# Happy St David's Day!



## Ishbel (Mar 1, 2006)

St David is the patron saint of Wales, another of our Celtic countries within the United Kingdom.

I've invited four Welsh friends for dinner this evening and have chosen Welsh lamb as the main course - this one is unusual as it uses figs - I found it on an old recipe card from the Welsh Lamb marketing board!


Roast Welsh lamb, figs and shallots

4lb leg of Welsh lamb
2 garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
1 tbsp olive oil
6 shallots, peeled and halved
6 fresh figs, halved
2 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
2 tbsp raspberry vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven 190 C / Gas mark 5. Using a sharp knife, make small slashes in the surface of the Welsh lamb and push a sliver of garlic into each one. Rub the surface of the meat with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a roasting tin and cook for 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours.

Thirty minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the shallots and figs to the roasting tin and sprinkle with the rosemary leaves. Return to the oven until the end of the cooking time. Remove the Welsh lamb from the roasting tin and transfer to a board. Cover with foil and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Transfer the figs and shallots to an ovenproof dish and keep warm. Stir the roasting tin over a medium heat on the hob and add the vinegar and sugar. Stir until simmering, then allow to bubble for 2-3 minutes. Slice the Welsh lamb and serve with the figs and shallots, drizzled with the dressing.

Serve with roasted vegetables and seasonal green vegetables.


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## Shunka (Mar 1, 2006)

Thanks for the recipe!! I will send this on to my oldest daughter as she adores lamb. Thought I was the only one to realize what today is; we have a small town (not far from where I was born) named St. David here in Arizona.


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## Ishbel (Mar 1, 2006)

Hoe your daughter enjoys the recipe.

We are keen on our patron Saints in the British Isles - Patrick for Northern Ireland and Eire, David for Wales, Andrew for us Scots and George for England.

I love the small 'city' of St David's in Wales. I have friends from University who live there and we visit a couple of times a year.  Bet this is different to 'your' St Davids!!!
http://www.historic-uk.com/DestinationsUK/StDavids.htm


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## Shunka (Mar 1, 2006)

Thank you for the wonderful link!! Yes, it is quite a bit different than our St. David town.  My grandfather's mother was from Wales and my family has always observed this day.


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## Ishbel (Mar 1, 2006)

Their Cathedral is just so amazing.  It's in the bottom of a small valley and so pretty...  The countryside around there is wonderful, too - with great beaches.

If I weren't Scottish, I wouldn't mind being Welsh!


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## buckytom (Mar 1, 2006)

scot or welsh, ish, your recipes still would be awesome. 
just one point tho, ireland is not a british isle.  

i am definitely printing this one out to make for my dad this spring, maybe for easter. i may have to substitute apple vinegar, and maybe mash a few raspberries into it.
is there anything particularly special about welsh lamb? is it very lean, or good fattiness, or something like that?


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## Piccolina (Mar 1, 2006)

buckytom said:
			
		

> scot or welsh, ish, your recipes still would be awesome.
> just one point tho, ireland is not a british isle.


I know that the republic of Ireland (the country with Dublin in it) is not part of the British Isles, but Northern Ireland would be considered as such because it's part of the United Kingdom, no? That's what people here tell me at least 

Simply wonderful looking recipe Ishbel, this is going in my "must try for special holidays" file. A big thank-you!


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## buckytom (Mar 1, 2006)

Piccolina said:
			
		

> I know that the republic of Ireland (the country with Dublin in it) is not part of the British Isles, but Northern Ireland would be considered as such because it's part of the United Kingdom, no? That's what people here tell me at least


 
wow did you just make my blood boil!  (i know you didn't mean it tho)
that may be the current political status picc, but for me and mine, anyone who says that is a traitor, probably never having spent any time in belfast or derry.
i'd better not get started with this one. 

26 + 6 = 1 

*tiocfaidh ar la*

anyway, sorry to be a bore. back to ish's delicious recipe.


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## Piccolina (Mar 1, 2006)

buckytom said:
			
		

> wow did you just make my blood boil!  (i know you didn't mean it tho)
> that may be the current political status picc, but for me and mine, anyone who says that is a traitor, probably never having spent any time in belfast or derry.
> i'd better not get started with this one.
> 
> ...


My deep apologies Bucky....I didn't mean to upset you...I know that tension runs high in some parts and amongst many Irish people the world over. Not being Irish and not feeling like the country (or countires of Ireland) are mine in any way I was just going off geography (in other words I just live here, I don't feel any ties to Ireland). Will you forgive me, and know that I meant nothing by what I said?


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## mish (Mar 1, 2006)

Lovely recipe, Ishbel. Thank you for sharing it here with us. What other dishes would you recommend as a side? Tia.


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## buckytom (Mar 1, 2006)

no problem piccolina. i know that you probably wouldn't have known so there's no need to apologize, but the reference that people have told you that, i assume free irish people, is what gets me. my family is from a border counties in the north, on the free side - saorstat eirann, and has experienced many of the things that create hatred towards ulster unionists, especially black and tans. really, it's all about money and power, and the cruel ways of obtaining both.

again, let's get back to ishbel's wonderful recipe.


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## Ishbel (Mar 1, 2006)

HMMMM - didn't mean to start a sectarian war here, BT....

And, in geographic terms, I'm sorry to say that Ireland is considered one of the British Isles (just not Great Britain!!!)


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## buckytom (Mar 1, 2006)

ok, the last thing i'll say on this, there are lots of small islands in and around england and scotland. those are british isles. ireland is it's own island. 

the victors get to write history, and therefore (quite often mistakenly) get to define educational tools like geography. the romans were infamous for "re-defining" both for instance, to the great disservice of all mankind. just ask the mongols and much of asia, persia, and germania.

that is why i included "tiocfaidh ar la", or "our time will come", in irish.

ok, enough war, let's eat some welsh lamb.

happy st. david's day to everyone.


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## Ishbel (Mar 1, 2006)

As I seem to be pissing everyone off today.....

All I can say is:  This was a thread about St DAVID's DAY and Wales.  Nothing about Ireland, nothing about the British Isles.... just a dish for St David's Day


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## Shunka (Mar 1, 2006)

Ishbel, my daughter was thrilled to get your recipe!!!! She told me to tell you thank you again!!  Thank you!!


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## buckytom (Mar 2, 2006)

ishbel, first of all, you didn't piss me off. *imo*, you made a quite common error. i just expressed my opinion, initially politely about it, and thanked you for the recipe. the conversation took off, pretty much without you, and i again expressed my opinions on things, trying to avoid "getting into it" or stealing your thread.
however, i would have expected someone who has the same kind of pride in their heritage, a heritage so close to my own, to at least understand if in fact you don't agree. you have always been particular about specifying the proper way of describing and understanding things of scotland, my posts were in practice no different from that.
i hope you aren't going to leave the site simply because you are feeling badly about small misunderstandings.
there's been no offense taken on my part; i hope none on yours.


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## mish (Mar 2, 2006)

I only asked for a recommendation for a side dish.


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## Constance (Mar 2, 2006)

Your recipe sounds so good! Wish we could get lamb here, but the closest place we can find it is about 40 miles away, and then it's extremely pricey. We can't get fresh figs either.


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