Slow Roast Shoulder of Lamb and more...

These are some dishes I cooked a while ago, but for some reason never got around to post them.  And with Easter approaching in a couple of days time, and you still don't know what you'll be cooking, here are some delicious ideas.  

When I think of a roast for Easter Sunday, I immediately think of lamb.  I adore lamb and my favourite cut is the shoulder.  The reason being is it's cheaper than the leg... Yes, shoulder of lamb is a tougher cut, but slow-roasting it makes it so, so tender...

I marinated the shoulder of lamb in a mixture of all-things-that-are-delicious-with-lamb, such as lemon, garlic, chillies, rosemary, anchovies and olive oil.  A proof that too much of a good things can be wonderful indeed.  Simply whiz all the ingredients in a blender until smooth and massage it to the lamb.  Let all the flavours marry overnight in the fridge.

The next day, the lamb would have absorbed all those wonderful flavours.  Take the lamb out of the fridge about an hour before cooking to come to room temperature.  Chop one red onion into wedges and throw them in the roasting tin, along with few cloves of garlic, unpeeled.  Season with generous amounts of sea salt and freshly grated black pepper.  Then it can go into a hot oven for half an hour or so to get the colour going.  Then take it out and cover it with tin foil, and put it back in the over, lowering the oven temperature.  Three hours later, you will get this absolutely delicious, tender roast lamb... I am salivating just thinking about this dish...  When the lamb is out of the oven, let it rest for a few minutes, covering with foil to keep warm while you prepare all the trimmings.

Not that it needs it to be honest, but I quite like the idea of having a refreshing dip/sauce to go with the roast lamb.  I love tzatziki and it goes beautifully with lamb.  In a bowl, simply mix Greek yoghurt, diced cucumber, minced garlic, lots of finely chopped fresh mint leaves and fresh coriander/cilantro and lemon juice, a little salt and pepper, and that's it.  You can definitely make this ahead of time and keep it in the fridge.  I actually like my tzatziki fridge cold and with the hot lamb... heaven!

Now salad, again very easy... It's Greek inspired cherry tomatoes, olives and feta salad with red onions and parsley, which I simply dressed with red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and dried oregano. 

And last but not least, dessert.  I don't have a sweet tooth (that is one big huge fat lie...), but most of my friends always insist on something sweet at the end of the meal, and I am very happy to accommodate their needs.  My vanilla and lemon curd tart is super easy to make, especially if you use good-quality store bought shortcrust pastry.  Make this ahead of time, in the morning or even the day before and just keep it in the fridge until when you and your friends are ready...

  

And I have a video too when I make the roast lamb, tzatziki and the salad.  So I hope you enjoy it :) And the recipe for the vanilla and lemon curd tart can be found below.

Happy Easter weekend everyone! x

Vanilla and Lemon Curd Tart

Serves 4 - 6 (I managed to cut it into ten slices)

375 gr ready-made shortcrust pastry

Zest and juice of 4 lemons

200 gr caster sugar

100 gr unsalted butter, cut into little cubes

4 eggs, lightly beaten

The seeds from 1 vanilla pod, or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

If you are using ready-made shortcrust pastry, bake it in a 26 - 28 cm tart tin according to the packet's instruction.  Though if you're feeling adventurous and want to make your own pastry, find the recipe and instruction, here.

To make the vanilla and lemon curd, put the lemon zest, juice, sugar and butter into a heatproof glass bowl.  Sit the bowl over a pan of simmering water and do make sure that the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl.  Stir the mixture until the butter has melted.

Add the eggs and the vanilla seeds to the buttery lemon mixture and whisk to combine.  Then cook for ten minutes or so.  At first the mixture will look wet, but I promise it will thicken.

Pour the vanilla and lemon curd to the pastry case.  Let the curd cool a bit before putting it in the fridge to set for 4 - 6 hours or overnight.  And you know what to do next...