Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Roast Lamb


So first of all get yourself these things

Leg of lamb you can use a shoulder too (I usually use 1kg leg for 4 people, ask your butcher how much more you might need).
3-4 stalks of rosemary

sea salt and freshly ground cracked pepper

Olive oil

4 cloves garlic cut into quarter sized pieces

half glass red wine (cooking wine ie cheap wine is what I use)

Vegies for roasting (ie potato, pumpkin-butternut squash is best, sweet potato, carrot, parsnip)

Preheat oven to around 220c (around 430 F) (fan forced, so if its not fan forced, make it a few degrees warmer).


Cut little slits into the lamb a few cms apart, all over the top of the lamb and at the sides (and if there is a shank, do it there too).



Into these slits place garlic and rosemary sprigs (so break small sprigs off the stalk).

Season the lamb with salt and pepper and drizzle over some olive oil. Then pour over roughly half a glass of red wine.



Place in oven, you can turn it down to around 200c now (if not fan forced make it a few degrees warmer). Meanwhile peel any vegetables you want to roast, like potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots, parsnips etc. I usually place the potatoes (that have olive oil, salt and pepper and some left over rosemary thrown on top) into the oven about 45 mins after the roast goes in, and then after about 10-15 mins I put the other vegies in with the potatoes. Some people place it all in one dish (ie lamb and vegies) but I don't, sometimes the vegies aren't done, or are done too quick).


After about an hour of cooking the lamb, take it out and baste it again with the juices that have formed in the pan (if it has all dried up, add a little water to the pan and a little wine and then put that over it).


The lamb this size takes around 1.5-2 hours to cook. You can take it out around 1.5 hours and check how its going by just cutting a small slice through the side, if its still quite rare then just leave it for say 20 mins and then check again. If you find the top is burning, you can place some foil over the top before you put it back in. You take it out when the meat has a slight pink colour to it, only slight, unless you like your meat rare then take it out when its a little pinker. Take it out of the pan and let it rest on a cutting board. The vegies should now also be done.




While its resting make up some gravy. I use a powder gravy max and pour in the juices from the pan, you can make your own gravy though, there are loads of different ways to do it on the net.


Then carve the meat, no real way to do it, I don't like it really thick, so I cut mine thin, usually you cut away from you. And you're done!! Now dig in before it gets cold!!






Monday, March 23, 2009

Mmmmm what's cooking this week?

Monday- chicken tenderloins marinated in olive oil, mustard, thyme served with crunchy roast potatoes and other roast vegies.

Tuesday- Roast Lamb with red wine, garlic and rosemary with roast veg

Wednesday- Taco's

Thursday- chicken drumsticks with mashed potato and salad

Friday-lamb chops with mashed potato and salad

Saturday -home made pizza's

Sunday- hmmmm not sure yet!!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

What's been cooking?

I got a few great recipe books for my birthday (Yes Jamie Oliver were some of them)!! So this week I have made two dishes from Jamie's Dinners book. Here are the recipes, please try them yourself! So easy!!


Crispy Chicken with Sweet Tomatoes








4 chicken legs joined (I used 8 drumsticks instead)

sea salt (this is a must, gosh it tasted good, I added 2 pinches) and fresh ground black pepper

big bunch basil, leaves picked, stalks cut up

I used 1 punnet cherry tomatoes (red) and I could of added yellow ones, but they didn't have any so I used 3 large yellow roma tomatoes quartered.

1 bulb garlic broken into cloves

1 fresh chilli finely chopped (I didn't add this)

olive oil

(optional- tin of cannellini beans, drained or few potatoes)

Preheat oven to 180. Season chicken pieces and put them into snug-fitting pan in one layer. Throw in all basil leaves, stalks and tomatoes. Scatter garlic cloves and chilli and drizzle with some olive oil. Mix around a bit. Place in the oven 1.5 hours, turning the chicken and tomatoes halfway though until the skin is crisp and meat falls off the bone.I served with mashed potato and salad. You could add this to some pasta too.



Jools' favourite Beef Stew

olive oil
1 onion chopped
handful sage leaves (I didn't have this)
800g stweing steak or beef ( I used boneless beef steaks)
sea salt and freshly ground pepperf
lour to dust
4 carrots peeled and halved (I cut them smaller so the kids could eat)
1 sweet potato (he has 2 parsnips, I hate parsnips)
1/2 butternut pumpkin
500g potatoes quartered
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 bottle red wine
285 mls veg stock (i had beef stock, so I just used 1 cup of that and the rest was water)
.zest of 1 lemon
handful of rosemary leaves picked
1 clove garlic peeled, finely chopped.

Preheat oven to 160 clecius (I cooked this in a pot on stove top for 1.5 hours then I put in oven for the last hour). Put some oil into pan, add onion and sage leaves and fry for few minutes. toss meat in a little seasoned flour then add to pan along with all vegies, tomato paste, wine, stock and stir. Season with pepper and just a little salt. bring to boil, place lid on top, then cook in preheated oven until meat is tender (sometimes this is 3 or 4 hours- it was 2.5 for me). once its cooked you can turn oven down to about 110 and hold until you are ready to eat. We ate it with some nice crunchy continental bread.

What's been cooking?

I got a few great recipe books for my birthday (Yes Jamie Oliver were some of them)!! So this week I have made two dishes from Jamie's Dinners book. Here are the recipes, please try them yourself! So easy!!


Crispy Chicken with Sweet Tomatoes








4 chicken legs joined (I used 8 drumsticks instead)

sea salt (this is a must, gosh it tasted good, I added 2 pinches) and fresh ground black pepper

big bunch basil, leaves picked, stalks cut up

I used 1 punnet cherry tomatoes (red) and I could of added yellow ones, but they didn't have any so I used 3 large yellow roma tomatoes quartered.

1 bulb garlic broken into cloves

1 fresh chilli finely chopped (I didn't add this)

olive oil

(optional- tin of cannellini beans, drained or few potatoes)

Preheat oven to 180. Season chicken pieces and put them into snug-fitting pan in one layer. Throw in all basil leaves, stalks and tomatoes. Scatter garlic cloves and chilli and drizzle with some olive oil. Mix around a bit. Place in the oven 1.5 hours, turning the chicken and tomatoes halfway though until the skin is crisp and meat falls off the bone.I served with mashed potato and salad. You could add this to some pasta too.



Jools' favourite Beef Stew

olive oil
1 onion chopped
handful sage leaves (I didn't have this)
800g stweing steak or beef ( I used boneless beef steaks)
sea salt and freshly ground pepperf
lour to dust
4 carrots peeled and halved (I cut them smaller so the kids could eat)
1 sweet potato (he has 2 parsnips, I hate parsnips)
1/2 butternut pumpkin
500g potatoes quartered
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 bottle red wine
285 mls veg stock (i had beef stock, so I just used 1 cup of that and the rest was water)
.zest of 1 lemon
handful of rosemary leaves picked
1 clove garlic peeled, finely chopped.

Preheat oven to 160 clecius (I cooked this in a pot on stove top for 1.5 hours then I put in oven for the last hour). Put some oil into pan, add onion and sage leaves and fry for few minutes. toss meat in a little seasoned flour then add to pan along with all vegies, tomato paste, wine, stock and stir. Season with pepper and just a little salt. bring to boil, place lid on top, then cook in preheated oven until meat is tender (sometimes this is 3 or 4 hours- it was 2.5 for me). once its cooked you can turn oven down to about 110 and hold until you are ready to eat. We ate it with some nice crunchy continental bread.