will vary depending on the size of the joint and you will need to allow some extra time if you aren't keen on eating your meat rare.  While the lamb was in the oven I prepared the vegetables.  I chopped up the potatoes into quarters before parboiling them for ten minutes.  I then roasted them in lard on the highest shelf in the oven for 55 minutes.  I also boiled some carrots, beans and broccoli.

Prepare the veg

When it came time to check the lamb I stuck a long skewer into the centre and removed it to check the colour of the juices.  They shouldn't be too bloody, but if you don't like your meat rare/pink then you should make sure they run clear.  Once I was happy with the way the lamb was cooked I removed it from the oven, covered it with tin foil and left it to relax for about fifteen minutes.

The roasted lamb

To make sure your potatoes roast nicely you'll need to remove them from the oven halfway through cooking and use a spoon to turn them over so that they crisp up on both sides.

Nothing beats crispy roast potatoes

While the meat is relaxing you should have enough time to make some gravy.  I made a red wine gravy which was really tasty and made a nice change from your everyday gravy.  Use equal amounts of butter and plain flour to make a roux - melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat then vigorously mix in the flour until you have a smooth paste.  Very gradually add some stock, stirring constantly to prevent the gravy from going lumpy until you have enough.  I then added some red wine, some of the meat juices from the roasting tin and seasoning to taste and left it to simmer for ten minutes or so in order to let it reduce and thicken.  Stir occasionally to stop it from forming a skin or sticking to the bottom of the pan.  Once the veg is ready all that's left to do is carve the meat and serve!

Heaven on a plate

A roast dinner may seem like a lot of effort, but with planning and practice it really isn't as hard as you think.

Happy New Year!

Since I'm spending the holidays at home I'm taking full advantage of the fact that I have access to an oven and my mum's cookware.  Today I decided to attempt an ambitious, but delicious-looking, lamb and dauphinoise hotpot from my BBC GoodFood magazine.  I say today, but I actually had to start preparing this dish yesterday in order to let the meat cool overnight.  So here it is!

To serve 8 people you will need:

3 large carrots (chopped into large chunks)

1 onion (roughly chopped)

1 bulb of garlic (N.B. you need an entire bulb not just a couple of cloves)

A few sprigs of rosemary and thyme (fresh herbs are best)

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 shoulder of lamb on the bone (about 2.5kg)

1 bottle red wine

For the Topping

4-5 potatoes (not too large)

4 sweet potatoes (once again not too big)

150ml double cream

a few knobs of butter

On the day before you want to eat the meal prepare the lamb.  Chop up the vegetables and peel the garlic, the easiest way to do this is by using the wide flat side of a (vegetable) knife and pushing down hard.  This not only loosens the skin on the garlic but it also crushes it slightly.  Scatter the vegetables and herbs into a casserole dish which is large enough to fit the lamb in, stir in the tomato purée and place the lamb on top.  Pour over the wine.  Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 and while the oven is coming up to temperature cover the dish and heat it up on top of the stove (I did this until the sauce was bubbling).  Place the covered dish in the oven for 3 hours.  Then remove from the oven and leave to cool before putting it in the fridge to chill overnight.

Before

Place the veg and lamb in a casserole dish

Even better if you're at home and can use your mum's Le Creuset!

 After:

This is what your lamb should look like after 3 hours

The next day you need to remove the lamb from the dish, remove the hard fat and discard, then pull apart and shred the lamb, remembering to remove and large pieces of fat and the bones.  Before putting the lamb back in the dish (or another more suitable pie dish) strain the juices from the veg into a jug (keep the veg).  Put the lamb into your dish and pour over the sauce.  Pick out the carrots from the veg and add them too before gently mixing in with the meat and sauce.  Season and set aside.

I used a smaller pie dish

To make the topping peel the potatoes and slice (if you have a mandoline then that is ideal, if not just try and slice the potatoes as thinly as you can).  Put the sliced potatoes into a pan of cold water and bring to a hard boil, then remove from the heat and drain immediately.  Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6.  Once drained return the potatoes to the pan and pour over the cream.  Arrange the potatoes over the lamb (however you fancy) and drizzle over any remaining cream.  If you have any leftover potatoes, don't worry I'll tell you what to do with those below.  Dot the top of the potatoes with butter and bake in the oven for 40 mins to 1 hour until the top is golden and the sauce is starting to bubble.

Before

After

If you have extra potatoes then simply layer them in a dish, season regularly with salt and pepper.  Then pour over equal amounts of cream and milk.  It's up to you how much you put on, I filled my dish about half full with cream and milk mix.  I baked this in the oven with the main hotpot (although I had to leave it in about 10 minutes longer for it to brown properly).  If you have to put one dish on a lower shelf to fit both in the oven then after about 30 minutes switch them round to make sure they both brown and cook.

Dauphinoise potatoes

You can cook any extra vegetables you fancy, I cooked peas as they were simple to do alongside the main dish.  I'm pleased to say that after all that work the hotpot tasted delicious.  I have started the year as I mean to go on, cooking!  If there is anything anyone would like to see me attempt then please comment or message me via my blog/Facebook/twitter/Instagram.  Please also follow my blog either through Google or on Bloglovin.  All that remains to be said is Happy New Year, here's wishing you a 2014 full deliciousness!

Keeping it simple

I'm quite pleased as I have managed to cook a couple of different things since my last post.  As the title suggests, none of them were very complicated but that didn't make them any less yummy.

The first recipe I'm going to tell you about was one of my go-to lunches last year.  It's quick, easy and is perfect if you want something a bit different to a sandwich.  So here goes, the recipe for Sweetcorn and avocado wraps.

This is quite a flexible recipe but here's how I normally make it (quantities are for approximately one portion)

Mash up 1/2 an avocado with a fork (I used my blender on this recipe for the first time, but I actually prefer the avocado when it's a bit lumpier).  Next, squeeze in some lime juice (a little less than half a lime), stir in a couple of teaspoons of tinned sweetcorn (add as much or as little as you fancy).  I then like to add some chilli flakes, but they're not essential.  Finely chop a spring onion and add to the avocado along with some basil (fresh or dried) - once again as much or little as you like - and you can even add 1/2 teaspoon of cumin.  Season with some salt and pepper.  Spoon the mixture onto a wrap and top with rocket, roll up the wrap and enjoy!

If you want more filling you can also dice half a tomato and add that to the avocado or a quarter of a red onion.  This turns it into more of a guacamole and is a bit more filling.  If you don't fancy rocket then other lettuce works just as well, but I must say that the rocket and avocado combination is yummy.

Sweetcorn and avocado wrap

My next recipe is not as tried and tested, in fact it was the first time I've tried it.  This is mainly due to the fact that it's a lamb dish and in Germany it is remarkable difficult to find lamb, so I saved this for when I got back to England!

I do have a set of scales but I have also got quite used to approximating quantities based on how much is in a packet.  I cooked this for Dave and myself and it turned out very well for a first effort.

You need to heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan (all the ingredients end up going in so make sure your pan is big enough to start with!)  When the oil is hot fry 325g lamb (remember this is for two people) for 5 minutes until brown.  Chop up an onion and after you've browned the lamb add it to the pan and cook for another 2-3 minutes until it has softened.  You then need to add the spices.  Add about 2 teaspoons of ground cumin and 2 teaspoons of ground coriander and fry for another minute (make sure you mix it well to get everything coated in the spices).  Then stir in about 90g of rice (long-grain rice is recommended, if like me you'd rather use brown rice make sure you cook it for 10 mins before you add it).  If you can't weigh out the rice add about a handful per person.  Then add 2 teaspoons of dried oregano and 1-2 tablespoons of tomato puree.  Grate the zest of 1/2 a lemon and add that along with the juice of half a lemon.  Then pour in 425ml of boiling water.  I had a measuring jug but if you don't then find a glass which you know the volume of e.g. a pint glass and use that, or just guestimate!  All you have to do now is stir well, bring to the boil and leave to simmer for 20-25 minutes (I would say nearer 25).  I also steamed some veg in the microwave to have with this and just before you serve you can stir in some fresh parsley.

I realise that this recipe uses a lot of herbs and spices, but dried herbs and spices do keep for a long time.  Alternatively share them with a friend or cook for a large group of people, as I discovered last year, that is a very quick way of using things up!

One-pot Lamb with Rice

Finally, I made a chicken caesar salad.  Normally I get the ready-made dressing but this time I decided to make my own!  Once again I made this for two people, as it's always more fun when you're not eating something on your own.

Season two chicken breasts and try them until cooked (my recipe recommends 4 mins on each side but it may take a little longer), if you're unsure just get a sharp knife and cut them in half to check.  Crush a clove of garlic (or chop finely if you don't have a crusher).  In a bowl mash an anchovy (I used a fork to shred it), add the garlic and grace in a handful of parmesan (or equivalent cheese).  Mix in 2-3 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 1/2 tablespoon of white wine vinegar (I put in a little more than this).  It should be the consistency of yoghurt, but if it isn't add a dash of water until it is.  Next tear up some lettuce (I used a romaine lettuce but cos is also good, or just pick your favourite).  Shred the chicken onto the lettuce, add the dressing, mix, then grate over some more parmesan and if you want you can buy some croutons to sprinkle over the top.  (You could also make your own but as I don't have an oven I couldn't really do that).

This recipe was far quicker than I was expecting it took less that half an hour to make and tasted a lot better than the stuff you can get out of a packet (in my opinion anyway).

Chicken Caesar Salad

Well done if you've made it this far!  I'm going to try and keep my posts to one recipe in future!  I hope I've encouraged someone to try making something from scratch rather than going for the ready-made supermarket stuff, it really is quick and easy, especially once you've done it once or twice and the good thing about these recipes is that you can make more than you need and have some another day.  Watch out for my next post as it will be all about making cake without an oven (or even a microwave)!