Boiled lamb with sweet-and-spicy gherkins

This is the perfect dish for a warm evening at the end of a sweltering summer’s day. When you don’t fancy anything too heavy, greasy or hot. When you dream of sitting on the veranda with a glass of chilled rosé and nibbling on something light and refreshing.

It took a long time to perfect this recipe, and I add many of the ingredients ‘by eye’. I think you can experiment too: there aren’t any ingredients here where the exact quantities are crucial.

	For two people, I use three medium-sized cucumbers. We’ll also need: rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar) – 2–3 tbsp; teriyaki marinade – 2 tbsp; Tabasco chilli sauce – 2–3 drops; honey – 1 tbsp; garlic – 2 cloves; soya sauce – 2 tbsp; sesame oil – ½ teaspoon; olive oil – 2 tablespoons. For the lamb: a piece of bone-in lamb (preferably a leg cut); one onion and one carrot.
	First, we’ll start by marinating the gherkins. To do this, we first need to subject them to a rather gruesome process. I wash the gherkins, cut off the ends, slice them in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds from each half with a teaspoon.
	This leaves me with ‘little boats’, which I then mercilessly flatten with a rolling pin. Of course, it’s easy to go a bit overboard here. The first time, I smacked the poor cucumber so hard that it burst apart, splattering the kitchen units, the window and the blinds with its pale green flesh. You need to ‘flatten’ it carefully, making it even and flat.
	Next, I cut the cucumbers into pieces. The cracks formed as a result of this ‘execution’ help me out, resulting in pieces of an interesting shape
	I place the cucumber pieces in a bowl, sprinkle them with flaky sea salt, and pour over the vinegar and teriyaki marinade. You can leave out the last ingredient, but the salt and vinegar are essential – and don’t be afraid to go a bit overboard. Next, we’ll squeeze the cucumbers and pour away the leftover marinade. Oh, and don’t forget to add a ‘splash’ of Tabasco hot sauce. That’s definitely to my taste. I find that 2–3 generous squirts from that magic bottle are just right.
	I give it a stir and press down on the gherkins with my hand. They aren’t completely covered in marinade yet, but that’s no problem.
	In about 20–30 minutes, the gherkins will release their juice, and after pressing them down again with the palm of your hand, the problem will be sorted.
	Now it’s time to get on with the lamb. I’ve got a leg of lamb, cut into three pieces — straight from the supermarket. Lamb in Cyprus costs between €6.50 per kg (during sales) and €9.50.
	I take the bottom section, which has more bone and less meat, and cut some of the meat off the middle section – I’ll use that for shashlik or lula kebab, whilst the bone with the meat goes into the saucepan.
	I add onions and carrots to the pot, cover with water and put it on the hob. I don’t add salt to the meat. As it comes to the boil, I skim off the scum, then turn down the heat so that the stock simmers gently. The lamb will cook for 1 hour.
	Whilst the lamb is cooking and the gherkins are marinating, I’ll make the sauce for the gherkins. I pour some runny honey into a bowl, squeeze in the garlic, give it a stir, add the soya sauce, stir again, and finally add the olive and sesame oils, whisking with a fork. The sauce is ready!
	I remove the cooked lamb from the stock and let it cool slightly. I strain the stock (discarding the onion and carrot) and save it for use in other dishes later. Whilst the lamb is cooling (I prefer it when the meat is slightly warm), I get on with the gherkins – they’ve been pickling for 1½–2 hours. I squeeze the cucumbers by hand, transfer them to a clean bowl, pour over the sauce and give them a stir. Done!
	I cut the lamb into pieces. Our meat isn’t salted. You can eat it sprinkled with sea salt, dip the pieces in soya sauce, or use the cucumber sauce – I love all three options. Yes, you can also use classic condiments and sauces – mustard, horseradish. What else? Brown bread, Rose… and a beautiful, breathtaking view of the sea, the mountains, the edge of the forest, or into the eyes of a loved one with thick, velvety eyelashes…