12 oz shortcrust or flaky pastry
3 lb boned shoulder of lamb
6 tbsp butter
1 tbsp mixed chopped herbs
1 salt and black pepper
1 milk or egg to glaze
Directions
Make the pastry and chill for at least 1 hour before using. See that
the lamb is fairly free of fat, and securely tied: put in a roasting
pan and rub with about a third of the butter. Put into a very hot
oven, 450F for 20-30 minutes. Take out and allow to cool slightly. --
Miz the remaining butter with the herbs, salt and pepper. Roll out
the pastry to a piece large enough to wrap around the joint.
Carefully remove the string from the lamb, trying to retain the
shape. Put it in the center of the pastry, dampen the edges, and draw
the pastry up over the top: secure well by squeezing the pastry ends
and edges together. Turn over so that the fold is underneath, and put
on a baking sheet. Prick all over the top lightly with a fork, then
brush with either the milk or beaten egg. Put into 400F oven and cook
for about 1/2 hour, or until the pastry is nicely browned. Turn the
sheet once during baking to make sure the browning is even. Serve,
cut into fairly thick slices.
Servings: 6 servings
Lamb Shoulder In Pastry (Guilainn Chaoireola Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Dessert; Lamb; Meat
The History of Recipes
It is quite possible to follow the history of transcribed cooking instructions way back into the far past, in truth as far back into history as the ancient Egyptians, and maybe even further. However, generally, these ancient cook books were just primitive pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing food.
In fact, the most ancient recipe in existence, according to experts in ancient history is a series of stone tablets in the Sumerian language describing the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who drank it feel blissful. Progressing into Roman times around 25BC a man called Apicius created some scripts which described recipes enjoyed by wealthy roman citizens. In his publication, he recounts how the meals were divided into appetizers, main meal and desserts, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. Aspicius also recounts how the ancient chefs made use of many aromatic flavours, including some familiar names such as basil, fennel and dill. Later on, we have a couple of interesting cookery books which date from the 1300s ; a book called `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary named `Curye on Inglish`. Surprisingly, these two books have no connection with the spicy food that is served today, but instead descriptions of the types of food prepared by the chefs of the rich and powerful of that period. Later on in the 1400s, knights returning from the crusades brought back many new spices and herbs from Arab cooking, including spices such as rosemary and coriander. These new foods and spices led to an explosion in books on cooking, the majority of which are kept safe in academic collections. For the centuries that followed, the upper-class families of Europe tried to serve the most exotic meals, and as a consequence, chefs and their recipe collections increased in prestige. Nevertheless, it was during the 19th century that fine cooking and cookery books reached a high level of popularity. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, dedicated the best years of their lives to collecting, trying out, and writing down the recipes that were being prepared for the better households. By the advent of the twentieth century, cooking books are increasing in popularity mostly due to more people being able to read, leisure time and a general increase in wealth. The introduction of the TV brings us celebrity chefs and the recipe books that accompanied them. Which pretty much brings us to the present day and the internet revolution, permitting us all to search through massive numbers of recipes like the ones you can find on our site. |
We hope you enjoy this Lamb Shoulder In Pastry (Guilainn Chaoireola recipe.
