Why don't Hungarians eat more lamb?

Winter is loosing its grip, the birdies are twittering in the hedgerows, the dogshit is defrosting on the pavements, but the odd cold snap still causes me to crave moundy food: stews, confits, gelatinous shreddy bits of meat with caramelised root veg. Lamb St Menehould fits the bill.

Lamb isn't eaten much in Hungary, save for Easter time. Funny, considering the proximity to Serbia, where the sheep is king.

Some of the bigger markets stock some pretty sorry looking lamb, mostly pale (think milk-fed veal in hue) and weedy hunks of meat in odd cuts, but there are a couple of Turkish butchers dotted around the city who offer less scrawny and etiolated specimens.

You need lamb breast for this recipe – a very cheap cut, which most people don't bother with due to the massive amount of fat and wastage involved. But if you have time (and time is something the Fresh Air Inspector has a positive surfeit of at present), you can turn this into something rather special.

Take a whole lamb breast (no trimming required), and lay in an oven-proof dish. Add water to cover (probably a litre or so), and some flavourings – a roughly chopped, scrubbed carrot, a celery stem, a carrot, an onion, some bay leaves, peppercorns, and if you have it, a small piece of smoked pork or a couple of slices of smoked bacon.

Cook covered in a low oven (120°C) for 2 – 3 hours, until the meat is soft, and the rib bones are loosened. Remove from oven and allow to cool just enough to slide the bones out without scalding yourself. If the bones don't slide out easily, return it to the oven for a little longer. Once the bones are out and the lamb has cooled, remove the large flap of fat and discard. The stock can be cooled and drained, and used for other purposes (I made a rather tasty demi-glace with mine).

Cover the lamb with a plate or cling film, weigh it down with a heavy weight (I used a large tin of Koo brand guava halves, fact fans), and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, cut the lamb on the bias into fishfinger sized chunks. Coat in Dijon mustard, then beaten egg and finally roll in Panko breadcrumbs. Cook under a medium grill until nicely browned. One breast should serve 4 people. Serve with salsa verde or sauce gribiche, mashed potatoes, and some greenery. A fruity red with good acidity goes well with this. I had a nice Kadarka from Villány. Some juicy Italian should also work admirably.