Lamb is one of those ingredients that you can enjoy all year round. Make sure it is Quality Assured Irish lamb. Support our Irish farmers. We have such great, flavoursome, grass-fed lamb. This leg of lamb is fragrantly spiced before being baked for nearly five hours until its flesh is almost soft enough to part from the bones with a spoon. We have lemon and lots of spices in this. Rosemary and thyme are classic herbs with lamb. I’ve served a nice salad with roasted vegetables with it, or you could use the veg recipe from last week. If you get your lamb butterflied it will cook much quicker. Your butcher will take the bone out for you.
This is a pecan pie with a bit of a kick. The filling is great with maple syrup, golden syrup, a little bit of whiskey and the salt flakes. There is a little bit of sweetness and a little bit of savoury.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Neven’s new book is Neven Maguire’s Home Economics for Life, published by Gill Books
Fragrant Slow-Roast Leg of Lamb with Mediterranean salad
Serves six to eight
Four large garlic cloves
Finely grated rind of one lemon
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2.3kg (5-6lb) leg of lamb
Juice of two lemons
1kg (2 1/4lb) waxy potatoes, halved
For the salad:
2 tsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil,
150g (5oz) baby spinach leaves
15g (1/2oz) bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
225g (8oz) mixed cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cucumber halved lengthways, seeded and thinly sliced
75g (3oz) black Kalamata olives, stoned and quartered
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Minty yoghurt, to serve
1 Crush the garlic and one teaspoon of salt in a pestle and mortar. Add the lemon, paprika, cumin, herbs and some black pepper, and blend to a smooth pulp. Stir in half the olive oil. Using a sharp knife, make holes all over the lamb and then rub in the paste, pushing it into the holes. Transfer the lamb to a shallow dish (or a turkey bag) and add the lemon juice. Chill overnight to marinate.2 The next day, take the lamb out of the fridge about one hour before you want to cook it. Preheat the oven to 160°C, (325°F/gas mark three). Lay two long pieces of parchment paper on top of two long pieces of foil to form a cross. Tip in the potatoes and toss in the rest of the oil and season to taste. Bring up the sides of the foil to create a pile of potatoes, then pour over the marinade from the lamb. Sit the lamb on top of the potatoes and seal the foil to enclose. Put in a roasting tin and roast for 4 ½ hours until the lamb is meltingly tender.
Neven Maguire's fragrant, slow-roast leg of lamb with mediterranean vegetables. \ Philip Doyle. Food Styling: Sharon Hearne-Smith
3 Remove the lamb from the oven and increase to 220°C, (450°F/gas mark seven). Unwrap the parcel and scrunch the tin foil and paper under the rim of the tin, then baste the lamb and return to the oven for 20 minutes, until browned. Put the lamb on a platter and wrap in the foil and set aside to rest. Turn the potatoes and return to the oven for 30 minutes, then season with salt.4 Meanwhile, make the salad – use the oil and vinegar to dress the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Shred the lamb from the bone and arrange on warmed plates with the potatoes and vegetables. Drizzle over some of the lamb juice and add spoonfuls of mint yoghurt to serve.Warm Pecan Tart
Serves six to eight
For the pastry:
250g (9oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
125g 4 1/2oz) butter, cold and cut into cubes
Two medium egg yolks
Good pinch of salt
1-2 tbsp ice-cold water
For the filling:
175g (6oz) pecan nuts
100g (4oz) butter
100g (4oz) dark soft brown sugar
150g (5oz) golden syrup
50g (2oz) maple syrup
1/4 tsp sea salt flakes
2 tbsp whiskey
Seeds of ½ vanilla pod or one tsp vanilla extract
Three medium eggs
Softly whipped cream, to serve
1 First make the pastry. Put the flour in a food processor with the butter and blitz until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and salt and blitz again until it forms a ball. If the mixture still looks a bit dry then you can add the water, but you want a soft pastry that is not sticky. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 15 minutes to rest. 2 Preheat the oven to 180°C, (350°F/gas mark four). Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a 10cm (4in) x 34cm (14in) loose-bottomed flan tin that is 2.5cm (1in) deep. Put back in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest. 3 Meanwhile, put the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for eight to 10 minutes until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and set aside 100g (4oz) of perfect whole ones, then roughly chop the remaining 75g (3oz) to use in the filling.4 Fill the lined pastry case with parchment paper and baking beans or dried kidney beans and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes until the pastry looks set but not coloured. Remove the beans and parchment. Break one of the eggs (put the yolk to one side) and quickly brush the base with the unbeaten egg white to form a seal. Put back in to the oven for another five minutes until the base is firm and the pastry feels sandy to the touch. 5 To make the filling, put the butter, sugar, golden syrup, maple syrup and salt in a pan over a medium to high heat. Just bring it to the boil and then turn down the heat and let it simmer for three to five minutes over a very low heat. Take off the heat and stir in the whiskey and vanilla, then leave it to cool a little.6 Add the eggs and reserved egg yolk, one at a time, whisking well between each addition and then fold in the chopped pecans. Pour into the pastry case and then arrange the whole pecan nuts in attractive rows. Place the tart into the oven on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the mixture is set but still a little wobble to it. Leave to cool slightly, then cut into slices and serve warm with a dollop of the lightly whipped cream.
Lamb is one of those ingredients that you can enjoy all year round. Make sure it is Quality Assured Irish lamb. Support our Irish farmers. We have such great, flavoursome, grass-fed lamb. This leg of lamb is fragrantly spiced before being baked for nearly five hours until its flesh is almost soft enough to part from the bones with a spoon. We have lemon and lots of spices in this. Rosemary and thyme are classic herbs with lamb. I’ve served a nice salad with roasted vegetables with it, or you could use the veg recipe from last week. If you get your lamb butterflied it will cook much quicker. Your butcher will take the bone out for you.
This is a pecan pie with a bit of a kick. The filling is great with maple syrup, golden syrup, a little bit of whiskey and the salt flakes. There is a little bit of sweetness and a little bit of savoury.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Neven’s new book is Neven Maguire’s Home Economics for Life, published by Gill Books
Fragrant Slow-Roast Leg of Lamb with Mediterranean salad
Serves six to eight
Four large garlic cloves
Finely grated rind of one lemon
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2.3kg (5-6lb) leg of lamb
Juice of two lemons
1kg (2 1/4lb) waxy potatoes, halved
For the salad:
2 tsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil,
150g (5oz) baby spinach leaves
15g (1/2oz) bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
225g (8oz) mixed cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cucumber halved lengthways, seeded and thinly sliced
75g (3oz) black Kalamata olives, stoned and quartered
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Minty yoghurt, to serve
1 Crush the garlic and one teaspoon of salt in a pestle and mortar. Add the lemon, paprika, cumin, herbs and some black pepper, and blend to a smooth pulp. Stir in half the olive oil. Using a sharp knife, make holes all over the lamb and then rub in the paste, pushing it into the holes. Transfer the lamb to a shallow dish (or a turkey bag) and add the lemon juice. Chill overnight to marinate.2 The next day, take the lamb out of the fridge about one hour before you want to cook it. Preheat the oven to 160°C, (325°F/gas mark three). Lay two long pieces of parchment paper on top of two long pieces of foil to form a cross. Tip in the potatoes and toss in the rest of the oil and season to taste. Bring up the sides of the foil to create a pile of potatoes, then pour over the marinade from the lamb. Sit the lamb on top of the potatoes and seal the foil to enclose. Put in a roasting tin and roast for 4 ½ hours until the lamb is meltingly tender.
Neven Maguire's fragrant, slow-roast leg of lamb with mediterranean vegetables. \ Philip Doyle. Food Styling: Sharon Hearne-Smith
3 Remove the lamb from the oven and increase to 220°C, (450°F/gas mark seven). Unwrap the parcel and scrunch the tin foil and paper under the rim of the tin, then baste the lamb and return to the oven for 20 minutes, until browned. Put the lamb on a platter and wrap in the foil and set aside to rest. Turn the potatoes and return to the oven for 30 minutes, then season with salt.4 Meanwhile, make the salad – use the oil and vinegar to dress the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Shred the lamb from the bone and arrange on warmed plates with the potatoes and vegetables. Drizzle over some of the lamb juice and add spoonfuls of mint yoghurt to serve.Warm Pecan Tart
Serves six to eight
For the pastry:
250g (9oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
125g 4 1/2oz) butter, cold and cut into cubes
Two medium egg yolks
Good pinch of salt
1-2 tbsp ice-cold water
For the filling:
175g (6oz) pecan nuts
100g (4oz) butter
100g (4oz) dark soft brown sugar
150g (5oz) golden syrup
50g (2oz) maple syrup
1/4 tsp sea salt flakes
2 tbsp whiskey
Seeds of ½ vanilla pod or one tsp vanilla extract
Three medium eggs
Softly whipped cream, to serve
1 First make the pastry. Put the flour in a food processor with the butter and blitz until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and salt and blitz again until it forms a ball. If the mixture still looks a bit dry then you can add the water, but you want a soft pastry that is not sticky. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 15 minutes to rest. 2 Preheat the oven to 180°C, (350°F/gas mark four). Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a 10cm (4in) x 34cm (14in) loose-bottomed flan tin that is 2.5cm (1in) deep. Put back in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest. 3 Meanwhile, put the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for eight to 10 minutes until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and set aside 100g (4oz) of perfect whole ones, then roughly chop the remaining 75g (3oz) to use in the filling.4 Fill the lined pastry case with parchment paper and baking beans or dried kidney beans and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes until the pastry looks set but not coloured. Remove the beans and parchment. Break one of the eggs (put the yolk to one side) and quickly brush the base with the unbeaten egg white to form a seal. Put back in to the oven for another five minutes until the base is firm and the pastry feels sandy to the touch. 5 To make the filling, put the butter, sugar, golden syrup, maple syrup and salt in a pan over a medium to high heat. Just bring it to the boil and then turn down the heat and let it simmer for three to five minutes over a very low heat. Take off the heat and stir in the whiskey and vanilla, then leave it to cool a little.6 Add the eggs and reserved egg yolk, one at a time, whisking well between each addition and then fold in the chopped pecans. Pour into the pastry case and then arrange the whole pecan nuts in attractive rows. Place the tart into the oven on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the mixture is set but still a little wobble to it. Leave to cool slightly, then cut into slices and serve warm with a dollop of the lightly whipped cream. 
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