Feasting or fasting

118.no• n.• )1114/1hblei1010.411...41114414111.•.10 rirook.,„,,,Ork_ How are you faring this Lent? I am having a competition with Rupert Li5wenstein: we swap weight losses after Sunday Mass at the Oratory. At the moment we are more or less neck and neck, having both lost over half a stone. Slight setback last week as there were St Patrick's and St Joseph's feast-days to be celebrated. This Sunday will be Mothering Sunday so we can all loosen our belts and feel that Lent is half over. It will be Easter before I write again so I thought I would include a suitably Middle-Eastern version of lamb for Paschal-tide, originally from the late lamented Jeremy Round and now in Frances Bissell's new book which I shall review later.

Ottoman lamb with aubergine puree 1 leg of lamb, about 6lbs, trimmed of all fat, the two bones at the haunch end removed For the marinade: 1/2 pint thick yoghurt

4 heaped tablespoons tomato purée

1/2 pint dry red wine

2 fluid oz extra virgin olive oil 6 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed 2 bay leaves 2 teaspoons fresh thyme 1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt pepper

For the aubergine purée:

3 lbs aubergines 2 oz butter 2 oz plain flour

3/4 pint of milk

2 oz grated cheddar cheese fresh bay leaves to garnish

Beat the yoghurt and the tomato purée together. Continue beating while dribbling in the wine and oil. Stir in the crushed bay leaves and garlic, the thyme, sugar, salt and freshly ground pepper. Make deep inci- sions all over the lamb, cover it with the marinade in a dish; cover the dish and refrigerate for 24 hours, turning occasional- ly. Preheat the oven to Gas 6, 200C, 400F. Take the lamb from the marinade, place in a roasting dish. For rare lamb cook 12 min- utes to the pound, for medium 16 and for well done, God forbid, 18-20. Cover the joint and roast, basting now and then. Forty-five minutes before the end of the cooking remove the juices from the pan and place the lamb, uncovered, on a rack to continue roasting. Strain the juices and reduce to a tablespoon or so. Char the aubergines under a hot grill or naked flame until black all over. Peel when cooled enough and leave to soak in slightly salted water for a while. Squeeze out as much liq- uid as you can, then mash them in a bowl. Make a roux with the butter and flour, adding the milk off the heat. Cook until you have a thick white sauce with no taste of raw flour (about half an hour's simmer- ing). Stir in the mashed aubergines and cook for several minutes. Season well, add the grated cheese, stir and pour the purée into a warm serving-dish. Get the lamb out of the oven and leave it to stand covered with foil for 20 minutes in a warm place. Carve into thick slices and lay on a bed of the aubergine purée. Pour the reduced pan juices over the meat and garnish with fresh bay leaves.

As part of my Lenten diet I have taken to steaming chicken, which melts a lot of the fat away. I have a huge steamer left over from an Aga but you can set up a steamer in a pan or a wok with a rack in it.

Steamed chicken 1 good chicken, about 3 lbs

1 lemon 1 tablespoon sea salt fresh tarragon or any herb you fancy spring onions

Place the chicken on a heat-proof plate which will fit the steamer. Rub all over and inside with lemon juice, then with the sea salt. Set aside for 15 minutes. Put some fresh herbs and sliced spring onions into the cavity together with the remains of the lemon. Bring the water in the steamer to simmering point. Put the chicken, breast down, into the top half of the steamer or on its plate over the rack. Cover the steam- er tightly and gently steam over a medium heat for an hour. When ready, place on a carving board and, if seriously fasting; remove all skin and any remaining fat and eat with steamed, suitable vegetables: broc- coli, courgette, cabbage etc. Alternatively, you can make a dipping sauce with 2 tea- spoons soy sauce, a pinch of sugar, 1/2 tea- spoon salt, 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger and 5 tablespoons finely chopped spring onions. Mix all these in a bowl. In a small pan heat 2 tablespoons of peanut oil and one teaspoon of sesame oil until they smoke. Pour over the contents of the bowl and serve with the chicken.

Jennifer Paterson