Country Info | Food and Drinks | Recipes for Traditional Food in Slovenia | Leg of lamb with cucumbers

Ingredients:

• 2 lamb legs, about 1.5 kg
• 10 dag smoked bacon, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 small carrots, sliced
• 1 parsley root, thinly sliced
• 1 small celery root, sliced into thin strips
• 4 dl white wine or 2 dl vinegar with 2 dl water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 heaped tsp thyme
• salt
• 5 dag all-purpose flour or corn-starch
• 1 dl heavy cream
• 10 dag butter
• 1 kg cucumbers

Peel the cucumber, remove the seeds, slice thinly and saute on butter until soft or about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Cover the bottom and sides of a casserole with sliced bacon. Spread onion, carrots, parsley and celery on the bottom. Rub lamb legs with salt, cloves, ginger and thyme and lay on the vegetables; add bay leaf and pour in the wine; Add water to cover the meat. Cover and stew over moderate heat until the meat is tender, or about 1.5 hour. Remove the meat and keep warm.

Boil the sauce until it reduces to about 3/4; strain, puree the vegetables and bacon (through a sieve -- do not use a blender !) and return to pot. Mix in the flour or corn-starch, boil lightly until the sauce thickens; mix in the sauteed cucumbers. Slice the meat, return into the sauce and bring to boil; mix in the cream and serve.

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