Tag Archives: lamb

Aromatic lamb pilaf and dreaming of distant lands

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Lamb pilaf

I’ve always loved tales of travel and far off places, adventures under a burning sun, crumbling desert fortresses and high mountain passes. Travellers like William Dalrymple, Bruce Chatwin and Robert Byron have long captured my imagination with tales of Afghan chieftains, nomads in the dessert and forgotten ruins.

And they always seem to end up sat on low divans in a tent, or around a fire under the stars tucking into mountains of steaming rice studded with chunks of tender spiced goat or mutton. Their writing is redolent of heady aromas and strong tastes as well as being full of striking descriptions of lands travelled and people met. Continue reading →

Saag gosht: a tender lamb and spinach curry

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Lamb & spinach curry

This is one of those curries where if you throw it a hard stare, the lamb just kind of sighs and falls to pieces. There’s nothing tender about about the taste however, a meaty, earthy spicy hit that floods your mouth when you take a bite.

It’s this melting but flavourful effect that makes lamb shoulder my favourite meat to slowly cook in a curry. The lacing of fat and connective tissues that run through the meat give it a glorious texture, and hold a decently strong flavour that stands up well to spicing. Continue reading →

Lamb shank, caramelised apricot and almond tagine

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Lamb shank & apricot tagine

I’m on a slow cooking binge, it’s like being in the grip of a treacly monster, slowly but surely dragging me stickily along as various meats and sauces burble and belch away on the stove. I can’t help it. The only way forward is to see it through to the end with this lamb tagine.

In many ways shanks are the ultimate in slow cooking cuts – all bone, sinew and connective tissue, and packed full of flavour. And they were the original (at least for me) thrifty cut of meat, before even pork belly rose fattily to the attention of cooks. Continue reading →

BobBobRicard

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Quail eggs with truffles

Imagine, if you will, walking into an end-of-the-world Wiemar cabaret, a bright salon on the eve of a revolution. The air rich with decadence and possibility, and the clear whiff of luxury.

That’s how it felt, dining in the idiosyncratic, somewhat timeless BobBobRicard. The Wonkerish “press for champagne” button, the Pullman booths, the truffle, champagne and caviar laden menu. And of course there’s Leonid (aka Bob) leaning rakishly against our green leather booth. “Champagne?” he said, “after all, it is Wednesday.” Continue reading →

My feel-better lamb meatballs

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Sunday and Monday were not well days for me. In the firm belief that good food will make me feel mentally, if not physically, better I felt the need for something nourishing. Something to banish the illness, if only temporarily. And, since reading this post from Jen of TomEatsJenCooks, I’ve had meatballs circulating my brain like some irritatingly catchy pop-lite song, except meatballs aren’t irritating with a catchy hook. But they’re definitely not going to go away until I scratch this particular itch.

Because i’m feeling so crappy, I’m not going to leave the house and will make do with what I have. Happily, what I have is minced lamb, onions and coriander. Continue reading →

A soothing, flavoursome baked potato

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Crunchy baked potato

Baked potatoes are real cold weather food – properly tasty fuel for a winter’s night when your radiator isn’t quite heating up the room enough. There’s a slight chill in the air and there’s need for comforting lap food, because you’re knackered, it’s Friday night and all you want to do is to sit and stare at a film before heading off to bed for a long sleep. This sort of situation calls for particular food – easy to eat on your lap, good strong flavours, but soothing and nourishing at the same time. A decent baked spud, all fluffy flesh and crispy skin is perfect here. Continue reading →