Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon.

I've had a lovely weekend.  Yesterday I was taken to the Gainsborough exhibition at the Holburne Museum in Bath, the pictures were gorgeous and it's well worth a visit.  Just as exciting, Bruce Munro's Field of Lights is in the grounds at the minute.  We were there just as it turned dark, and it's really spectacular.  It makes me wish I were better at photography.  I must try and persuade Simon and Charlie to come back with me before it closes on 8th January and take some pictures.

Today however, I had nothing on and so I spent the afternoon in the kitchen, cooking two of my favourite things, finishing off a few bits and pieces and wrapping up some Christmas presents.

This is one of the very best things that you can do with a leg of lamb; it's totally simple and hassle free, there's no measuring or weighing or worrying and takes care of itself once it's in the oven.  All you need is some time.

Take your leg of lamb, run it under the tap and wash it well, then place in a heavy bottomed casserole dish with some olive oil and brown.  I say "place", my leg of lamb was on the large side so it was more a case of "force it in the best you can".

Brown the meat all over and then drain off any excess oil.

Then take a bottle of white wine, six cloves of garlic, a large handful of black olives and a good bunch of rosemary.  Fling all of these in the casserole dish (yes the WHOLE bottle of wine), put the lid on and stick it in the oven.  Cook for an hour at 160 and then reduce the temperature to 140 for another three hours.

Once it's done the lamb should fall apart.  The lamb's meltingly tender.  I usually serve it with new potatoes roasted in olive oil and sea salt and some broccoli steamed in soy sauce.  Anything works though.

While I was in the kitchen, and because the lamb is hardly labour intensive, I knocked together a batch of brownies.  Good brownies seem to be really hard to find at the minute.  They're either too dry or seem to involve melting large quantities of chocolate in a bain marie.  Yawn.  This recipe is awesome and idiot proof.  I've been making it for years and it always goes down well.


Chocolate Brownies

•  75 g flour
• 40g cocoa powder
• 1/2 teasp baking powder
• 125g butter
• 225g brown sugar
• 1 teasp vanilla essence
• 2 large eggs beaten

Sift together the flour cocoa powder and baking powder.  Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, then beat in vanilla essence and eggs.  fold in flour mixture and add to a lined tine (20cm/8inch square)  put into a pre-heated oven at 180 c bake for 30 min or until firm.

I made double quantities, so I could take some to work tomorrow.  I also threw in a large handful of frozen raspberries and white chocolate chips.   This is brilliant combination, but it also works well with mini marshmallows or fudge pieces.