Читать книгу The Vicar’s Wife’s Cook Book - Elisa Beynon - Страница 21

The meat needs to be at room temperature before it goes in the oven. For a churchgoer like me, this means taking the beast out of the fridge before I leave. I either put it somewhere safe, away from the cat, and do all the cooking bit when I get home; or I set the timer on my oven to come on when I’m out. With this lamb, I put it in after church time.

To be honest, I find the timing a bit tricky. In my oven, meat only takes the time cookery books tell you it will take if you sear it before it goes in, otherwise I have to add extra time. (Incidentally, I am a great believer in the whole searing thing. I know it seems nonsensical to stick the roast on the hob and brown it just before it’s going to have a jolly old time in the oven, but it really does help it to get a fabulous crust and seal in the flavours.) However, what with the marinade and bits of mint sticking out everywhere, I chose not to do it on this occasion. It was all smelling pretty great and I was feeling quietly confident, smug even, as I took the lamb out of the oven at the end of its cooking time. I felt sure it would be perfection on legs – or on one, at least. However, as we cut it up, the middle of it was, quite frankly, raw. To avoid pure vampire-like blood consumption, those bits had to go back in the oven as seconds beckoned.

1 leg of lamb (mine was 1.15kg)

4 teaspoons cumin seeds, crushed

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

3 tablespoons lemon oil

juice of ½ lemon

1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

salt and pepper

On Saturday (or the day before, if you’re not serving this on a Sunday), stab your lamb all over with the point of a small sharp knife. Mix the cumin seeds, garlic, lemon oil, lemon juice and mint together and rub it into the lamb. Season well with salt and pepper and pop the lovely leg into a carrier bag or something similar, then seal it and put it in the fridge.

The next day, take the lamb out of its carrier bag and put it in a roasting tin. For classic timings for roasting lamb (remember that ovens do vary), put it in an oven set to 230°C/Gas Mark 8. After 20 minutes, turn the heat down to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. After the initial 20 minute heat blast, the meat should take 15 minutes per 500g. For rare meat cook for 12 minutes per 500g; 25 minutes per 500g for well done. When it comes out of the oven at the end of the cooking time, the meat needs to rest somewhere warm, covered with foil, for 10–20 minutes.

Serve the lamb cut into slices and with the houmous dressing, the quinoa, roasted fennel and leeks on the side. Tell your guests to smear the houmous dressing over their meat at will. Add a sunny day, some lovely people and, in our case, a roof terrace, and you can’t really beat it.