What a week

We have had a really hard couple of weeks. Our Saint Bernard Dakota was really sick. I thought we were going to lose her there for a while. She ended up at Tufts Veterinary School and was there for a week. I swear they are miracle workers. Ends up that Dakota has Addison's disease.

Ok, onto cooking and friends and all that good stuff. My friend Gail came to visit. We had a great time and it was a good excuse to cook. First night I made my favorite standby Paella.

Second night we had a boneless leg of lamb in the freezer and it was calling our name.



I decided that I wanted to try lamb stuffed with goat cheese, tomatoes, and basil from "Pure and Simple Cooking by Diana Henry. I swear that this cookbook is one of my favorites. Speaking of favorites I also made Panade of Leeks and Mixed Greens with Cantal Cheese by Paula Wolfert from The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen. You can get the recipe that I have posted before here.



The lamb was fantastic and we had a wonderful couple of days with our pal.



Lamb stuffed with goat cheese, tomatoes, and basil
Pure and simple cooking by Diana Henry

Stuffing
6 oz goat cheese, crumbled
6 oz sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, and coarsely chopped
2 oz (about 3/4 C) basil leaves, torn
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 tbsp olive oil

1 (3lb) boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of excess fat
salt and pepper

1. Mix everything for the stuffing together gently - break up the goat cheese but don't turn it into paste.

2. Preheat the oven to 400F. Open the lamb out like a book. Cut some pockets in the thickest parts of the meat - this just gives you extra places into which to stuff cheese mixture. Season the flesh of the lamb with salt and pepper and spread stuffing over it, pushing the cheese mixture into any pockets you've created. Roll up, tie with string at intervals, and season well.

3. Place in the roasting pan and roast for 15 minutes. Decrease the temperature to 375F and roast for another 50 minutes. Transfer lamb to a carving board, cover with aluminum foil, and insulate with clean kitchen towels. Let rest 15 minutes before slicing.