I’m not sure how traditional lamb roast is made or if there is event such a thing as tradition in cooking. Every hand cooks differently, even if they are following the same recipe. I like to think of cooking as a time to improvise and be creative. I tend to make things based on random inspiration like a picture or a color. If you’re going to get do it, might as well enjoy it.
I did not always feel this way about cooking. When I was a child, I thought cooking was the nadir of what it meant to be a modern woman. My boy cousins, six boys (now they are men) never had to lift a finger to wash a dishrag or boil a pot of water. It was never mentioned but it was tacitly understood that cooking was a skill they could do without, which was ironic since they always ate the most. But then when I came to DC to go to college, I found out that my pocket-book would be fatter and my bum would be thinner if I stocked my own shelves. University food at a private institution is fairly expensive for me. That’s how I grudingly found my way in the kitchen. At first, I made only safe choices: pasta and oatmeal. One can hardly subsist on those alone! (Imagine an English accent, I don’t know why I hear an accent in my head but it comes out that way, go with it. )
As Dr. Maslow, author of that fabulous book on human needs and desires, might say: Woman does not live by bread alone when she knows there’s butter, pumpkin pie, tortilla de patata española within reach. I had a few Bridget Jones moments but now I kinda like cooking. I’ve forgotten about the pseudo-political implications I thought it had when I was a kid.
It’s funny that as I grow, I shed more seriousness each day. Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?
So, the food itself. Nothing to it. I don’t follow recipes; I make up as I go. We’ve got lamb (important!) seasoned with lime, olive oil, parsley, salt, pepper, and ** nutmeg**. Let it sit while say, you write this post, and then put in the oven at 350 F. Check on it when the aroma tickles your nose hairs. Eat, Enjoy, Repeat!
