Have you ever wondered what to do with lamb breast? They sit there on the shelf, so very very cheaply, little rolled blankets of fat and sweet meat (at least, i imagine lamb as always sweet), mysterious in their trusses and, well, cheapness.

Place rolled meat of a breast in an ovenproof dish (cut to fit, if necessary) with 2 sliced carrots, 2 sliced onions, a sprig of rosemary and a little dried thyme. Go for a snug fit. Pour over a glass of white wine and a glass of water. It is quite possible that i used a cup of chicken stock instead, depending on what i had in the fridge. Season, cover with lid or a close cap of foil and bake in a low oven (140ºC) for 3 hours, basting every 45 minutes, until meat is tender.





It smells very good at this point.

Leave to cool, removing any ribs still attached. Unroll and unfold the leaves of meat and press between two chopping boards, weighted by plates or tins. Don't be overly concerned by the fat in evidence - it will be cooked off again, under a hot grill. Leave overnight in the fridge.



To serve: slice the meat into double-finger width, single-finger length pieces. Brush with a little mustard (dijon or english), dip into beaten egg (you will need 2 eggs) and press firmly into a plate of dried breadcrumbs. This is messy, but relatively quick, and, as most of the work was done yesterday, it still seems like a very quick supper dish.

Arrange on a wire rack in a roasting pan, brush with melted butter if you wish for crispy brown crumb. I didn't bother with this adding-butter stage, feeling that there was quite enough fat in the dish already, so my fingers weren't evenly toasted, but i suspect just as delicious. Put dish in a moderate over for 15 minutes, (180ºC), then toast under a super hot grill until suitably blackened, to taste, turning once.

Serve with tartare sauce and mashed potato. And perhaps green beans.

Dusting bookshelves this morning i noticed that my husband is removing cookbooks. There are odd gaps in lines that used to be packed tight; the bookshelves bulged fit to burst with 500 volumes, but now spines sag crookedly. This dissolving of the household is inevitable, but i am determined not to fight over possessions, particularly when books are so replaceable. It does, however, encourage me to explore some of the titles that i don't usually pick up.

It is hard to read these books and see my husband's writing - he always made notes about recipes in the margin of books, and often added whether i enjoyed the dish.



I found a little volume of Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking ("a plump wife and a big barn never did any man harm"), full of recipes which are characteristically short and often sweet. There is a recipe for Rivel (crumb) pie, with 3 simple ingredients of flour, sugar and fat, also Sand Tarts and Flannel Cakes. I am tempted to try Spaetzle, which i recognise from my time as a swiss housewife.

From Lindsey Bareham's Just One Pot; Aromatic lamb curry with spinach (with personal adjustments).

For a marinade; 5 tablespoons of plain yoghurt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin and 3 cloves of garlic and a finger of fresh ginger (5cm), peeled and finely chopped. Add 500g of diced lamb steak and stir.





Peel and chop a large onion. Cook on a high heat for a couple of minutes, then sprinkle with a little salt, another 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, 1 tsp of ground coriander, a big pinch of chilli powder, a bay leaf, 4 cloves, seeds from 4 cardamon pods. Stir well and cook gently for 10 minutes.





Increase the heat, add the meat and marinade. Cook briskly to brown the meat; the sauce will thicken. Sprinkle with a pinch of sweet paprika and add a tin of chopped tomatoes. Simmer for 30 minutes. Just before serving add a bunch of chopped and blanched spinach and heat.

A chopped onion browned sweetly sticky in a pan, then added to a bowl of ground lamb, plenty of chopped mint and parsley and ground pepper. I always add a grated apple to my burgers because i can't use breadcrumbs for bulk, and also because the fruit adds sweetness and moisture (and the pectin helps to keep their shape although i also added an egg today). I might have added pinenuts, too, if i had thought about it at the time.

I use my fingers to mix and squidge, and then little patties are dropped back into the shiny pan that the onions were softened in. Briefly browned, then the whole pan goes into a hot oven for 10 minutes to finish them off. Served with new potatoes and green beans.