A space for recipes

I was quite surprised how enthusiastic everyone who it ate it was about this dressing. I mean, I worked on making it good and all that, but I wasnt expecting raves. I guess thats because I am used to living with Mr. Ferdzy, who doesnt get all that excited about buckwheat. He says it tastes like cardboard. However, a bunch of people who had never had it before were amazed and impressed. So there you go! If you havent had buckwheat before, maybe you should try it.

The bits about toasting it and dropping it into water that has already reached a boil are important. Otherwise, it can get sadly soggy and mushy, and then no-one will be very excited about it. Also, it was a happy day when they first started to sell pistachios already shelled. I suggest you look for them.

6 to 8 servings
2 1/2 hours, not including cooking the buckwheat - 40 minutes prep time


Cook the Buckwheat:
1 cup buckwheat
2 teaspoons mild vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water

Heat the oil in a large skillet, and add the buckwheat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the oil is absorbed and the buckwheat is toasted. Remove it to a plate to cool. Put the water and salt into a pot and bring it to a boil. When it boils, add the buckwheat. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed. This can be done up to a day in advance, and kept in the fridge until wanted.

Make the Dressing:
1 small onion OR 2 or 3 shallots
2 or 3 stalks of celery
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
the finely grated zest of 1/2 large lemon
1/2 cup shelled pistachios
1/2 cup dried cranberries
the juice of 1/2 large lemon

Peel and chop the onion or shallots. Wash, trim and chop the celery. Heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion (shallots) and celery until soft and slightly browned. Meanwhile, grind the rosemary and pepper. Add the seasonings to the pan, along with the finely grated lemon zest and the pistachios and cranberries, and mix well. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool enough to handle. Mix in the lemon juice.

Stuff and Roast the Lamb:
1 boneless lamb shoulder, about 2.5 kilos or 4 to 6 pounds
lamb or beef stock, OR water

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Remove the string or elastic bag holding the shoulder together, and spread it out in a baking pan. Spread the dressing over it and fold it closed again. Tie it back together so as to surround the dressing with the lamb. The pan should be of a size to hold the prepared roast somewhat snugly. If you cant get all the dressing in (probably not) arrange whatever is left around the roast. Add enough stock or water to cover the bottom of the pan by about a quarter inch.

Bake the lamb at 450°F for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325°F and cook for a further hour to hour and half, depending on the size and thickness of the lamb and the degree of doneness desired. Let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.




Last year at this time I made Curried Noodles with Vegetables.

This is a little bit of a hangover from The Wartime Kitchen - Ration Book Cooking, which is why the piece of meat is so small and there are so many vegetables surrounding it!  However, it gave me a chance to try out the Mermaid Deep Side Handled Roaster.   Made from hard anodised aluminium, Mermaid claim their collection of bakeware will never peel or blister, withstanding the highest cooking temperatures – perfect if you need high temperatures to seal off your meat. Mermaid’s roaster is ideal for hob to oven cooking, guaranteed not to warp or buckle, plus, it’s extremely easy to clean and scratch resistant making it safe to use with metal utensils such as a whisk. So lets see if that is true!

Pot Roast Shoulder of Lamb with Root Vegetables and Red Wine Gravy

Piece of Lamb shoulder (I wont insult you by telling you how little I used!)
2 shallots, peeled and quartered
4 parsnips, peeled and cut into large chunks or fingers
6 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks or fingers
4 tbsp sunflower oil


1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the roaster on the hob, sear the lamb on all sides.  Remove the meat and add the remaining oil.
2. Add the vegetables, season and place the lamb on top of the vegetables.
3. Cover with foil and cook at 160C for 1 1/2 hours.
4. Remove foil and turn up the oven to 200C, cook for 15 minutes until the vegetables start to colour.
5. Remove the meat and vegetables to a warmed serving plate and rest covered with foil.




Make the Gravy
Spoon off the excess fat. Next deglaze your dish on the hob with a medium heat to release the delicious flavours within the darker juices. After adding flour, wine, balsamic vinegar and stock and you have a delicious gravy.


Not feeling confident about making your own gravy?  Mermaid have a step by step video which will hold your hand until you have mastered the art of making Old Fashioned Gravy.


I followed the instructions on the video to make my gravy and they were very easy to follow.  I used a metal whisk in the pan as instructed, although that was the hardest part of the whole process for me, it just seems wrong to use metal utensils on non-stick!  However, I have to say that the non-stick is incredibly tough and didnt have a mark on it after cleaning.


It didnt warp or buckle, it didnt blister or peel, quite impressive given the bashing I gave it with the whisk.  I also liked the handles, which made it really easy to lift the roasting tin out of the oven  and to work with it on the hob.


Ive used the Mermaid Deep Side Handled Roaster since to make roast potatoes, sorry no photos, and it worked well for that too.  I am also eyeing it up for a giant lasagne which would feed visitors over the Christmas holidays, its the perfect size and, with those lovely shiny stainless steel handles, I would even take it to the table.


Thanks to Sarah and Ria for providing me with the Mermaid Deep Side Handled Roaster for review, I was not required to provide a positive review and I was not paid for this post.  All opinions are my own.