From Saint Jean Cap Ferrat we drove to Nice, the Capital of the French Riviera which is situated on the shores of the Baie des Anges.
A few words about the city's history:
Apparently during the Palaeolithic Age, the site around Nice was inhabited by people who used fire and it was known as Terra Amata. Around 350 B.C. the Greeks of Marseilles founded a settlement and named it Nikea, in honour of the goddess of victory, Nike. Later came the Romans and the Saracens and during the following centuries, due to its strategic position and excellent port, it was occupied by the French, the Sardinians and the Italians. Finally, Nice became annexed to France, in 1860.
During the second half of the 18th century, Nice became popular with the European elite, especially the English. Many English aristocrats and their families started spending their winters there. In the beginning, they built their houses on the mountain slopes, while the beautiful beach was inhabited by local fishermen and dock workers.
As many tourists, mainly English, enjoyed walking along the seaside, the township of Nice decided to construct a road along the beach, which was initially traced by an English clergyman and was first called “Camis des Anglais” (local patois for the “English Way”). Later, when Nice became part of France, it was re-named “Promenade des Anglais”. Beautiful buildings and hotels were built on this famous boulevard, but the most illustrious hotel, built in 1912, is Hotel Negresco. It is furnished with outstanding antiques and pieces of art and it houses a fabulous Art Collection. It also offers excellent gourmet food in its Regency-style, 2-star restaurant. In 2003, Hotel Negresco was proclaimed by the French Government as a National Historic Building.
Today, Nice has 4 million visitors a year and it, therefore, has the second largest hotel capacity in the country and the third largest airport in France, after the two in Paris.
A small street, running parallel to the Promenade des Anglais, Zone Pietonne (pedestrian zone) has a wonderful selection of restaurants, with excellent Nicoise and foreign food, cafés, bakeries, small shops and boutiques. Also, the Opera House is built in Old Nice.
Well known squares are Place Massena which is Nice’s gem, with wonderful Pompeian red buildings, Place Garibaldi which is the oldest and largest square in Nice bordered with beautiful baroque buildings and decorated with a statue of Garibaldi, and Place Rossetti, which is a small square, filled with restaurants, street vendors and performers. Cours Selaya is the most traditional square in town, where one can find very good restaurants serving typical Nicoise and foreign cuisine. It also has open flower and vegetable markets, except on Monday, when they are replaced by a market for antiques. There, we enjoyed one of the most wonderful entrées that we had ever tasted, tender calamari, drizzled with a lemon, chives and espelette pepper dressing.
Many famous painters, such as Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Niki de Saint Phalle and Armand, being inspired by the luminous light and the beauty of the area, settled down and worked in Nice. Their work is displayed in the Musée de Marc Chagall, the Musée Matisse and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.
Nice is also renowned for its very tasty and healthy Mediterranean cooking, a few recipes of which you will find at the end of this post.
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| The Flower Market |
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| Mosaic "The Prophet Elijah" in the Garden of the Museum Marc Chagall |
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| Stained Glass by Marc Chagall |
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| Museum Matisse |
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| Antibes by Henri Matisse |
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| Woman with Hat by Matisse |
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| Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art |
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| Niki de Saint Phalle |
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| "Vive l'Amour" by Niki de Saint Phalle |
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| Cello by Arman |
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| By Armam |
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| The Nice Opera |
We also visited Cagnes-sur-Mer, the largest suburb of Nice which is, roughly, divided into tree quarters.
The main part is a green, urban area, dotted with parks. Haut-de-Cagnes, crowned by the Chateau Grimaldi, is a well preserved medieval village perched high on the rocks, with steep, winding, narrow roads and quaint buildings Finally, Cros-de-Cagnes, a charming fishing village, whose landmark is the “Yellow Church” of Saint Pierre des Pecheurs, the fishermen’s Patron Saint.
In the early 20th century Pierre, August Renoir, the famous impressionist painter, built an attractive house for his family in an olive grove, in les Collettes, which is now a museum. Also, the painter, Chaim Soutine, lived here from 1904 onwards, where he created his vibrant, colourful landscapes of Southern France.
After World War I, many Americans lived in this lovely town, such as authors Kay Boyle, George Antheil and the whimsical Harry and Caresse Crosby. In 1956, when we visited Cagnes, we were told that the famous French author Georges Simenon lived there with his wife and their three children.
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| Cagnes-sur-Mer |
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| Haut-de-Cagnes - Chateau Grimaldi |
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| Cros-de-Cagnes |
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| Cros-de-Cagnes, by Night |
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| Saint Pierre des Pescheurs in Cros-de-Cagne |
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| The Renoir Museum |
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| The Hat Lady |
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| The Farm at les Collettes by Renoir |
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| Cros- de-Cagnes |
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| Chaim Soutine's Haut-de- Cagnes |
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| Chaim Soutine's l'Orangerie |
The Red Steps in Haut-de-Cagnes by Chaim Soutine
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| From Menton to Cannes |
We drove further west from Cagnes-sur-Mer and arrived at the beautiful resort town of Antibes, located on the east side of a neck of land called la Garoupe, between Nice and Cannes. Juan-les-Pins is an elegant, lively town near Antibes.
Antibes was founded by the Greeks in the 5th century B.C. and was named Antipolis. It promptly became a busy port with many triereis sailing tirelessly, backwards and forwards, loaded heavily with goods from all over the Mediterranean. Later, Antipolis was occupied by the Romans for the next 500 years, during which period it became the largest town between Marseilles and Genoa.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, during the 5th century A.D., Antipolis lived a period of instability as the town and the surrounding area were seized, destroyed and devastated by pirates and other barbarians.
Five centuries later, the bishop of Antibes built a castle and thick, strong walls and ramparts around the town in order to fortify it. Two hundred years of peace and prosperity followed. It was during this calm period that the Crusaders sailed from Antibes on their way to the Holy Land.
By the end of the 15th century, the region was under the support of the King Louis XI of France and stability returned, but the port of Antibes lost its significance.
During the 19th century, the rich and powerful of Europe discovered the beauty of the region and its warm climate and built luxurious homes in Antibes and Juan-les-Pins. Eventually, the harbour became a busy fishing port that exported local produce, such as salt fish, dry fruit and olive oil.
After World War II, Antibes was discovered by many famous authors and painters, such as Picasso, Gerald Murphy, Nicolas de Stael, Max Ernst, Graham Green and others, who went to live and work there. (Incidentally, in 1956, we were told that the famous Greek Author Nikos Kazantzakis and his wife Eleni owned a house, in the Old Town of Antibes.) In 1946, Pablo Picasso visited his friend and colleague Gerald Murphy, in Antibes, where he stayed for six months, and inspired by the beauty of the surroundings and the Old Town, he created umpteen fabulous works of art. When he left, he donated some of his works to the Municipality of Antibes that were exhibited at Grimaldi Castle, which was, later, restored into a museum, the Picasso Museum. A hundred and sixty-four works of the great artist, such as paintings, drawings, lithographs, oils, ceramics, sculptures and tapestries are displayed there.
Other museums are the Archaeological Museum that exhibits Greek and Roman antiquities, the Naval Museum of Napoleon, the small La Tour Museum that exposes photos, costumes, tools and other objects depicting the contemporary history of the town, and finally the Absinth Museum that shows the history of the prohibition and restoration of the drink.
Also, beautiful parks and gardens adorn Antibes and Juan le Pin, such as the Exflora Park with its famous seven gardens, the Fountain and Ponds, the Rose Garden, the Exotic Garden, the Islamic Garden, the Vegetable Garden and the Winter Garden that contains plants that flower in winter, such as mimosa and camellias.
Another famous garden is Thuret Park, created in 1857 by Gustave Thuret, a botanist that specialized in “acclimatization trials”. Author George Sand, described it as “loveliest garden she had ever seen”. In 1946, it became attached to the Institute National de Research Agronomique and it specializes in the “cross-fertilization of plant species that grow on the Mediterranean Coast”.
The Eilenroc Gardens. Villa Eilenrock was built literally on a rock at the end of Cap d’Antibes, in 1867, by Charles Garnier, the architect who built the Paris and Monte Carlo Opera Houses. Due to the expertise of the landscape architect Jacques .Greber, the harsh plot was transformed into an exuberant park, by using specimens of typical Mediterranean flora, such as marine and parasol pines, cypress trees, olive trees, oaks, roses, lavender, rosemary, sage and thyme and, apparently, three kilometers of pittosporum hedges.
A few words about the ports of Antibes. Port Vauban, as mentioned above, was the centre of the ancient Greek city of Antipolis. Today it is the largest marina in Europe, serving both fishing boats and luxury yachts. Moreover, there are Port Galice, Port de la Salis, Port du Crouton and Port d’Olivette, which lies in a protected small bay, where local fishermen moor their traditional wooden boats.
I must mention the Marineland of Antibes, which combines learning with pleasure. Founded in 1970, it includes a marine zoological park and dolphinarium, a water park (Aqua Splash), a children’s play park (Kid’s Island), a mini-golf and a three-star hotel (Marineland Resort). One can witness shows such as the Dolphin show, where these extremely intelligent animals perform like well-trained ballerinas and the sea lion show. Also, one can walk through a 30-metre tunnel, built in an aquarium, containing sharks and manta rays. Also Marineland is one of the very few places in Europe where one can see polar bears. Moreover, there is a tropical aquarium gallery with coral reefs and beaches where one can admire, penguins, pelicans and flamingos.
In 1970, Senator Pierre Laffite founded a science and technology park and named it Sophia Antipolis. Sophie was his wife’s name (Sophia is Greek for wisdom) plus the ancient Greek name of Antibes. He had a dream of “a new city of learning, offering life quality and intellectual excellence” with departments of art and philosophy. Over the years, it has grown steadily and draws companies dealing mainly, in computer software, artificial intelligence and telecommunications whose researchers and engineers work and live in Antibes. Sophia Antipolis attracts many well-known firms, such as I.B.M. Amadeus, Microsoft, S.A.P, Siemens and others that bring in, yearly 35.000 jobs. Also, the University of Nice has its Technology campuses located in Sophia.
The theatres in Antibes are the Theatre Antibea, the Theatre Les Heures Bleues and the Café Theatre La Scene sur Mer, all of which present performances from drama to orchestral music.
Many festivals take place in Antibes-Juan les Pins, from spring to late autumn, such as:
The Juan les Pins Jazz Festival that is famous all over the world,
The Antibes Yacht Show,
The Antique Show of Antibes
Voiles d’Antibes is one of the largest gatherings of “old teak and brass” sailing vessels ending with one of the most “regal regattas in the Mediterranean Sea”.
In April 1956, the Old Town of Antibes was one of the most picturesque and pretty towns on the French Riviera. It had narrow, cobbled streets, beautiful stone houses, covered with flowers and the sound of soft, syncopated music drifting out of small bars. We were told that during the twenties it was the meeting place of many jazz musicians. We walked through Safranier, a gem of a commune with a small street named after Nikos Kazantzakis Zorba the Greek. The market on the hilltop sold delectable French cheeses and bunches of lavender, where we tasted an unforgettable Mediterranean quiche served with Cinsault, a delicious local wine.
Victor Hugo wrote about Antibes:
“Everything here is radiant, everything is in bloom
Everything sings, the sun, women, love all are at home here.
My eyes and my soul are still dazzled…”
So were ours!!
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| Replica of a Trieris |
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| Strong Walls and Ramparts Fortifies the Old Town of Antibes |
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| Philippe Auguste Arriving in Palestine |
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| The Third Crusade |
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| Villa Built during the Belle Epoque |
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| Villa Picolette Built in the 19th Century |
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| Villa Eilenroc Antibes |
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| Garden of Villa Eilenroc Antibes |
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| Terrace at the Picasso Museum, Antibes |
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| The Picasso Museum, Antibes |
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| In Deep Thought by Picasso |
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| Night Fishing at Antibes by Picasso |
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| The Archaeological Museum Antibes |
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| The Interior of the Archaeological Museum of Antibes |
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| The Napoleon Naval Museum of Antibes |
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| Brochure |
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| Le Peynet Museum of Humouristic Design |
Statue of the Two Lovers
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Exhibited at the Peynet Museum Antibes
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| Absinthe Museum Antibes |
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| In Anticipation of Tasting Absinthe |
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| Ex-Flora Gardens |
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| Ex-Flora Gardens |
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| Thuret Park |
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| Thuret Gardens Antibes |
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| Port Vauban, Antibes |
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| Port Galice |
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| The Old Town of Antibes |
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| The Dolfin Show Marineland |
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| The Tunnel that Runs Through An Aquarium with Sharks And Manta-Rays |
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| Penguins At Marineland |
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| The Antibes Technology Park |
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| Sophia Antipolis |
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| A Street In The Old Town of Antibes |
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| The Shopping Area In the Old Town Of Antibes |
Art Festival Antibes
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| Old Town Antibes |
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| Nicos Kazantzakis In His Home In the Old Town 0f Antibes In 1956 |
Here are a few recipes of the fabulous food that we enjoyed, in April 1956.
BOURRIDE
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| Steaming Bourride |
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| Aioli |
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| Oven Toasted Garlic Croutes |
This the recipe for a fish soup from
Provence, served with aioli, a garlic mayonnaise, and croutes. It is not as difficult as it sounds and the result is rewarding. Any firm white fish can be used, such as monkfish, angler, haddock, cod, bass but also squid.
Fish:
1 kg (2 lb) angler, cleaned and filleted
1 small bass, cleaned and filleted
500 g (1 lb) cod, cleaned and filleted
All sprinkled with a little salt and drizzled with a little lemon juice
(the heads, bones and trimmings of all three, rinsed and reserved)
Court Boullion:
The reserved heads, bones and trimmings cut into smaller pieces
1 onion sliced
1 carrot sliced
1 leek, white part only, trimmed and sliced
1 celery stalk, trimmed and sliced
1 twist orange peel
1 bouquet garni (1 thyme sprig + 1 fennel sprig + 1 bay leaf)
1 litre (4 cups) water
500 ml (2 cups) dry white wine
Ailoli:
(1st method)
4-6 garlic cloves, peeled
Salt
2 egg yolk at room temperature
500 ml (2 cups) mild tasting extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, the juice, strained
2 tsp, tepid water
(2nd method)
4 medium waxy potatoes, boiled in salted water and peeled
4 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper
The juice of 1 lemon
A little tepid water
A little olive oil
(Crush the garlic and salt in a mortar until they resemble a thick paste. Remove the squashed garlic onto a plate. Add one hot potato at a time in the mortar and pound it until it turns into a thick puree. Then mix the garlic paste with the potatoes, thin slightly with warm water and lemon juice). Incidentally, this is way skordalia is prepared in the Ionian Islands.
4 egg yolks for thickening the soup
Croutes:
1 French baguette sliced on the slant
Each slice rubbed with garlic and toasted
Place all dry ingredients for the court bouillon together cover with water and wine and bring to the boil, skimming when required. Simmer for 30 minutes and strain through a sieve, pushing the vegetables and fish with the back of a spoon before discarding.
Wash the saucepan and pour in the strained court bouillon. Bring to the boil and add the fish fillets in separate piles and simmer for 7-10 minutes, being careful as each fish has it own cooking time. With a slotted spoon, place the cooked fish on a serving dish and keep hot.
Meanwhile, prepare the aioli. Crush the garlic cloves with a little salt in a mortar until they resemble a paste, add the egg yolks and stir continuously with the pestle until the eggs thicken and turn into a light yellow. Then add the olive oil, a little at a time and continue stirring. When you have added about 3-4 tbsp olive oil, stir in a little lemon juice and a tsp of tepid water. Continue in the same manner until all the olive oil and lemon juice have been incorporated. Taste and add more salt and lemon juice, if necessary. Fill a small sauceboat with aioli and cover it with cling film.
Place the remaining aioli in a saucepan. Off the heat, beat the egg yolks, one at a time, into the sauce. Add one or two ladlefuls of hot fish broth, whipping constantly until all the broth has been used. Simmer very, very gently, stirring, until the soup thickens enough to coat the whisk slightly. Do not let it come to the boil. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and lemon accordingly.
Serve the soup in a terrine and the fish on a hot serving dish, accompanied with the aioli and the croutes.
SALADE NICOISE
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| A Full Meal |
They are many ways of preparing Salade Nicoise. It can be as elaborate or as frugal as you wish, but very tasty if seasoned with imagination.
1 large cos or lettuce, trimmed washed dried and separated into leaves
4 cups of potato salad* please see recipe below
12-15 baby tomatoes
360 g (12 oz) French beans, boiled dried sprinkled with vinaigrette and iced
12 anchovy fillets, packed in olive oil, wiped dry
2 x 250 g tins (1 lb) tunny fish packed in olive oil, strained and broken into pieces
4 hard boiled eggs, cooled, peeled and quartered lengthwise
2 heaped tbsp olives
1 heaped tbsp capers, rinsed if salty and dried
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
Sauce vinaigrette* please see recipe below
Salt and pepper to taste
Line a large shallow salad bowl with the lettuce leaves. Spoon the potato salad evenly on top and garnish, attractively, with baby tomatoes, French beans, anchovy fillets, tunny fish, hard boiled eggs, olives and capers. Season with a little salt (over the eggs only) freshly ground black pepper, sprinkle with parsley and drizzle with vinaigrette.
*Potato Salad:
1½ kg (3 lb) potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced
Enough tasty chicken stock to cover the potatoes
3 tbsp tarragon vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
6-9 tbsp olive oil
(mix very well together)
2 tbsp finely chopped, spring onions
2 tbsp finely chopped, parsley
Boil the potatoes in the chicken stock, place the potatoes in a salad bowl and reserve the stock. Drizzle the potatoes with the above vinaigrette while still hot and gently toss. When they are cold, sprinkle with the spring onions and parsley and mix very gently to combine.
*Vinaigrette:
2 tbsp tarragon vinegar
Salt
2 tsp Dijon mustard
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
(Stir the vinegar with the salt, add the mustard and the olive oil in a fine stream and keep on stirring until the dressing emulsifies)
CHAMPIGNONS A LA GRECQUE
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| Button Mushrooms A La Grecque |
The recipe for these delicious pickled mushrooms, a delicacy of the French cuisine, was given to me many years ago, by an Austrian friend.
1 kg (2 lb) button mushrooms, trimmed and wiped
Marinade:
1250 ml (5 cups) chicken stock
500 ml (2 cups) dry white wine
250 ml 1 cup olive oil
6 tbsp lemon juice
6 parsley sprigs
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
20 peppercorns
1 level tsp salt
Garnish:
1 lemon thinly sliced
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Simmer the marinade for 35-40 minutes, partially covered. Strain it through a fine sieve pressing hard the ingredients with the back of a spoon to extract all their juices. Return the marinade to the pan and taste it; to be effective it should be over seasoned.
Place the mushrooms in the hot marinade and bring to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to a shallow glass utensil and pour the marinade over. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 4 hours at least before serving.
Serve the mushrooms on a pretty serving dish, drizzled with a little marinade, sprinkled
with chopped parsley, freshly ground black pepper and garnished with lemon slices.
COQUILLES SAINT-JACQUES A LA PROVENCALE
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| Scallops Drizzled with Garlic Butter |
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Lemon Wedges For Garnish
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This is an hors d'oeuvre that we tasted on the Cote d'Azure, in April 1956.
1½ kg (3 lbs) sea scallops, washed, dried and thinly sliced
Salt and white pepper to taste
Flour
45 g (1½ oz) butter
3 tbsp olive oil
Garlic butter:
180 butter for clarifying
1½ tsp smashed garlic
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Lemon wedges
First, prepare the clarified butter. Place the butter over medium heat to melt and skim off the foam; carefully pour the clarified butter into a small frying pan and reserve. Discard the milky solids.
Sprinkle the sliced scallops with salt and freshly ground white pepper, dip them in flour and shake them to remove all but a fine coating. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large frying pan, over moderate heat and when the foam subsides sauté the scallops in batches, to avoid over crowding. Simmer for about 2 minutes on the one side and 1-2 minutes on the other and arrange them in a single layer, on a hot serving dish.
Meanwhile, prepare the garlic butter. Sizzle the reserved clarified butter, but do not allow it to brown. Remove from the heat, stir in the smashed garlic and pour it evenly over the hot scallops. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, garnish with lemon wedges and serve immediately with hot brown bread and a glass white wine.
POULET A L' ESTRAGON
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| Tarragon Chicken The French Way |
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| A Fresh Tarragon Twig From My Garden |
This is an easy and light dish, very popular with almost everyone.
1½ kg (3 lbs) chicken, skin removed, cut in 8 serving pieces
4 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with ¼ tsp salt, freshly ground white pepper and a 1/8 tsp
ginger powder
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large- onions, peeled and sliced
525 ml (¾ of a bottle) dry white wine
250 ml (1 cup) hot chicken stock
2 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
½ cup light cream
Dredge the dry chicken pieces in seasoned flour and shake to remove the excess. Over moderate heat, sauté the chicken in butter and olive oil until it is slightly browned, on all sides. Add the onions, stir and simmer covered for 10 minutes more. Pour in the wine, add the tarragon and cook, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes, until the alcohol evaporates. Place the lid on the saucepan, lower the heat and simmer very, very gently, for about 30 minutes, turning the chicken frequently and adding hot chicken stock, if required.
Check the chicken breasts, and if cooked, remove them, to prevent them from hardening and place them on a dish. Cover the saucepan and simmer the remaining chicken pieces until tender. Then remove them, with a slotted spoon and place them in the dish with the cooked breasts.
Reduce the sauce a little, sieve it through a fine strainer, pressing with a spoon to extract all the taste and pour it back into the saucepan. Return the chicken to the sauce, taste it and adjust accordingly. It should have the thickness of single cream, so add more chicken stock or hot water to thin it down, if necessary. Simmer until the chicken is piping hot. Then stir in the cream but do not boil.
Serve with saffron rice or smashed potatoes and garnish with a tarragon sprig.
NAVARIN PRINTANIER
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| Navarin Printanier |
Navarin d'agneau is a traditional lamb and turnip stew. Below is a recipe prepared with various spring vegetables
2 kg (4 kg) boned leg of lamb (visible fat removed) cut into serving pieces, washed and dried
2 tbsp plain flour mixed with
1 tsp salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp dried lemon thyme, crumbled
4 tbsp mild tasting olive oil, devided
3 tbsp finely chopped spring onions
1 tsp finely chopped fresh garlic
250 ml (1 cup) dry white wine
500 g (1 lb) ripe but firm tomatoes, peeled, seeded and cubed
375 ml (1½ cups) hot tasty chicken or meat stock
1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf + 1 leek, white part only + 2 tender stalks celery tied up into a packet)
Vegetable Garnish:
Some of the olive oil mentioned above
90g (3 oz) butter
6 fennel bulbs, trimmed and quartered, inner hard core removed
16-20 pearl onions, peeled
8 carrots, peeled and cut into olive shapes
12-16 baby potatoes, peeled if you prefer
300 g (10 oz) or more frozen peas
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ tsp Cayenne pepper, optional
Pre heat the oven to 180 C (350 F).
Dip the meat into the seasoned flour and shake until a bare dusting clings on each piece. Sauté the lamb in a large deep frying pan, in 1½ tbsp of olive oil, 4-6 pieces at a time, until browned and no traces of flour are visible. With a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a dish and keep hot.
In the same frying pan cook the spring onions and garlic, over moderate heat, and when soft add the browned lamb over, Cook for a few minutes. pour in the wine, and simmer for 5 minutes more, until the alcohol evaporates. Add the cubed tomatoes, the hot chicken or meat stock and the bouquet garni,. Bring to the boil and transfer to a roasting tin, cover with baking parchment and tin foil or to a casserole with a lid, and simmer in the oven for 45 minutes, until the lamb is almost tender. Strain the contains through a fine sieve into a bowl and reserve for further use.
Meanwhile, wash and dry the frying pan and place it over moderate heat. Add the olive oil and butter and when the foam subsides add the fennel bulbs, onions, carrots and cook, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes until all the vegetables are well coated with butter and slightly browned. Then add the peas and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and reserve for further use.
Wash the casserole or roasting tin and spread the sautéed vegetables at the bottom. Lift the pieces of lamb from the sieve and arrange them evenly over the vegetables. Skim off the fat and, taste the sauce and add salt and freshly ground black pepper if necessary and Cayenne pepper if using. Pour it over the meat and vegetables in the roasting tin or casserole and bring it to the boil on the stove, then cover and return to the oven for 20 minutes. Gently stir in the peas for 10 minutes more or until the lamb and vegetables are tender.
Heap the lamb in the middle of a large, heated serving dish, arrange the vegetables in separate piles around the meat and drizzle everything with a little sauce, to moisten. Serve the remaining sauce in a hot sauce boat to pass around.
