CHAMPAGNE LEG OF LAMB AND BAKED BRUSSEL SPROUTS

Late night, and I`m exhausted, we are doing a little renovation in the under floor in our house, and yesterday one of the workers made a mistake, and broke the  pipe from the swimmingpool, don`t know how many buckets of water and to pumps working to get the water out of the pool, to reapair the damage. But the water accesses everywhere, no use to cry, but I was not far away from doing it. And the rain started at the same time, thank God, it`s neded, but for us it was no good, we have got so much humidity inside the house now.
So my baking Mantecados is quite impossible, I can give you a link if you want to try. I also remebered that in most  convents, the nuns has ancient recipes, and bake the most wonderful christmas cakes, and at the same time you lend them a helping hand to continue with their solidary works, they are also afected by the  crisis in Spain.
Anyway, in the middle of lookin at  yr.no , eltiempo.es, we are packing our suitcases, my man and I go to Norway to celebrate X.mas with my family, and at the moment the temperatures seems quite like here in Granada.
Tonight our daughters and son in law are coming for "x-mas dinner", we always have turkey on the 24th of december, since we're not here, we decided to cook the turkey when we come back from Norway, on New Year Eve.

As you might have read before we use the "Cordero Segureño"  lamb, and for us it`s the best, but any lamb will do.

The shopping-list
1 pierna de cordero Segureño deshuesada                 (leg of lamb without bone)
1 manzanas reinetas                                                 ( russel appel)
8 ciruelas pasas                                                        (prune)
sal rosa de himalaya y pimienta                                 (Pink Himalaya salt and pepper)
un poco de zumo de limon                                        (a little lemon juice)
2 cucharadas de piñones                                          (tablespoons of pine nuts)


Huesos de la pierna de cor                                   (bones from the leg of lamb)
1 cebolla                                                                (onion)
2 tomates  maduros                                                (ripe  tomatoes)
1 cucharilla de azucar                                             (teaspoon sugar)
AOVE                                                                   (extra  virgen olive oil)
1 botella de cava o champan                                   (bottle of champagne or cava)
Sal rosa de  Himalaya y pimienta                             (pink Himalaya salt and pepper)

600 gr coles de bruselas                                          (brussel sprouts)
2 cucharadas de AOVE                                           (tablespoons of extra virgen olive oil)
2 cucharadas de sirope de aloe vera                         (tablespoons of agave syrope)
1 cucharilla de sal rosa de Himalaya                         (teaspoon pink Himalaya salt)
1cucharilla de curcuma                                            (teaspoon tumeric)
1/2 cucharilla de guindilla machacada                       (teaspoon of chli , crushed)

First of all we peel and cut the onionn, save, peel and grate the tomatoes, and save too.Then we have AOVE in a skillet,a little more than just to cover the bottom, heat and add the parted bones from the lambs leg, and let fry until brown on medium high speed. Then add the onion, scrap the bottom of the skillet and let the onion fry for a moment, then add the grated tomatoes and the sugar ( so it don`t taste acid) and let fry for 10 min on medium speed. Then add the Cava ( Cava is the Spanish Champagin), I use the Brut version. Let boil, then lover the heat, and let simmer for at least 20 min,.it should reduce to the half more or less.
















For the marinade of the brussel sprouts mix the extravirgen olive oil with the agave syrope, salt, tumeric and chili in a plastic bag and save.

While all this is simmering, you have a really nice flavour in the kitchen now, start roasting the pine nuts in a dry pan it only takes a couple of min., but makes the taste more intense, then peel the apple and cut into small cubes, toss with a little lemon juice( not to get dark). Now we mix the  prunes, apple cubes and pine nuts, and fill the lambs leg with the mix, then tie up the leg of lamb.

Toss with a pinch of salt and pepper, and transfer to an ovenproof platter, by now the stock is ready,
remove the bones and now you can use the stock as it is, more rustic, or use a blender to get it smooth.
I like it both ways. Preheat the oven 180 degrees and roast for 50 min ( depending on the size) if you want the  meat pink, 60 min if you like it more done. Every ten min. use a wooden spoon to pour the stock over the lambs leg
.
Peel and cut the brussel sprouts in halfs, put in the plastic bag with the marinade, and turn around several times until you see that all of them got coated, put a baking paper on an oven plate and transfer the brussel sprouts, they need about 40 min in the oven on the lover rack, under the lamb steak.
When the lamb steak is finished, put the brussel sporuts on the higher rack and let roast for some min, until they get golden.


Cut the lambleg in slices, and serve together with the brussel sprouts.

My husband always want some fried  potatoes with this dish, peel 2 or 3 medium potatoes, and cut in slices, wash well in cold water, let drain and fry in a deep fryer, they are called "Patatas panaderas" in Spanish., sprinkle with a little pink Himalaya salt, and ready to go.

This needs a good Ribera del Duero wine    www.decantalo.com , the district where you find the best suckling lamb roasted in a special clay oven with live fire inside, nice place to go in the winter or early spring and visit some of the villages and Bodegas in the district.( only 30 km from Burgos) I can specially recomend Lerma,   see link    Parador Nacional de LERMA,  Covarubias, which is twinned to Tonsberg, my hometown, but that is another story .And in the aerea you must visit :   Abadia de San Fransico de Silos.

I hope you`ll get to love this dish as much as we do.

We enjoyed this dinner very much, and I hope you will too. And  the new snow in Sierra Nevada makes us extra happy, we still have some free apartments for rent at christmas here is the link  skiservice@msn.com   and Berit will help you.

Night, Night!!!!!!