Raring to get roasting

TASTE:A chill in the air means it's time to fire up the oven again and throw in a large joint of meat for Sunday lunch

MEDIA REPORTS ABOUT the demise of newspapers always leave me feeling rather argumentative. I appreciate that industries worldwide have been shaken up by advances in technology. But I find it hard to swallow the suggestion that in years to come, newspapers and magazines will be a thing of the past as we’ll all be reading everything online or on Kindles and other electronic gadgets. What’s next: no more books? Or visits to galleries or museums? Why bother with anything real, when you can stay at home and enjoy the virtual.

For me, this notion seems as ludicrous as the suggestion that people will stop cooking and that we’ll end up with houses with no kitchens in them as we’ll have absolutely no need to cook anything in an oven.

Again, I appreciate there is a problem in that people spend more time reading cook-books and watching TV lifestyle shows, rather than spending time actually cooking. We cook less than previous generations and I acknowledge that there are problems within the industry and that we need to do more to get people cooking at home, preparing food that is better for us and for our children.

Sitting around a table reading a newspaper, enjoying tea, toast and scrambled eggs, while chatting about what you come across in the paper is a lovely way to pass a morning, always has been and always will be.

The idea that in years to come my family will all have their nose stuck in a computer, enjoying separate meals, in separate rooms, eating food that has been delivered, is hard to fathom. How anti-social can you get? Surely it is this social and communal behaviour around a table that makes humans unique and is part of the glue that binds families together?

Think about the things most of us agree that we love – log fires, sunny, crisp autumn days, and a really great book or a brilliant article. Well, Sunday lunch has to be high up on that list too, because sitting around sharing a roast dinner creates a sense of delicious nostalgia that’s hard to beat.

For just this type of autumn Sunday lunch, both of these dishes tick all the boxes. I battled over this recipe as I am in love with my roast lamb shoulder recipe from a few weeks ago, which is tender and unctuous.

But this dish creates a sense of occasion that’s closer to what you’re looking for at an official Sunday lunch. Maybe it’s the butcher’s string or the snipping of the string once everything is cooked and crisp on the outside. Maybe it’s the shards of meat that are sometimes attached to the string, which are the cook’s treat to nibble on.

Finish lunch with this crumble, which is the most gorgeous colour, and full of autumn flavour.

Stuffed shoulder of lamb

Serves about six

I used some of Ed Hick’s gourmet sausages in the stuffing, which were delicious. Worth getting some decent sausages for this recipe as the lamb shoulder is such good value. You’ll also need some butchers string for this dish.

1 lamb shoulder, boned (about 2.3kg)

2 tbsp dried oregano

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

2 lemons, cut in half

Sprigs of thyme and rosemary

1 onion, cut into quarters

1 head of garlic, cut in half, horizontally

Stuffing

1 onion, peeled and very finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

500g sausage meat

1 big handful of Swiss chard or spinach, chopped

100g breadcrumbs

Marinate the lamb with the oregano, black pepper, salt, a good few glugs of olive oil, and the lemons (the juice of which you can squeeze on to the lamb) in a big roasting tray or similar. Add the sprigs of thyme and rosemary. You’ll add the onion and garlic to the roasting tin just before it goes into the oven. But leave the rest of it to marinate for a few hours somewhere cool, or else you can leave it out for about an hour at room temperature, while you make the stuffing and cool it down.

To make the stuffing, sweat the onion and garlic in lots of olive oil and then turn up the heat and add the sausage meat, which you’ll have to break up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. This will take a little while and don’t be afraid of pushing and shoving this around so you start to get some even colour on it.

At this stage, add the Swiss chard or spinach. If it’s very unruly, you could cook it in boiling water for about 30 seconds, drain, rinse, dry and chop it. But to be honest, as long as the spinach stalks are removed (I like the Swiss chard ones, though) and there’s enough heat in the frying pan, the greens will wilt down sufficiently.

Add in the breadcrumbs and stir well – this is easier to do in a big bowl. Mix it well, taste and adjust the seasoning. Also, feel free to add some chopped thyme and rosemary or loads more garlic. And a handful of raisins or chopped prunes can be a good addition.

Allow the mixture to cool down properly before stuffing the lamb.

Cut the string into about six or eight lengths, that are long enough to tie around the lamb. Slip them under the lamb so that all you’re left to do is spoon stuffing in a line across the lamb and then pull each string tightly and tie snugly at the top. This won’t look pretty, but eventually you will have something that looks like a boned and rolled loin of something or other.

At this stage, put the joint in the roasting tin along with the onion and garlic. Season some more and roast at 180 degrees/gas mark four, for about 30 minutes. Then turn down the oven, cover the tin with foil and roast for another hour at 140 degrees/gas mark one. Baste whenever you can, and if you want, add a glass of white wine to the roasting tin.

Allow the meat to rest for about 15 minutes, before slicing and serving.

Plum crumble

1.3kg plums (which is about 20 plums)

250g caster sugar

Few pinches cinnamon

100g butter

50ml water

Juice of ½ a lemon

Topping

250g butter

200g flour

200g jumbo oats

100g soft brown sugar

2 tbsp Muscovado sugar

Chop the plums in half, take out the stones and chop into quarters. Cook in a saucepan with the sugar, cinnamon, butter, water and the lemon juice. Sauté gently for about 15 minutes until it is soft and syrupy. When they’ve cooled slightly, spoon the plums and the juice into a suitable gratin dish, about 27cmx22cm.

To make the topping, process the flour and butter or rub them together between fingertips until they resemble rough breadcrumbs. Pour the topping into a bowl and mix with the oats and soft brown sugar. It’s a very buttery sort of crumble topping, so spread it in an even layer and then sprinkle some Muscovado sugar on top. Bake for about 40 minutes at 170 degrees/gas mark three.

Allow the crumble to cool slightly and serve it with a splash of cream.

See also itsa.ie