So this is from an old picture – well not that old, a few months back.
That’s roast lamb shank and some greens and root vegetables (carrots and parsnips if it’s not obvious from the picture).
Oven is such a wonderful thing. You put things in and they come out cooked, even delicious if the conditions are right.
If you want to try it, here’s what I do –
Set oven temp to 200 degree (I do most of my oven cooking in 200 degree).
For lamb, score the meat for even cook, cover with dry rub (mixed herbs and roasted spices, and salt) and massage well into the meat.
For root vegetables, peel and cut in sticks, season with salt, herbs and pepper. Can add honey if you want, but I didn’t because carrots and parsnips are already sweet. Drizzle some olive oil. Optional: butter, beef dripping, crushed garlic clove, rosemary sticks. Shake well so the vegetables are covered evenly and nicely. Don’t drop any. If you don’t, pick ’em up, wash ’em, put back in roasting pan and re-shake. Don’t waste food.
Stick both in the oven. I don’t mind if they’re in the same pan or separate. For me it depends on the size of the pan. If it’s big enough then one fewer item to wash. Yay! JK, my husband usually do all the washing so it doesn’t really matter 🙂 Now the important bit: if you want the lamb to be moist and soft, loosely cover the pan with some tin foil and leave some room to vent the steam; but if you don’t mind a bit browning, put it in as it is. Set alarm for 30 minutes.
For gravy, it’s the usual stuff – stock, wine, garlic, onion, herb, seasoning. Everything in a saucepan, bring to boil then turn to medium low. And then you can start preparing the greens, while keeping an eye on it so the liquid doesn’t spill out.
For greens, I used sweetheart cabbage here. It’s my new fav green. It’s sweet, has lots of fibre but not overly chewy, keeps a long time in the fridge, AND CHEAP. I usually like stir-frying greens with garlic. What you do is you wash the leaves, lay them together, slice across width-way (about 2cm apart), leave in colander for draining. Crush and mince some garlic. Heat up your frying pan, oil in, garlic in. When you can smell the garlic, greens in. Stir. After a little while the bottom leaves should start to soften. Add a little hot water so the bottom leaves are not burnt and the steam helps to heat up the top leaves more evenly. When all leaves are softened and change colour to slightly translucent, turn off the heat, add salt and some chicken powder. The whole thing takes about 10 minutes if you’re quick. So time it with the over cooking so they’re ready about the same time.
Whoa that’s an elaborate recipe.. Well I love making meals this way. It’s my go-to formula: meat (roast lamb/duck legs/ribs) + roast root vegs (carrots, parsnips, sweet potatos) + garlic greens. It’s easy to cook, offers balanced nutrition, and tasty.
Hope everyone is staying home to help with the fight against COVID-19!
everywei 