A RICH LEG OF LAMB, SLOW COOKED AL PASTOR STYLE, AND A LUSCIOUS, ONLY SLIGHTLY BOOZY, ORANGEY SYLLABUB WITH GRILLED NECTARINES AND MINT
I think I’m going to have to concede that things are starting to feel just a little autumnal. Or late summer-ish. Let’s go with that.
I know this because all of a sudden, the salads and the raw fish, the carpaccio this and leafy that, all those light pecky things that have been de rigeur since November, just don’t cut it any more. It’s as if a little alarm bell has gone off.
I want something sticky and rich. Long golden lazy lunch territory. These two ideas are utterly perfect.
Al pastor, or ‘shepherd style’ is an extremely popular style of cooking in Mexico that arrived with Lebanese immigrant shepherds, who hybridised their own cooking traditions with local ingredients, combining traditionally used flavours such as cumin with pineapple, chipotle chillies and coriander. Think of it as early fusion cuisine, before it became overly trendy. I’ve taken the general idea, swapping pineapple out for nectarine because they’re gorgeous at the moment, and I’m pretty damn pleased with the end result. If you can get hold of some chipotle or ancho chillies, add some to the sauce according to taste (they can vary a lot in heat so be a little wary).