Mother's day dinner

Yesterday, 2nd March, was Mother's day in Ireland and we invited Andrew's mother and his sister for dinner.
I chose dishes from Bill Granger's recipe book because they looked simple and don't need long preparation. We started with














Ricotta fritters with citrus sauce

Fritters:

250g fresh ricotta
2 eggs, separated
65g plain flour (I used gluten free flour)
zest of 1 lemon
pinch of salt
40g raisins
light flavoured oil

Stir together the ricotta, egg yolks, flour, lemon zest, salt and raisins. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold through the ricotta mixture.

Heat the oil over medium heat. Drop tablespoons of the mixture into the oil and cook a few at a time until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels while you cook the rest.
Serve with citrus sauce.

Citrus sauce

225g caster sugar
125 ml lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
(so all about 3 lemons)
125ml water

Put the sugar and water in a small deep (light colour) saucepan over high heat and boil without stirring. Brush the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent the sugar crystallizing. Once the caramel turns a rich golden colour, remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and zest. The caramel will splatter, so stand back. Stir gently until the sauce is smooth.

Serves 4

And the main course was

Lamb with romesco sauce
serves 6

Roast lamb
1.8 kg/4lb butterflied lamb leg, cut into two pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Heat an oven proof frying pan over high heat. Rub the lamb with the oil and season well. Put the lamb skin side down in the pan and sear for 5 minutes, then turn over and cook for 2 minutes. Put the pan in the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 10 minutes. Slice thickly and serve with romesco sauce, lemon wedges and parsley.

Romesco Sauce
4 red peppers/capsicums, roasted, peeled and seeded.
4 tbsp blanched almonds, toasted
1 tbsp red wince vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
black pepper

Put all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until the sauce is combined but still has some texture.

and I served the lamb with Paella.

The starter was a hit. The fritter was fluffy and the sauce was really lemon-y and gave that fresh taste.
Unfortunately the lamb was still a bit too rare for Andrew's family (who prefer medium to well done meat) even though I gave extra roasting time.
I love the sauce, but I think if it was a bit warm would be much nicer, so next time I will heat it up a little bit before serving.