Miles Collins

One last Hurrah….

Okay, I’m officially twenty eight days early but who’s counting? When the weather forecaster talks of possible ground frosts then barbeque’s and jugs of Pimms don’t spring to mind.

It’s October and I want to put this year’s summer firmly behind me. If you live in England you’ll understand why, rain, floods, rain and more flooding which meant lousy crops of salads and vegetables for amateur and farmer alike (my brother apart) For those who follow my blog in the States, Germany, France and Asia well, as we English say, bully for you!

That said my suppliers have been offering me fresh peas and broad beans for weeks, they seem to have lasted an age. It has also been a very good year for apple production but less suprisingly, fish avaliability has been hit and miss with soaring prices to boot. Mushrooms seem late in coming through, I am still struggling to get trompettes from both Scotland and France, Cepes are few and far between but the girolles have made up for it.

So here’s an idea for a different sunday lunch, a roast lamb of sorts with a summery feel.

Ask your butcher for lamb rumps also known as ‘chumps’ (the bit where the leg meets the loin) You buy them individually as you would a beef steak so look for something weighing approximately 8 oz/250g. They have just the right amount of fat to aid the cooking process without looking ungainly once sliced and taste delicious, particularly when cooked rare to medium.

Seal the lamb in a frying pan and then roast them in a hot oven for 12-15 minutes or longer depending on your preference. Once cooked, remove from oven and wrap them individually in cling film and leave to rest for five minutes in a warm place.

Using the pan you sealed the lamb in add a glug of olive oil and fry some slices of courgettes, aubergines and onions. Once you take the lamb out put a few cherry tomatoes on the tray and pop back in the oven to soften. If you like olives then add a couple to the vegetables along with some fresh basil or tarragon.

Back to a dressing I have mentioned in a previous post; sauce vierge (virgin sauce) I use it as a base for all sorts; meat, fish, vegetables and salads, it is so versatile. Warm some olive oil, add some crushed coriander, a little fresh lemon juice, the diced flesh of a deseeded tomato or two and some of that fresh basil or tarragon.

Make up a small pan of lamb gravy, we use lamb bones, vegetables, herbs, red wine and big stock pots. You don’t need to. Remove the vegetables from the pan with the lamb residue still in tact, mix up some lamb gravy mix bought from a decent supermarket and add it to the pan giving the bottom a good scrape at the same time. Check for salt and pepper, throw in a torn bay leaf and a sprig of fresh time if you’ve got some.

Unwrap the lamb carefully, the rumps will have ‘bled’ some of their juices into the cling film, pour these into your sauce. Slice the lamb and arrange it over the vegetables. Spoon some of your olive oil sauce over and around followed by the lamb gravy. You want to see blobs of oil floating in the gravy, this is good.

I like to top it all with a spoon of tapenade which you can easily buy. If you want to make your own here’s how: Take a blender or pestle and mortar. Crush or puree a clove of garlic with a pinch of rock salt (not too much) Throw in a handfull of pitted black olives along with a teaspoon of capers, a couple of anchovy fillets and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Give it a good blast then stir in extra virgin olive oil to form a wet paste, not too runny because you want to put a blob of it on top of your lamb without melting all over it. Any left overs should be saved for smearing on warm ciabatta for a late snack.

Now you’ve got a great piece of lamb, cheaper than a rack but packed with flavour and paired with flavours seemingly made in heaven; anchovies, olives, garlic, olive oil and nicoise vegetables. Close your eyes and chew slowly, You’ll think you are in that farmhouse in Provence mid-July, I promise.