This week on Cooking the Books, Giulia Crouch updates us on the Mediterranean Diet, for her, the Happiest Diet in the World, not least because it’s how she grew up. With top tips from the healthiest and longest living people in what has become known as the Blue Zones (why? they’ve got the healthiest diet in the world. Why call them blue??), her book is half research of, half ode to companionship, cooking from scratch, a right good laugh and a glass of wine with your meal.
Here she lets us peek behind the curtain of her own family life, her nonna and her great aunt who inspired her work, and her grandad’s roast lamb recipe which she talks about in this week’s episode.
Here are some photos of me and my grandad, my nonna (white hair) and few short clips of me cooking with my great auntie last summer in Italy. We made fresh cavati and a tomato sauce flavoured with a tiny bit of pork and tripe. Doesn't sound that appealing but makes for the most wonderfully deep, savoury sauce!
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e28a648-5495-491c-8647-a3b484309368_1080x1920.jpeg)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc643c211-42c8-4176-b0f2-a4fcfccf53c7_960x720.jpeg)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3aff18b0-7e00-4986-9af1-e14507bbaad8_1080x1920.jpeg)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe53e4fd7-280c-4f84-aed5-8d3860b0f5d2_1080x1920.jpeg)
Slow-cooked leg of lamb with crispy potatoes
My grandad’s favourite garlic and rosemary studded lamb! Cooked this way, the lamb becomes super soft, tender and sweet and is amazing with the garlicky, olive-oily cubed potatoes. Serve with whatever veg you fancy.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 6 hours
Serves 6
1 bulb of garlic
1.3kg leg of lamb
6 sprigs of rosemary
300ml chicken stock
1kg potatoes, cut into 1cm cubes
3 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
7 tbsp olive oil
1. Preheat the oven to 150’C/130’C fan/gas 2. Separate the garlic cloves from the bulb and peel each one. Set aside 2 cloves for the potatoes and slice 4 of them in half.
2. Use a sharp knife to make deep incisions all over the lamb and stuff each one with the sliced garlic. Cut 3 sprigs of rosemary into 2cm-long pieces and stuff these into the incisions with the garlic.
3. Place the lamb in a medium roasting tin. Pour in the stock and add any remaining garlic cloves and rosemary. Drizzle 4 tablespoons of olive oil over the lamb, season it with salt and freshly ground pepper and cover tightly with foil. Transfer to the oven for 6 hours.
4. Two hours before the lamb is ready, finely chop the 2 reserved garlic cloves and add to a bowl with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the thyme leaves. Season generously with salt and pepper.
5. Toss the potatoes in the oil mixture and lay them in a single layer on a large baking tray. Roast in the same oven for 1 hour 45 minutes, turning a few times throughout cooking, to make sure they cook and crisp evenly.
6. When the lamb is ready, transfer it from the tray to a board, cover with foil and allow it to rest for 10–15 minutes. Place the roasting dish on a medium heat and deglaze the pan with the remaining chicken stock for a couple of minutes. Pass through a sieve and season. Serve alongside the lamb and potatoes.
Tip
The potatoes can be cooked any time within the 6-hour window of cooking the lamb, and reheated before serving.
Sounds delicious