Sunny jerk lamb

Winter shows its might on the East coast of the United States and blankets prettily country sights and city views. It is a great time to slow cook meats and concoct yet another twist on old favorites. While away in the sun, we came across a Caribbean jerk mix. My friend Michael integrated the spices in a wet rub to enhance a baked quartered chicken. Back home, I craved lamb and decided to use the mix to modify an old Moroccan dish: the seven hours slow cooked lamb, the only dish men traditionally prepare. Part of the fun came from guessing what was in the mix. After adding oil to a teaspoon of the coarse powder one can taste the ingredients: rosemary and thyme, allspice, red pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. I added turmeric and cumin seeds. To round up the savors and sweeten the kick, I put in a tablespoon of honey. For the same reasons, I decided to serve it with buttercup squash chips and creamed French flageolets, the French version of dry beans.



Jerk slow cooked lamb
(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 8 hours, Reasonable)Ingredients:
Half a leg of lamb (roughly 6 pounds or 3 kilograms)
½ cup (118 ml) olive oil
2 tablespoons jerk mix
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon honey
4 green onions minced
4 whole cloves of garlic
1 onion peeled and minced
Material:
Paring knife and board
Measuring cup and spoon
Slow cooker

Remove the leg of lamb from the refrigerator one hour in advance to bring to room temperature.
Measure all the dry ingredients and place in a cup. Add the olive oil and the honey and mix well.
Place the leg of lamb on a board and rub the mixture onto the lamb.
Place the metal inset of the slow cooker directly on the gas and wait until it is hot before sautéing the meat on all faces for about 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook for another minute. Remove from the gas and place in the slow cooker.
Add a cup of water, the garlic and set on low for 8 hours. At about mid time, turn the meat over. The lamb is ready when it falls from the bone.

Creamed flageolets
(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 90 minutes, Cheap)Ingredients:
1 cup (237 ml) dry flageolets
Flat parsley
2 tablespoons heavy liquid cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Material:
Saucepan
Salad bowl

One hour before cooking, place the flageolet in a salad bowl. Cover with water and soak.
Once all the water is absorbed, place the flageolet in a saucepan over low heat. Cover and cook until all the water is absorbed for about half an hour. Add the cream, bring to a boil and serve immediately.