Читать книгу The Official Narnia Cookbook - Литагент HarperCollins USD, Ю. Д. Земенков, Koostaja: Ajakiri New Scientist - Страница 16

Roast lamb is one of the most delicious of all meats when properly cooked and served. A couple of slices of cold leftover lamb served with mint sauce, hot green peas, and perhaps a few new potatoes is a wonderful lunch. When new potatoes are boiled, a sprig of mint should be added to the water. Lamb and mint traditionally go together, and you’ll find they are delicious.

Sheep are very hardy creatures and can live and thrive in country where cattle could not survive. For this reason lamb became popular in mountainous and semidesert areas throughout the world. In Archenland, and throughout the mountains of Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland, to this day you will see sheep everywhere. Jack got his taste for lamb from his childhood in northern Ireland and England. In Narnia lamb is a favorite dish of the Telmarines.

The Faun trotted in, half dancing, with a tray in its hands which was nearly as large as itself.

—THE HORSE AND HIS BOY

6 SERVINGS

1 leg of lamb, 7–9 pounds

2 tablespoons honey

2 cloves garlic (or more to taste), slivered

Leaves of 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried

Leaves of 4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mint sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Place the leg of lamb in a roasting pan. Brush with a thin coating of honey. Cut slits in the lamb, and tuck in slivers of garlic and bits of herbs.

3. Scatter any extra garlic and herbs over the lamb; sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast uncovered for about 20 minutes per pound.

4. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 15–20 minutes if serving hot, in order to make carving easier.

5. Slice the lamb and serve with mint sauce on the side. To serve cold, allow the meat to cool completely in the refrigerator.

Lamb can also be roasted in a cooking bag, which you can buy in a grocery store or supermarket. Season as above and place in the bag, following the manufacturer’s directions for use.