Holiday season is fast approaching. A time filled with special memories and long family meals around my kitchen table. But it is also a time of frantic menu planning, crowded shopping malls and the struggle to meet everyone’s expectations. Yes, I am a people’s pleaser and want to ensure that everything is perfect and everyone around me is smiling and loving the celebrations ( and food!). For everyone is coming home.
Tradition is not to preserve the ashes but to pass on the flame.
Gustav Mahler
So this time of year can be stressful. Add to that the restrictions due to Covid, the girls writing their final exams and all the year end madness, life can become quite overwhelming. I love the article of Jill Savage Let go of Holiday Expectations. If only I can learn to let go of control, opinions and expectations and rather embrace simplicity, connection and attentiveness. This way I will pass on the flame.
This holiday season we are going for simple yet delicious, easy yet deletable. ( Keep following My blog for some inspiring and stress free recipes during the next few festive weeks). Yes, we are going to look at simple, easy menu options. Meals that will be fit for a king but will also allow us time with our loved ones. So join me in my Kalahari kitchen and let us plan for a time of celebration, joy and thankfulness.
Now, I know lamb isn’t traditionally Thanksgiving food BUT I’m here to tell you it totally can be. It is a great option for all those “I ONLY EAT RED MEAT!” lovers in your life. You have those people in your family, right? In my case, those family members not only love red meat they also love all things garlic and all things fresh herbs. What can be better than the smell of roasting lamb wafting towards them as they enter your house with sparkling eyes and joyful merriment.
This garlic, anchovies and rosemary roast lamb and salsa verde can be prepared hours in advance. ( Recipe page 2) You can even prepare it the day ahead of your celebrations and reheat it on the day of the family gathering. The salsa verde is the perfect sauce for the lamb as it cuts the fattiness and gives a lovely fresh taste.
Serve a few hearty slices of lamb per plate, and drizzle the salsa verde over. Any kind of potato dish is also perfect with this simple feast, but I adore tossing hot boiled new potatoes in really good olive oil, lemon zest, parsley, mint and seasoning. They soak the oil and aromatics up and it’s hard to resist eating them before they get to the table. Another easy way to serve this delicious roast is with freshly baked bread. The bread will soak up all the deliciousness of garlic, herbs and lemon. Simple yet so delectable.
So let us do more than survive the next few weeks. Let us thrive. Remember, less is more. Keep it simple. Be intentional. And do not sweat the small stuff. Join me in my Kalahari Kitchen as we plan ahead for time full of special, enchanting memories and scrumptious, mouth-watering meals.
This time of year… all road lead home. And to My Kalahari Kitchen.
Recipe page 2
Roast Leg of Lamb with Anchovies, Garlic and Rosemary
INGREDIENTS
- 1 x 4lb bone-in leg of lamb
- 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- 20 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and roughly chopped
- 1 bunch fresh rosemary
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ⅔ cups white wine
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt, as needed
For the salsa verde
- ½ a bunch of flat-leaf parsley
- ½ a bunch of basil
- 2tbsp capers
- ½ a 50g (1¾oz) tin of anchovies
- 2 garlic cloves
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- 1tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1tsp Dijon mustard
- 6tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Delicious served with lemony boiled or roast potatoes or cooked brown lentils.
I also serve the lamb as a lazy lunch with freshly baked bread to soak up all the garlic juices.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 425F. With a small, sharp knife, make 12 incisions 2 inches deep into the fleshy side of the leg. Insert a piece of garlic, some chopped anchovies and a small sprig of rosemary into each incision and push mixture in the incision.
- Cream the butter with the remaining anchovies and smear it all over the meat. Sprinkle the meat generously with black pepper, place in a roasting pan and pour the wine around it. Tuck in any leftover sprigs of rosemary and pour the lemon juice over the meat.
- Roast in the oven for 15 minutes; lower the oven temperature to 300F and roast for about another 2 hours, basting from time to time with the juices. (Cook slightly longer, depending on how well done you like your meat.) Let rest in a warm place for at least 15 minutes before carving.
- While the lamb is cooking, make the salsa verde. Using a food processor,chop the herbs, anchovies and capers. Crush the garlic in a pestle and mortar or garlic crusher. Then mix them all together in a bowl, along with the lemon juice, vinegar and mustard. Add the olive oil gradually until you have a thick but pourable sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over thinly sliced lamb.