spice-perfumed shoulder of lamb

from Deborah Golden - gorgeous!

for 6

2.5kg shoulder of lamb
2 heaped tsp sumac
4tbsp edible rose petals (rosewater?)
1 tbsp cumin ground
1/2 tbspground cinnamon
1/2 tbsp dried lime powder (or more sumac)
vegetable oil
2 tsp crushed sea salt

Oven at 160/140 fan
Place the lamb in a roasting tin lined with nonstick baking paper
Grind all the spices inc rose petals together until the petals are ground as finely as possible.
Drizzle a little oil onto the lamb and rub it all over, then sprinkle the spices and salt onto the lamb, making sure they adhere
Roast for 4 hours, then remove, cover with foil for 10 minutes, leave to rest before serving.  Should literally come apart with a fork.

Serve with green salad (tabbouleh?), potatoes or rice.

frittata

this is a great make-it-up-as-you-go-along, thow-anything-in recipe, based on a Mary-Ellen McTague article in the Guardian Saturday magazine, great for summer lunches

For 6 (halve the quants for a generous version for 2)

12 large eggs
100ml cream (richer) or milk (lighter)
S+P
about 250g grated cheese: cheddar or any gratable cheese, or substitute dollops of Philly type cream cheese as the last thing you add, for about half the volume
about 100g meat: chorizo, bacon, ham, salami - or smoked salmon
about 100g vegetables: apraagus, broccoli, spinach, brad beans, peas, whatever's around and in season
(or you could go with 200g veg and no meat)
about 30g fresh herbs: choose what goes with the other ingredients - or what you have - such as chives, tarragon, dill, parsley (especially flat leaf) etc
anything else you think would beef it up: nutmeg, chilli sauce, truffle oil

Oven at 170C
Lightly oil a baking dish (should be large enough for the final mixture to be fairly spread out, otherwise it will not cook through - eg 25x30cm ceramic dish
Blend together the eggs and cream or milk, with some S+P.
Scatter the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly in the dish
Pour over the egg mixture
Bake for 20 minutes, then check to make sure it's cooked through - if not cook a little more.

tabbouleh

I was at a David Hare play recently and a character had to explain what made his salad so special: pomegranate seeds was the answer.  And so it is here. This is based on two Ottolenghi recipes.  I have had many varieties of tabbouleh, as it is a dish that seems to have been popular across the middle east from Persia to the Levant and beyond.   

Enough for 5 or 6 as a starter of side salad

This version does not use bulgar wheat, which is a common ingredient, but you could add it for a less intense flavour, especially as an accompaniment

Chop very finely:
Good bunch of flat parsley,
2 medium tomatoes
Same amount of cucumber
Seeds of 1 pomegranate (about 50g)
A large shallot
2 spring onions

1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil

Spices: 1 teaspoon each:
allspice
cardamom seeds
nutmeg
cinnamon sticks
black mustard seeds
coriander seeds
cumin

Whizz the spices in an electric grinder (you can substitute already ground spices if you dont have them whole, but whole is much better. The smell after whizzing is heavenly).
When whizzed you will find the shells of cardamom and other seeds have not been ground and come to the top.  Sieve to get just the ground spices.

Mix together all the chopped ingredients.
Stir in the lemon and oil.
Mix in the sieved spices.
Cover and place in the fridge until chilled.