Spring flavours
I TRUST you all had a magnificent Easter holiday. I had a perfectly splendid jaunt to North Yorkshire, staying with the Penny- backer, Toynbee lot, whose family ramifi- cations were entirely mystifying. People would appear for breakfast who merely had a bed in the house and then disappear into the countryside to other relations' festivi- ties. We had three good disasters: a broken window, a flooded bath and the Aga going out, but, nothing dismayed, we had a ball. We attended the Easter services at Ample- forth which I had never seen before. It was packed out with many people on retreat but, despite an abbey, an abbot, many monks and a great history, they made the usual mess of half-English and half-Latin, with winsome little girls reading the epis- tles — such a mistake. Found Piers Paul in the melee on leaving who took us home for drinks with his wondrous mother and another vast collection of family relations. All the young up there were not only rav- ishing but entertaining and intelligent: per- haps the Government should be told.
It is spring and St George's Day on the 23rd, so I thought we would have England's answer to navarin printanier. A delicious dish, originally from dear Michael Smith.
Ragout of lamb
2 lbs boned leg of lamb 2 heaped tablespoons seasoned flour olive oil '/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 large cloves garlic, crushed sprig of rosemary grated rind of a lemon 2 carrots, diced
'b large head of celery, diced
1'/• pints chicken stock 18 pickling onions or large spring onions 1'/• oz butter 1V2 teaspoons caster sugar 5 large, firm tomatoes — the best you can find heaped tablespoon chopped parsley or basil
Cut the meat in 1'/2 inch cubes. Shake them in a plastic bag with half the seasoned flour until coated. Brown them briskly in the olive oil and transfer to a casserole. Sprinkle them with the rest of the flour and any left in the bag. Add the cayenne, garlic, rosemary and grated lemon rind. In the pan you cooked the meat in, brown the car- rots and the celery lightly, then add to the casserole with the lamb, etc. Pour on the stock, bring to simmering point, cover and cook for 1'/2 hours or until tender but not overcooked, either on top of the stove or in the oven at Gas 5, 190C, 375F.
Prepare the onions, leaving an inch of green if using the spring onions or remov- ing the skin from the pickling ones (this is facilitated by pouring some boiling water over them and leaving for 30 seconds or so). Melt half the butter in a small frying- pan and turn the onions in it, sprinkle with the sugar and cook until they are lightly caramelised. Shake them about to colour evenly. Add to the ragout about 45 minutes before the end of the cooking.
Skin the tomatoes, cut them across and scoop out the seeds. Chop roughly. When the ragout is done, skim off any excess of fat, check the seasoning and transfer to a fine, warm serving dish. Heat the tomatoes in the remaining butter, then pour over the lamb. Strew the basil or parsley or both over all. Serve with baked potatoes. Do try to find tomatoes with a good taste.
Another good spring idea is Elisabeth Luard's
Vegetables with herb cream
'14 pint whipping cream 1 tablespoon mild mustard generous handful fresh herbs, including parsley 6 spring onions, chopped salt 2 lbs mixed young vegetables (new potatoes, baby beetroot with leaves attached, baby carrots and leeks, young green beans etc)
Mix the lightly whipped cream with the mustard, spring onions and chopped herbs. Salt to taste. Trim and rinse the vegetables, leave whole. Cook the new potatoes and drain. Cook the other vegetables in boiling salted water for a few minutes until al dente. Arrange all the well drained items on a warm dish and cover or serve with the cream sauce. Enough for about four.
An easy pudding from one of the young Yorkshire lads, Humphrey Fletcher, aged 12. Humphrey's cake: Beat 8 oz of soft, unsalted butter with 8 oz of caster sugar, add 9 oz of melted plain chocolate and a teaspoon of instant coffee. When cooled, add two beaten egg yolks and then fold in two stiffly beaten egg whites. In a container make layers of the mixture and sponge fin- gers (about 30), ending with the mixture. Chill, covered in cling film with a weight on top. Turn out and decorate with praline. As Humphrey says, enjoy.
Jennifer Paterson
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