Near mutton

About a week ago we got around to cooking the shoulder of lamb first noticed at reference 1. Probably the largest shoulder of lamb we have ever bought, certainly the most expensive. The butcher said that when the new season's lamb came in they would be a lot smaller, so we thought that perhaps this shoulder came from a lamb which was close to the two year limit for calling a sheep a lamb; any older and it became mutton, from the French, only fit for pies and curries - which is a pity as I imagine mutton would respond to slow cooking with a good flavour. And you certainly get mutton in Thackery, Trollope and Galsworthy. In any event, new season's seems to be a term of the trade for a lamb just over a year old, not one freshly hatched.

Our kitchen scales could cope with the weight, coming in at 7lbs 2oz, compared with the selling weight of 2.263 kilos. Not quite the same appearance as a smaller shoulder, in part because the leg had been trimmed short of the knuckle which, to my mind, should be left on. But otherwise intact. No garlic, seasoning, oil or anything else. Not least because of the good blanket of fat, visible below left. With the scales being visible below right.

The previous best was the shoulder at reference 2, so we settled for shoulder out of the fridge at 09:00, oven on at 160°C at 09:30, meat in at 09:45, with a view to turning the oven off at 13:15 and forks down at 13:30. Just about 30 minutes to the pound plus resting time (in the oven).

Meat safely in the oven, we thought to take a walk around Long Grove Park. On the way we found that the Chain Saw Volunteers had regrouped and were busily cutting down everything in sight in the patch of rough ground marked with a spot. They were quite young, so perhaps a youth group - or even a group of young offenders doing a spot of community service. But what these particular young trees and bushes had done to offend, I do not know. Don't these people know that we need all the trees we can get?

The Volunteers having been something of a bête noire of mine in the days when I used to walk around Epsom Common, something I stopped doing in large part because of being continually irritated by their chain saws, charcoal and cows. Cows being something else which environmentally sensitive volunteers should not be into. Furthermore, I do not care for their company when I am out walking, particularly when they are sporting long, sharp horns. See reference 3.

Fierce, cold wind coming up from the north east as we dropped down Long Grove Park. But oddly patchy; the lie of the land must have meant that some bits were left alone, while others suffered.

The new house going up in Kendor Avenue, noticed at reference 4, was making slow progress, with the wall in front of the front door now sporting three brick towers. Towers which did not seem to be evenly spaced and one of which looked to be well off-vertical. But maybe it was us who were off-vertical; probably best to take another look.

Home to find the shoulder coming on nicely at 12:30. At which point I did a spot of basting.

The fat from the pan. Which I dare say in a more frugal era, one would take on toast, something which I dare say both our fathers, from decent stock but not from what you would now call middle class or even white collar, knew all about. I only of thought of this when it was too late, which was perhaps just as well for my waist line and so on and so forth.

But I did think of the nobles of dynastic Egypt who used to tie blocks of lard onto their heads during banquets by way of conspicuous consumption. The idea was that it should drip down their faces and necks during the proceedings. Nobles who featured in the book about curious culinary customs by one Margaret Visser, to be found at reference 6. And of Odysseus guzzling fat sheep when he reached the homestead of one of his retainers as he neared his more palatial home on Ithaca. While until fairly recently, even in this country, those who did serious work with the pick and shovel would pack away a fair amount of fat in one way or another. Good source of energy for the hard day's work to come.

Ready to go.

On the plate. Taken with one of the last bottles of Waitrose's Fleurie. We shall have to see whether the new lower alcohol regime runs to buying any more. One of the ramifications of the change noticed at reference 5.

The meat was very good, both from the point of view of texture and that of flavour. The only disappointment was the greens, which proved a little mushy. Too young, possibly grown too fast. Maybe we should have a go with the more serious greens that they sell in Portuguese convenience stores.

A view of the end of the first shift. Maybe not as neat as leg, but better as far as we are concerned. Particularly since we don't seem to be able to cook leg nearly as well as we can cook shoulder. Unless, that is we resort to one of the slow cooking recipes, perhaps involving white beans.

Baked apples for dessert, which worked well. Followed by a snooze and a spot of brick carrying, with Scrabble put aside for the day.

Day two.

After day two, with the crows' portion right. It being one of our household amusements to watch the crows and magpies circling each other and the scraps, until one of them makes a dive for it. The cats don't seem to be interested in either the scraps or the birds.

Day three. Still going strong.

Finally finished on day four, the Thursday, on which occasion it was taken with couscous and salad. Couscous being something which we think has promise for us. Easy, palatable (when flavoured a bit) and nutritious. For which we have to thank the John Lewis cafeteria in their shop in Oxford Street. Or Cavendish Square, depending where you are coming from.

PS: the crows remind me of a story about binocular vision which I read recently. Birds like crows only have binocular vision for things straight in front of them, and the story was that this was good not for getting a good fix on a prey animal, in the way of a lion or a tiger, rather a matter of giving pinpoint control over beak action, which is not quite the same thing.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/03/bacon-etc.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2021/06/sheep-shoulder-day.html.

Reference 3: https://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.com/search?q=chain+saw.

Reference 4: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/01/long-grove-park.html.

Reference 5: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-end-of-era.html.

Reference 6: The rituals of dinner - Margaret Visser - 1992.

Reference 7: http://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.com/2012/01/modern-marvels.html. Further notice, quite a long time ago now.