Oh my squash

The smells coming from the oven are doing that thing to me. My mouth has started tingling, I think it’s the deep aroma of the harissa. It just sends me a little giddy.The squash, quartered, was covered with liberal pinches of sumac, marjoram, fennel seeds, pepper, chilli flakes, seaweed and salt and then harissa (a small jar’s worth) mixed with an equal amount of olive oil poured over. A few quartered tomatoes and another pinch of salt to be sure and it went into a hot oven for about an hour. Ideally it would have gone in the barbecue, but I just don’t have the will tonight to light it.All that remains is what to serve it with. There will be a good squeeze of lemon juice first then perhaps giant cous cous or some golden buttery crisp-bottomed rice. Perhaps a buttery dollop of polenta. Maybe I’ll let it cool a little and serve with warm flatbreads, some saffron yoghurt and hibiscus tea. I’ll give it some thought.Ingredients1 large squash, quarteredTablespoons of:Fennel seeds for brightness, dried marjoram for a little green earthiness, sumac for a sharp fruity contrast to the squash, chilli flakes for a little kick, warming turmeric powder so you live foreverPlenty of pepperSaltA pinch of seaweed flakes if you have anyA small jar of harissa and an equal amount of olive oil blended with itMore olive oilA few large tomatoes, quarteredSome flaked almonds and fresh oregano to finishMethodHeat the oven to 180cLay the squash on top of the tomatoes and add the remaining ingredients apart from the almonds and oregano, pouring the harissa and oil mix over last.Season well and drizzle with a little more oil.Cook for about an hour. Remove from the oven and add the almonds and oregano then cook for another five minutes.Give a good squeeze of lemon juice over and serve with giant cous cous and sumac yoghurt

On the lamb

There is a Roald Dahl short story whereby a wronged wife clonks her husband on the head with a frozen lamb leg and renders him dead.While I am no way advocating such action (there are many ways one can use a lamb leg), there is something about this particular joint of meat that lends itself to physical action. This recipe allows you to release all that anger, passion and pent up desire to be a mustachioed Turkish masseur that you didn't know you had.A slow-roast leg of lamb is a real pleasure, whether it be studded with rosemary, garlic and anchovy or covered in harissa. I love lamb curry in all it's guises, so here I've turned it into a Sunday roast which really should get the tastebuds going. If you're going to serve it for lunch, you'd better get up early though, but at least with the prep done the day before, you can go straight back to bed with the papers and let it do its thing.Ingredients1 lamb leg. Ask the lamb first1 large bunch of coriander1 clove of garlic1 small onion1 thumb of ginger3 hot green chillies, fewer if you can't stand the heat1tbsp ground cumin (as opposed to tree cumin)1tbsp ground corianderSalt and pepper to seasonMethodChop the ingredients a little first so you don't break your food processor when you blitz them all to a paste. Sometimes I find the coriander roots wrap themselves around the blade like a particularly nasty episode from the Boston strangler.Take your lamb leg and a sharp pointy knife then stab it all over with a questionable enthusiasm.Rub the coriander paste all over the leg, again with an enthusiasm that is perhaps best kept secret and let it marinade for a couple of hours, preferably overnight in the fridge.Heat the oven to 220c and put the lamb, on a roasting tray, inside.Cook for half an hour then turn the heat down to 120c and cook for about five hours. By this time, the lamb should be meltingly soft, falling from the bone and filling the kitchen with indecent aromas.If you don't polish the whole thing off there and then, it makes the best sandwiches the next day, warmed through with the juices oozing into the bread.