Cookery: put together a tasty Easter feast

Shoulder of Lamb with Roasted Vegetables Provençal and Watercress Pesto

Course: Main Skill level: easy Serves 6-8 1 whole lamb shoulder, bone in

1 bulb garlic

10 sprigs rosemary Olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Vegetables:

2 red onions

4 sprigs thyme

4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 aubergine

2 courgettes

2 beef tomatoes or 4 plum tomatoes

6 bay leaves

1 bunch basil

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

For the Pesto:

65 g (2½ oz) watercress, chopped roughly

1 clove garlic

50 g (1¾ oz) finely grated Parmesan

1 tbs toasted pine nuts 50-75 ml (2-2½ fl oz) olive oil

1 Pre-heat the oven as high as it will go. Use a sharp knife to make deep incisions all over the lamb, then push a clove of garlic and sprig of rosemary into each one so that they are completely tucked inside the meat. Rub the lamb all over with olive oil and season well with sea salt and black pepper.

2 Place the lamb on a large baking tray and cover tightly with foil, double wrapping if necessary. Put into the centre of the oven and turn the heat down to 140 deg. C., 275 deg. F., Gas Mark 1. Cook for four hours. Once the four hours is up, remove the lamb from the oven and check that the meat is falling off the bone, then replace the foil and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.

3 To make the vegetables, slice the red onions finely and fry in olive oil until softened. Add the leaves from the thyme sprig, the garlic and some salt and pepper, then spread the mix on the bottom of a round roasting dish.

4 Slice the aubergine, courgettes and tomatoes to around 1 cm (½ in) thick. Layer them upright around the edge of the dish, seasoning well with salt and pepper as you go and tucking the bay leaves and basil in between. Deseed the peppers and cut into quite large chunks. Pile them up in the middle, then drizzle everything generously with olive oil and season again with salt and pepper.

5 Place into the oven with the lamb 1 ½ hours before the end of the lamb’s cooking time, and cook for around

1 hour 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through and softened. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

6 To make the pesto, place the watercress, garlic, Parmesan and pine nuts in a food processor and purée. Drizzle in the olive oil, pulsing for a few seconds at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. Pour into a bowl and season to taste.

7 Finally serve the rested lamb whole at the table alongside the dish of vegetables and a bowl of pesto for drizzling.