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!!

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!!

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.

Anzac Biscuit Recipe

These biscuits were made for the men fighting in World War 1.

Easy as to make!!

Makes about 26
1 cup plain flour (125g/4oz)
2/3 cup sugar (160g/5 and a half oz)
1 cup rolled oats (100 g/ 3.5 oz)
1 cup desiccated coconut (90 g/3oz)
125 g butter (4oz)
1/4 cup golden syrup (90g/3oz)
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Preheat the oven to 180 celcius (350 F/Gas 4). Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Sift the flour, sugar into large mixing bowl. Add the rolled oats and coconut and make a well in the centre.

Put the butter and syrup in pan. Stir over low heat until melted. Dissolve the soda in 1 tablespoon water) then add immediately to the butter ixture, it will foam up. Poir into the well in the dry ingrediants and stir well.

Drop level tablespoons of the mixture onto the tray, flatten gently with your fingers as they spread. Bake for 20 mins or until just browned.
Remove from the oven and transfer to wire rack to cool.

Now if they are a little soft to touch, that's fine they are sometimes soft, sometimes hard, if you leave them too long in the oven they will burn, they set once they are out of the oven.
Will keep in an airtight container for 3 days.
(you can use treacle or honey instead, but golden syrup is best in my opinion)
Instant or 1- minute oats may also be used.

Chicken with parmesan and prosciutto

Lorne asked for the recipe so here it is :)
This serves 2. I do one chicken breast for each person.

30-50gms parmesan cheese
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme (you could use dry but it wouldn't be as yummy I don't think :P )
2 skinless chicken breasts
freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
6 slices prosciutto
olive oil

To prepare your chicken
Grate parmesan (if you didn't buy it already grated). Pick thyme leaves off the stalks.
Now, I usually cut the breast carefully in half (butterfly it so that the its still all one piece but a little flatter). *** (see bottom) Carefully score the underside of the breasts criss cross style. Sprinkle over most of the thyme leaves over the breasts. Grate a little lemon zest over them and sprinkle with parmesan. Lay 3 prosciutto slices on each chicken breast, overlapping them slightly. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle over remaining Thyme leaves. **** Now Jamie likes drama and he says to cover the breasts with clingwrap and whack them with the bottom of a fry pan to get them thin. What I do is this- I just hit them with a mallet and flatten them out.

To cook chicken
Put a frying pan (or grill) over medium heat. Transfer the chicken breast to the pan and put it prosciutto side down. Drizzle over some olive oil. Cook for 3-4 mins each side, giving the ham side some extra time to get crisp if needed. I find that I need about 5-6 mins each side to cook the whole way through.

To serve
either cut up into strips, or leave whole, serve with a wedge of lemon.

Yummy chicken

Last night I made another Jamie recipe. It's like chicken schnitzel but with parsley and garlic crust. It was sooooo good. I made it all from scratch with my new food processor too :)

I didn't take any pics of it though :( Silly me!!

What you need is

I doctored the recipe as I was using 3 chicken breasts (so that was for the 4 of us).
2 cloves of garlic
1 lemon
10 jacobs cream crackers (if you google you will see what type they are, in Australia we have an alternative to that)
50g buter
6 sprigs fresh flat leaf parsely (or continental as some call it)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Flour (if you add flour to your chicken before you dip it in egg)
Eggs for dipping
olive oil
chicken breasts (this is for 3).


Skin your breast if it isn't already done so and butterfly it or cut like you would do for schnitzel.

Pell garlic and zest the lemon. Put crackers into food processor (I guess if you bash them a bit before hand a blender could do it) with the butter, garlic, parsley, lemon zest and pinch of salt and pepper). Whiz until very fine, pour onto plate.
sprkinkle flour onto another plate, put eggs into a bowl and beat with fork.
bash your chicken so its flat
dip the chicken in the flour (if you don't want to you don't have to) then into the egg and then into the flavoured crumbs, making sure the crumbs stick nice and good.


To cook you can bake or fry. If baking preheat oven to highest emp and place chicken on baking tray for 15 mins. If frying (I fry) put fry pan on medium heat, add some olive oil and cook breast 5 mins or so on each side until cooked through.
Serve with wedge of lemon. We had ours with salad and mashed potato.
YUM!!