Month: August 2009

italian roast lamb

I was really in the mood for artichokes alla romana again, and had the thought of lamb but more so. Even though it’s mid-Summer, I was craving some roast lamb. So to go with the artichokes I put an Italian spin on the meat. I whizzed up rosemary, garlic, lemon zest and prosciutto with some oil and then smeared all over my pierced joint. A while in the oven and a pungent, flavourful piece of meat was enjoyed. Iwas very pleased with the cut too – I planned a leg but my butcher only had absolute whoppers. What he did have though was a boned & rolled shoulder, which although I didn’t expect both speeded up the cooking time and gave me a nice crevice into which to cram the tasty stuffing.

Italian roast lamb

A fragrant and tasty roast lamb dish.

Ingredients

Leg or shoulder of lamb
3 slices of prosciutto or Parma ham
Leaves of 2 rosemary stalks
Zest of 1 lemon
2 fat garlic cloves

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 230C.
Whizz the prosciutto, lemon, garlic and lemon zest in a processor. Add olive oil to slacken to a mushy paste.
Pack the stuffing / baste around the meat, poking into any nooks or crannies. Stab the meat with a knife if necessary.
Put the meat in the oven and turn down to 170C.
Cook until done to your likeness - 1hr 30mins for this one.

balsamic vinegar food mozzarella prosciutto rocket strawberry

strawberry rocket salad

What a Summer stunner. The marvellous Simon had made this for us the previous week and it was fantastic, so I had to have a go myself. It originates from this month’s Waitrose magazine.

It kinda shouldn’t work, but when you load your fork with a little of everything – crunchy shallot, bitter rocket, salty prosciutto, sweet strawberry, soft mozzarella and tangy balsamic dressing – it explodes in the mouth for a perfect combination.

Strawberry rocket salad:

450g strawberries, hulled and sliced

10 slices of prosciutto

100g rocket

200g buffalo mozzarella, torn into bite-sized pieces

2 shallots, peeled and sliced

For the balsamic dressing:

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

black pepper

Whisk the vinegar, oil and plenty of pepper together in a large bowl.

Toss the strawberries, shallots and rocket leaves with the dressing.

Arrange the ham and cheese on the plates, then spoon some salad over the top.

courgettes food pancetta peas thyme vermicelli

vermicelli with pancetta, pea and courgette

Post author By Gary @ BigSpud
Post date August 4, 2009
No Comments on vermicelli with pancetta, pea and courgette

I get home from work and realise I am cooking for one. This means invention time!

I know I have some vermicelli I want to use, so water goes on to boil while I rummage for goodies. I scavenge pancetta and a lonely courgette, so that’s as good a start as any. I chuck the vermicelli in salted water while I fry garlic and pancetta together in a hot pan. When that browns I throw in a diced courgette and toss well. Then I dash out to the window box to trim off some thyme leaves, which go in. I then add a splash of marsala for sweetness then add some chicken stock. The pasta’s done so that is drained and then swirled in the frying pan, and topped up with a little more stock and some frozen peas.

A lovely 8 min din.

Vermicelli with pancetta, pea and courgette:

200g vermicelli pasta

1 pack diced pancetta

1 clove garlic, sliced

1 courgette

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

2 tablespoons marsala

500ml chicken stock

2 teaspoons frozen peas

Boil vermicelli in salted water until tender and drain.

Fry garlic and pancetta until meat is coloured.

Add thyme leaves and courgette and continue to fry.

Add marsala and allow to bubble for a minute.

Add half the stock and allow to bubble for a bit.

Add the pasta to the pan with the rest of the stock, seasoning as necessary.

food sausages tomato

sausage ragu

One of the joys of modern life, where unfortunately the pressures of today allows no time for proper food shopping, is the home delivery. I’ve only recently tried Sainsbury’s home delivery, which has wonderful customer service, though leaves a number of t’s uncrossed. After a recent drop-off we realised we had been left two packs of sausages we’d not ordered. Not a problem in itself but I had meals planned out for the rest of the week, and as the Best Before date loomed I felt I had to do something with the poor porkers. I opted for a multi-pupose ragu.

I started by squeezing the sausages out of their skins into meatbally lumps. I then browned them all over in a hot pan with crushed fennel seeds and black pepper, for tone and bite. Then I removed them to one side while I adding sliced garlic and two tins of tomatoes. After warming up the meat went back in and I allowed to bubble away for a while before seasoning with salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar.

I ate a small bowl of it for a quick supper, while the rest went into the freezer for a future emergnecy meal.

Sausage ragu:

16 sausages

1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds

1 teaspoon crushed black pepper

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 tins tomatoes

balsamic vinegar, as desired

Halve the sausages, then squeeze them out of their skins to make thumb-dized meatballs.

Roll the meatballs in the fennel and pepper, and fry in a hot pan until browned all over.

Remove from the pan and add the garlic. Fry a minute and then add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer.

Add the sausages and simmer for 20 minutes.

Taste for seasoning, adding vinegar if required.