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Susan Jung

Rosemary is one of those ingredients that can easily overwhelm a dish. It’s strong and fragrant, with a distinctive pine flavour that can be refreshing and pleasant if used judiciously, but bitter if overused. The needlelike leaves on tough stalks are popular in Mediterranean cuisines.
As a fresh herb, rosemary stores well: you can wrap the base of the stalks in a damp paper towel and keep it in the fridge, or even put the rosemary in a small vase with about 1cm of water and use as an unusual but fragrant alternative to flowers.
Rosemary dries well, too: tie the stalks together with string and hang them upside down until the leaves turn brittle before storing in an airtight jar.
Rosemary goes well with many meats and is a classic flavouring for leg of lamb.
A simple version: sprinkle salt over the meat, then rub with olive oil, minced garlic and rosemary leaves that have been pounded in a mortar to release the essential oils.
Wrap the leg in cling film and leave in the fridge for a day or two before cooking. You can roast the lamb in the oven or grill over coals to which you have added a few stalks of rosemary.
As the herb burns, it will release a fragrant smoke that perfumes the meat.
For a stronger-tasting lamb and rosemary dish, complement with garlic, lemon and anchovy.
Roast leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic

Ingredients

1 leg of lamb (about 2kg/4.4lb)


3 large garlic cloves, plus two heads of garlic


100 grams (3.5oz) anchovies in olive oil, drained


4-5 rosemary sprigs


75g unsalted butter, softened


Freshly ground black pepper


375ml (12.7fl oz) dry white wine


1-2 lemons


12 vine-on tomatoes


About 20ml olive oil

Check the exterior of the lamb and trim off any of the tough silverskin.
Peel the garlic cloves and cut them into slivers. Cut about eight of the anchovies into pieces about 8mm (0.3in) long. Break one or two rosemary sprigs into shorter pieces.
Use a sharp knife with a thin, narrow blade to poke 15mm-deep cuts in the meaty parts of the lamb leg.
Insert a piece of garlic, anchovy and rosemary into each cut. Use paper towels to dry the lamb leg.
Mash the remaining anchovies with the butter and spread over the entire leg, then sprinkle it with black pepper.
Put the lamb, meatiest side up, in a roasting pan. Leave at room temperature for about two hours, or cover with cling film and refrigerate it for longer.
If you refrigerate it, leave it out of the fridge for an hour before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius (425 degrees Fahrenheit).
Pour the white wine around the lamb. Cut each of the lemons lengthwise into four pieces and place the wedges around the lamb.
Cut off the tops of the garlic heads, just deep enough to expose some of the flesh of the cloves, and place them in the roasting tin. Add the remaining rosemary sprigs and put the roasting tin in the oven.
Roast at 220 degrees Celsius until the surface is lightly browned, then finish cooking at 180 degrees Celsius until it reaches an internal temperature of 55 degrees Celsius for medium-rare.
Remove the lamb from the oven, cover lightly with a sheet of foil and rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
Turn the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Put the tomatoes in a pan that fits them snugly, drizzle with olive oil and roast for about five minutes, or until they start to soften.
Slice the lamb and serve it with the meat jus (if it is too thin, put the roasting pan over a medium-high flame and reduce the liquid to a light sauce consistency) and roasted tomatoes. The garlic is delicious when squeezed from the papery skin and eaten with the lamb.
Focaccia with pancetta, caramelised onions and rosemary

This recipe uses pancetta and lightly caramelised onions, and can be made in just a few hours – most of it resting time, but I prefer to let the dough rise overnight in the fridge.
Ingredients

450ml (15 fl oz) lukewarm water (35 degrees Celsius)


1½ tsp instant yeast


550 grams (4.5 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour or bread flour


1½ tsp fine sea salt


About 100ml extra-virgin olive oil, divided


500g onions, peeled


200g pancetta, sliced about 5mm (2 inches) thick


2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary


Rough-flaked sea salt, for sprinkling


Freshly ground black pepper

Use some of the olive oil to liberally grease a large bowl.
Pour the water into another bowl, add the yeast and stir briefly.
Add the flour, sprinkle with the salt and mix vigorously. The dough should be very moist and sticky.
Use a dough scraper to transfer the dough into the oiled bowl. Drizzle more oil on top and rub it in with your hand so the dough is coated.
Tightly cover the bowl with cling film and let it rise at room temperature until almost doubled in size. Punch down the dough and cover the bowl again. Place in the fridge for several hours, or overnight.
Thinly slice the onions. Heat about 30ml of oil in a skillet, add the onions and cook over a low flame until soft and pale golden, for about 45 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Cut the pancetta into 5mm thick strips. Heat 10ml of olive oil in a skillet, add the pancetta and cook over a low-medium flame until soft but not brown. Cool to room temperature.
Let the dough come to room temperature before baking it. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius (425 degrees Fahrenheit).
Use the olive oil to liberally coat one or two baking pans: I use two pans that are about 20cm x 28cm (8 inches x 11 inches). You can also use one large pan (such as an oven tray) and make the dough into freeform focaccia.
With an oiled hand, transfer the dough to the pan(s). Press and stretch the dough so it fits or is about 1cm thick (for one large focaccia).
Pour more oil to liberally coat the dough. Use your fingertips to dimple the entire surface of the dough, pressing all the way down to the pan.
Spread the onions over the dough and add the pancetta. Break the rosemary sprigs into small pieces and scatter them on top. Sprinkle with some rough-flaked sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper.
Put into the oven (no need to let it rise first). Bake until the focaccia is fragrant, golden brown and firm to the touch. If the onions at the edge of the focaccia start to burn at the edges, place strips of foil over them.
Cool the bread before slicing it into squares or rectangles.
This content first appeared in Post Magazine in 2011 and 2014.


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Food & Drink

Rosemary is often used with olive oil and garlic in Mediterranean cuisines. It is easy to store and the herb can be used fresh or dried


Rosemary is often used with olive oil and garlic in Mediterranean cuisines. It is easy to store and the herb can be used fresh or dried.


Susan Jung's recipes

How to use rosemary, and 3 recipes to make the most of its pungent flavour

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Rosemary is often used with olive oil and garlic in Mediterranean cuisines. It is easy to store and the herb can be used fresh or dried

Rosemary is often used with olive oil and garlic in Mediterranean cuisines. It is easy to store and the herb can be used fresh or dried