Shoulder of lamb baked with provencal vegetables

1 shoulder of lamb
4 tomatoes
1 small aubergine
1 orange pepper
1 yellow pepper
3 large onions
4 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
Handful basil

Slice the vegetables very thickly.  Sit the lamb on the vegetables, layered up as best possible with the basil in between.  Pour some olive oil over the lamb and season very well.  Pour a small glass of water in the tray.

Bake at 210C for 30mins to get the browning going.

Bake another 2 hours uncovered at 150C.  Baste the vegetables if required to prevent burning.

Cover loosely with foil and cook for another 1-2 hours, or as desired, at 150C as before.

Allow to rest before serving with a little olive oil drizzled over.

Salsa verde mayonnaise

A lovely accompaniment to fish.  The ideal device for making it is a food processer where you can put a smaller bowl attachment inside the lager bowl and pour in the oil while the motor is running.

I find it easier to chop the herbs beforehand, and in the case of the garlic it is definitely neccessary.

2 anchovy fillets - or more to taste, roughly chopped
1 tsp finely chopped garlic - or more to taste
2 tbsp finely chopped parsely
1 tbsp finely chopped mint
1 tbsp finely chopped basil - optional
1 tbsp capers or gherkins
1 tsp fine salt
1 tsp dijon mustard
Generous black pepper


Juice 1 lemon
1 egg yolk

75g extra virgin olive oil
75g plain vegetable oil

Place the ingredients in the top list into the food processer bowl.  Pulse several times to chop things as best possible.

Add the egg yolk and 1/2 the lemon juice.  Pulse again.

With the motor running add the oils, a drop first, then in a thin stream, then more quickly will be fine towards the end.

Add the remaining lemon juice, taste and adjust for salt/lemon.

Poached skate wing with Lyonnaise potatoes and aioli

Here is another fantastic recipe for new potatoes, or any waxy potato.  Maris peer or rattes work well.  It makes a delicious accompaniment to fish, particularly with a pungent aioli to offset the sweet melted onions.  Colouring the potatoes in batches will actually help reduce the cooking time.

Lyonnaise potatoes

New or waxy potatoes, olive oil, butter, onion, garlic, finely chopped parsley

Peel and halve onions vertically, then slice across the grain very finely.  Melt butter in a large, heavy based pan, preferably that you have a lid for.  Salt and sweat the onions, stirring regularly, until melted and gilded light brown.  Remove.  Slice potatoes to the thickness of a £1 coin, or as thick as you wish depending on variety.  There is no need to peel them.  Blanch them for 30 seconds (boiling time) in salted boiling water, drain, dry in a tea-towel then brown in batches over a moderate heat in olive oil and more butter in the same pan.  Return the onions and all the potatoes to the pan with chopped garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Cook covered over a low heat or in the oven, adding water if you are worried about catching, for 30 minutes or until tender.  Finish with chopped parsley.

Poached skate wing with aioli

Skate wings have a very unpromising appearance but are fantastic value and eating the meat off the wing couldn’t be easier.  To serve with Lyonnaise potatoes.

Cut the top and bottom off a lemon, place on one end and remove the bitter pith in curved cuts with a sharp knife.  Slice the lemon and place in a casserole with sufficient cold water to cover the fish, with a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of peppercorns.  Lay in the skate wings and bring up to a nearly-boil, removing from the heat and allowing the fish to finish cooking in the liquid for 5 minutes.

For the aioli, I like to use half extra virgin olive oil and half flavourless oil such as sunflower, lemon juice and grated lemon rind, salt, white pepper and grated garlic.  It’s absolutely crucial to taste for balance of lemon acidity with saltiness, and pungency of garlic.  Don’t be afraid to make bold adjustments of flavour.  

The technique is the same as mayonnaise: put 2 egg yolks in a bowl with all other ingredients except the oil.  Whisk until lightened in colour and slightly thickened; a damp cloth under the bowl will help.  Add oil drop by drop at first while whisking, then in a thin stream until thick.  Taste and adjust.