Summertime lamb soup

Words to describe lamb: warm, comforting, nourishing. Delicious in stew. Everything you’d want on a cold winter’s day.

Happy summer. Spring lamb is at its best right now, in the middle of this unseasonably pleasant summer.

Whacking it onto the barbeque is one option, but I still had a lot of meat leftover from Aldi’s leg joint. So, how to ensure that nothing gets wasted and, above all, keep it light?

I started off with some sandwiches. The classic lamb and bread duo also involves a dollop of creme fraiche, chopped tarragon, mint sauce, and spring onion. I didn’t have creme fraiche or tarragon and so mixed a squeeze of lemon juice with some natural  yoghurt, a sprinkle of chives, and some mint sauce. Delicious leftover lamb sandwich.

Not a huge amount of meat left on that bone. But enough. Soup or a stew was the only way to go – but how to keep it light? Lamb and barley was too heavy, while Moroccan or spicy soup didn’t quite appeal to me. So I tried this combination, keeping the emphasis on broth rather than soup. It’s perfect for a rainy summer day, after a walk, or on a pleasant summer evening.

To turn it into a more substantial meal, serve with baby boiled potatoes in the soup instead of bread on the side. Or both.

Ingredients

• Half leg of lamb bone, with some meat attached
• Mirepoix: 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 leek, 1 stick of celery
• 1 half teaspoon of roasted fennel seeds
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme or a half teaspoon dried thyme
• Fresh mint
• Lemon
• Salt and pepper

Method

• First make the stock. Cover the lamb bone with water in a large pot, along with a stick of celery, a carrot, and a peeled onion chopped in two.
• Bring to the boil with the lid partially on, immediately reduce to a simmer, and cook on a low heat for 2-3 hours – or, if you have time, forever.*  You need to keep the meat, which by now will have fallen from the bones.
• Meanwhile, dry fry the fennel seeds until until they begin to turn brown, about two minutes. If using dried thyme, you should also add this to the pan, for about a minute.
• Sweat the leek and onion in butter or oil for three minutes. Add the celery and carrots and sweat for a further five minutes, with the lid on, stirring occasionally.
• Add the stock to the mixture, tossing in the fennel and thyme mix. Add some salt. Simmer for about half an hour.
• Pour into the bowls. Add a gentle squeeze – less than half a teaspoon – of lemon juice and top with fresh chopped mint. Season to taste.

*For a pure stock, discard the bones and vegetables by sieving the mixture; it will keep in the freezer for two months.