For les côtes de porc mijotés / braised pork chops, I used organic pork shoulder steaks. I laid the “chops” in a shallow pan, added sliced onions and carrots, and poured over white wine and chicken stock. I seasoned well and covered with a lid. I simmered gently for 40 minutes, turning the chops half way through the cooking. I removed the chops and reduced the sauce by boiling for a few minutes. The steaks were moist and tender, and the vegetable sauce, with steamed potatoes, a perfect accompaniment.

This recipe – le gigot d’agneau à la crème d’ail rose de Lautrec / roast leg of lamb with pink Lautrec garlic sauce – might seem a bit eccentric, but turned out really well. I brushed the lamb with olive oil, sprinkled over some salt and pepper, and roasted in a hot oven for an hour and a quarter. Meanwhile, I peeled three whole heads of garlic, and put into a saucepan with some milk and more seasoning. I allowed to simmer gently until I could crush the garlic with a fork. When the lamb was done, I poured the juices into the garlic mixture, making sure I scraped all the caramelised bits from the edges of the baking tray. The result – tender lamb with a delicious creamy gravy, thickened by the garlic.

I was intrigued to try the recipe for la foie de veau au miel et citron vert avec les lentilles du Puy / calves’ liver with lentils, lime and honey. I softened finely chopped shallots in goose fat, added dry lentils to coat them and then covered in chicken stock. I cooked gently for about an hour, by which time the lentils had absorbed all the water and were plump and soft. In a separate pan, I fried slices of calves liver in more goose fat, just a couple of minutes on each side. I added lime juice to the pan, scraping off all the tasty bits, and blended in some honey to make a sauce. Combined together, the result was delicious – earthy, with a hint of citrus and sweetness.

Meat balls pop up in a wide range of cuisines: Swedish, Greek and Italian, to name a few. It’s not surprising as they’re simple to make, very versatile and a good way of making a relatively small amount of meat go that bit further. Les boles de picolat / meat balls with olives and mushrooms is a traditional Catalan recipe which, in France, is eaten in the deep south-west. I mixed minced pork and beef with beaten egg, garlic and seasoning. I shaped into large walnut-sized balls, rolled them in flour, and browned in a little olive oil. Meanwhile, in a casserole, I softened chopped onions with lardons, then stirred in tomato purée along with a little flour and some water. I simmered until I had a thick sauce before adding the meat balls, olives and mushrooms (the recipe said cèpes, but I had to make do with portobello). I covered with more water and continued simmering for forty-five minutes.

A tajine is a north African dish, named after the earthenware pot in which it is traditionally cooked. It’s a savoury stew, made with sliced meat, poultry or fish together with vegetables, fruit, nuts, and spices. The domed-shaped tajine lid traps steam and returns the condensed liquid to the pot, meaning that a minimal amount of water is needed (important in areas where water supplies are limited). To make la tagine d’agneau aux abricots / tagine of lamb with apricots, I placed cubed shoulder of lamb in my pot with onions cut into rings, dried apricots, cumin, ras-el-hanout, a cinnamon stick, cardamom seeds, some vegetable stock powder, salt and pepper, chopped lemon, and a couple of sprigs of fresh mint. I covered the meat with water, put a lid on, and simmered gently for an hour or two. Before serving I added some browned almonds. This simple recipe resulted in a tasty, tender, sweet and savoury stew. The next day, I added chopped tomatoes and chickpeas to the left-overs for a variation on this great recipe.

Les souris d’agneau en casserole / casserole of lamb shanks need long, slow cooking. I started by softening sliced onions, carrots, celery and leeks in goose fat. In another pan, I browned the lamb shanks, then added them to the vegetables. I stirred some flour into the remaining fat to make a roux, and added white wine and water to make a sauce. I poured this over the meat so that it was nearly covered. I added bay leaves and piment d’Espelette, cumin, salt and pepper. I brought to the boil, covered, then transferred to a low oven and cooked for two hours. I removed and cooled overnight. The following day, I skimmed the fat from the surface, brought it the boil again, and put the casserole back into the oven for another two hours. My patience was rewarded with beautifully tender meat in a light, slightly spicy gravy. Well worth the wait!

When I cooked carrée d’agneau Lapérouse / rack of lamb with herbs and wine for the first time in 2019, I described it as easy-peasy. However, this time I am in France, and it’s more of a challenge discussing cuts of meat with the butcher. That said, I spotted carrée on the counter and so no discussion was needed. But, when I got home and unwrapped my parcel, it wasn’t quite as I expected. The chops were French trimmed with the bones exposed, but the layer of meat / fat was folded back rather than removed. I decided to proceed as in the recipe by browning the joint and some bacon lardons in goose fat with the fat side flap flat and down. Then I flipped the meat over and roasted it for half an hour in a hot oven with the fat side up. For the last 10 minutes I coated the top with a mixture of breadcrumbs and herbs (parsley, rosemary and thyme). The result looked very appetising with a lovely crisp crust. However, I wasn’t able to cut through the chops and backbone with my kitchen utensils and had to resort to cutting the meat off. So I ended up with a bit of a dog’s dinner, meat and crust separate, not the elegant coated chop slices I was aiming for. That said, the lamb was soft and tender, and delicious with the crunchy bacon and breadcrumb bits, and perfectly complemented by the slightly acidic sauce made from wine, Armagnac, lemon juice and butter. So, not quite so easy this time!

For supper last night I served le gigot de sept heures / seven-hour leg of lamb. I have been looking forward to trying this intriguing sounding recipe for a while, and it turned out to be the perfect dish to share with friends Martin and Phil. At lunch time, I fried two onions in goose fat, and browned the lamb and its “handle” which the butcher had conveniently removed for me. I squeezed everything into a large casserole along with 30 cloves of garlic (the recipe said 40 but, as mine were very large, I reduced the numbers a bit), and a bouquet garni. I seasoned with paprika, cumin, and salt and pepper. I added some duck stock and white wine so that the meat was almost covered. The recipe also said to add a pig’s trotter split lengthwise, and I would have done this if I had been in France, but my butcher here didn’t have any, which turned out to be a good thing as there was no more room in the pot! I brought the liquid to the boil, covered with foil and a lid, placed in a low oven, and left everything to cook slowly. As it turned out, we were ready to eat six hours later, so I tentatively removed the lid and the meat. I needn’t have worried as my six-hour lamb was so tender we could eat it with a spoon.

This next dish, la daube de la Saint-André / beef casserole in the style of a terrine, is a heart-warming stew. It is typically eaten on the feast day of St Andrew, on the 30th November, which coincides with the real beginning of winter. It’s exceptionally easy and would be perfect to cook in an Aga oven or in the embers of an open fire. Mid-morning, I lined the bottom of a heavy casserole with streaky bacon (an alternative for couennes / pork skin) and added a layer of sliced, seasoned beef (top rump). Then I covered this with chopped belly pork, parsley, garlic and shallots, followed by another layer of beef. I poured over red wine, added an onion stuck with a couple of cloves and a bouquet garni, and sprinkled over a little mixed spice. I brought everything up to the boil and covered tightly with foil and a lid. I popped my dish into a low oven and left it for the rest of the day. By supper time, it was tender and delicious – just the thing for a cold evening.