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Meatballs with Cuttlefish and Peas

Meat and cuttlefish make such a lovely pair. Around here, we've always mixed land and sea on the same plate — it's pure Mediterranean tradition, the kind of cooking that's been passed down through generations in coastal towns like mine. The secret to this dish is the picada we'll add at the end. That's what really brings everything together. Ingredients for 4 people for the meatballs. 750g uncleaned cuttlefish, save 3 ink sacs from the cuttlefish. 2 onions, chopped. 1/2 leek, sliced. 1 carrot, diced. 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped. 1/2 liter fish stock here . 1/2 liter chicken broth. 50ml dry white wine. olive oil and salt. 400g peas, lightly boiled.  For the meatballs 600g ground meat, veal and pork mixed. 1 whole egg. 150g bread crumb (soft inside part of bread). milk to soak the bread. salt and pepper. flour for coating. For the picada 2 small slices of bread, toasted. 20 toasted almonds. 2 tablespoons tomato sofregit. P...

Oven-Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Garden Vegetables



Ingredients

  • One lamb shoulder, about 1 kg.
  • 8 to 10 small onions.
  • One head of garlic.
  • Two or three potatoes.
  • Two carrots.
  • One red bell pepper.
  • Two small eggplants.
  • Dried prunes.
  • Cherry tomatoes.
  • Salt.
  • Freshly ground black pepper.
  • Two tablespoons of pork lard.
  • Meat broth.
  • 120 ml of rancio wine.
  • A handful of pine nuts, toasted in a dry pan.

Preparation

Start by heating your oven to 170ºC, no fan, with heat from top and bottom.
Cut the shoulder into four pieces, season well with salt and pepper, then place it in a roasting pan with the inner side facing up. Add the peeled and sliced garlic, the peeled small onions, and a couple of spoonfuls of broth.
Pop it in the oven and let it roast for an hour and fifteen minutes. Every now and then, baste the meat with the pan juices to keep it moist.
While the lamb's cooking, get your vegetables ready.
Slice the eggplants into thick rounds, salt them generously, cover, and let them sit for a few minutes so they release their bitter juices.
Peel the carrots and cut them into thick rounds as well.
Scrub the potatoes clean, leave the skins on, and chop them into good-sized chunks.
Remove the stem and seeds from the bell pepper and cut it into large pieces.
In a bowl, toss together the potato chunks, bell pepper pieces, and carrot rounds. Season with salt, then rinse the eggplant slices under cold water, squeeze out the excess moisture, and add them to the bowl. Set this aside.
Once the hour and fifteen minutes are up, pull the pan from the oven and lift out the lamb. Scatter the vegetables in the pan, then nestle the lamb back on top of them, flipping it over this time. Add more broth if the pan looks dry.
Return it to the oven, lower the temperature to 160ºC, and let it cook for another hour, basting occasionally with those lovely pan juices.
Meanwhile, put the prunes in a small bowl and pour the rancio wine over them.
After that hour, flip the lamb one more time and tuck in the cherry tomatoes, the prunes, and all that wine they've been soaking in.
Let it cook for a final 30 minutes, then scatter those toasted pine nuts over the top and bring it straight to the table, piping hot.


Enjoy!


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