1 rack baby lamb, trimmed of fat
1 T. unsalted butter
3 large white potatoes
2 T. peanut oil
watercress for garnish
Set rack of lamb on a broiler pan. Rub fat side with butter. Wrap exposed
bones with aluminum foil. Set aside for 10 minutes. Preheat broiler. Peel
potatoes. Use a melon baller to scoop out rounds. Avoid wasting too much
potato. Place potatoes in sauce pan. Add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil
and cook 1 minute. Drain and set aside until the lamb is half cooked. Broil
the lamb for 8 minutes on a side, setting it as close to the heating element
as possible. Lamb will be medium rare. (For medium lamb, broil 11 minutes
on a side. For well-done lamb, broil 14 minutes on a side.) Meanwhile, heat
the peanut oil in medium skillet until hot. Drain the potatoes and add to
skillet. Saute over high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally or
until tender and brown. Carve lamb. Arrange four ribs with meat on each of
two plates. Place potatoes plates. Garnish with watercress. Serves 2.
Lamb and Vegetable Soup
1 leg of lamb
Slow roast leg of lamb at 250 degrees until tender. Allow to cool. Remove
meat from bone. Cut off excess fat. Refrigerate meat, covered. Place bones
in pan containing 4 or 5 quart of cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to
medium low. Simmer, covered for about 12 hours, adding more water when
needed. Remove bones from liquid and discard.
Prepare vegetables:
2 c. white potatoes, peeled, cut in big chunks
2. c. carrots, peeled, cut in big chunks
1 c. white onion, cut in big chunks
1 c. celery, cut in big chunks
2 c. zucchini, peeled, cut in big chunks
fresh spearmint for garnish
Add first four vegetables and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add zucchini and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into
large serving bowl or single serving bowls. Garnish with spearmint. Serve
with thick, crusty, buttered bread.
(Luca della Robbia, (1400-1482), an Italian sculptor from Florence, Italy,
noted for his terra-cotta roundels.)
1 leg of lamb, about 5 to 6 pounds, excess fat trimmed off
1 large garlic clove, sliced very thin
3/4 t. dried rosemary
1 17 oz. can whole figs, not drained
1 20 oz. can sliced pineapple, in heavy syrup, not drained
orange juice
1/2 c. dried apricots
1/2 c. pitted prunes
1/4 c. cider vinegar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. allspice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut tiny slits in meat. Stuff with garlic
slices. Place lamp on roasting rack in baking pan. Sprinkle rosemary over
lamb and rub in. Bake in oven 90 minutes. After 60 minutes of baking time
has passed: In medium sauce pan, combine syrups, apricots, prunes,
vinegar, cinnamon and allspice. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove 1 c. to a small
saucepan. Add fruit to this syrup, cover. Reserve remaining syrup. Simmer
about 15 minutes or until syrup is thickened and reduced to about 1/4 c.
(Watch carefully because it will stick and burn easily.) Remove lamb from
oven at end of 90 minutes. Brush with thickened syrup. Roast for 15
minutes. Place lamb on heated serving platter. Place fruit around lamb.
Drizzle some syrup over lamb and fruit. Serve remaining syrup on the side.
Serves 6-8.
mustard on outside of roast. Brush with bread crumb mixture. Reduce heat
Crown Roast of Lamb
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs
3 T. unsalted butter
1 T. fresh chopped tarragon
1 18-rib crown roast of lamb, about 4 1/4 pounds, trimmed, tied for roasting
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. Dijon mustard
watercress sprigs for garnish
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine bread crumbs, butter and tarragon in
small bowl. Brush oil on all surfaces of crown roast. Cover exposed rib bones
with foil. Place roast on rack in roasting pan. Roast 10 minutes. Brush
to 350 degrees. Roast until internal temperature of eye muscle reaches 135
degrees, rare, about 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before carving. Place
roast on serving platter. Remove foil and string. Garnish with watercress.
Carve at the table, slicing between ribs with sharp, thin knife. Serve 2 chops
to each person. Serves 8 to 9.
Skillet Lamb Chops
4 shoulder lamb chops, about 2 pounds, trimmed of excess fat
1 T. unsalted butter
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced, about 1/2 c.
2 small carrots, peeled, thinly sliced, about 1/2 c.
1 small green pepper, seeds/membrane removed, thinly sliced, about 1/2 c.
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 t. fresh rosemary
1/2 c. low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
Melt butter in 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Rapidly brown chops
on both sides. Remove from skillet. Cover, keep warm. Stir onion, carrot,
green pepper, garlic, rosemary and broth into drippings in skillet. Place
chops on top. Cover, simmer until meat is tender, about 1 hour. Serves 4.
Manhattan Lamb Broil
4 loin lamb chops, about 1 inch thick
1 garlic clove, cut in half
4 large mushrooms, stems removed
2 t. unsalted butter
1/4 c. pimiento-stuffed green olives, cut in half
1 T. dry bread crumbs
2 medium tomatoes, halved
2 T. white onion, finely chopped
Rub lamb chops with cut side of garlic. Discard garlic. Broil chops 3 to 4
inches from heat source, about 5 to 7 minutes. Place 1/2 t. of butter in each
mushroom cap. In small bowl, mix olives and bread crumbs. Fill mushroom
caps with olive mixture. Dot with more butter. On plate, place tomato halves
and sprinkle chopped onion on top. When chops are ready to turn: Place a
mushroom cap and tomato on each chop. Broil 5 to 7 minutes longer or until
meat is tender. Serves 2 to 4.
Lamb Curry over Rice
1 T. unsalted butter
1 large white onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. paprika
1 T. curry powder
1 1/4 c. low sodium vegetable broth
1 1/2 T. all-purpose unbleached flour
3 T. canned flaked coconut
3 T. tomato paste
1/8 t. Tabasco sauce
2 c. leftover roast lamb, cubed
2 c. cooked white rice
peanuts and chutney for garnish
In medium sauce pan, over medium high heat, add butter. When butter
has melted, add onion, gariic, cinnamon, paprika and curry. Saute for 3 or
4 minutes. Add 1/4 c. broth. Simmer until liquid has almost evaporated and
mixture is a thick paste, about 15 minutes. In separate medium bowl,
gradually stir in remaining 1 c. broth into flour. Add to skillet, along with
coconut, tomato paste and Tabasco. Reduce to medium heat. Constantly
stir until thickened. Stir in lamb. Stir until heated through. Serve over rice
with peanuts and chutney on the side. Serves 2 to 4.
Stuffed Roast Leg of Lamb
1 6 pound leg of lamb, trimmed of excess fat
1 3/4 c. ground smoked ham
2 c. soft, fresh bread crumbs
1 t. thyme leaves
1 t. sage leaves
1/2 c. parsley, finely chopped
1/4 c. almonds, sliced
4 eggs, whites only
1 large garlic clove, thin slices
1 large bay leaf, slivered but discard rib
2 T. unsalted butter
3/4 c. dry white wine
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place leg fat side down on cutting board.
Using a sharp boning knife, cut down into flesh and find the leg bone. Try to
disrupt the configuration of the meat's form as little as possible. Remove the
leg, hip and tail bones, leaving in the shank bone. You will find that a long,
slender bladed boning knife works well but a short, sharp paring knife is good
for releasing tendons at the joints. In a large bowl, combine ham, bread
crumbs, thyme, sage, parsley, almonds and eggs. Mix well. Fill the opening
where the bone was with stuffing mixture. Tie securely with soft, fine cord in
several places to hold stuffed leg together. Tuck slivers of garlic and bay leaf
into meat and stuffing here and there. Place leg, stuffed side up, on rack in
shallow roasting pan. Rub soft butter all over meat. Roast on center rack for
30 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and continue roasting 30 minutes
more for medium rare. Add another 30 minutes if you prefer the meat to be
more done. Place roast on a carving board or serving platter. Place roasting
pan with juices on top of range. Add white wine. Heat to boiling, stirring to
loosen pan juices and drippings, (in other words, deglaze the pan). Pour
liquid into gravy boat. Carve meat and serve with a helping of stuffing. Pour
a little of the hot sauce over each serving. Serves 6 to 8.
Spicy Lamb with Eggplant, Sichuan-style
(Szechaun or Szechwan cuisine, now known as Sichuan, is a style of
Chinese cuisine originating in Sichuan Province of southwestern China,
famed for bold flavors.)
1/2 pound eggplant
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound ground lamb, as lean as possible
1 T. chili paste with garlic or Sichuan hot bean paste with dried shrimp
1 T. low sodium soy sauce
1 t. fructose
2 T. fresh ginger, finely diced
2 T. garlic, finely diced
1/2 c. low sodium vegetable broth
1/3 c. white onion, finely diced
1 T. Sichuan peppercorns, finely crushed or ground to a powder
1 T. cornstarch
2 t. cold water
1 T. dark sesame oil
1/4 c. fresh coriander, chopped
Peel eggplant, Cut into small, 1/4 inch cubes. Heat half the oil in wok or
skillet. When hot and almost smoking, add eggplant cubes and stir rapidly.
Cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until cubes start to brown. Place
cubes on paper towels to drain. Remove skillet from heat. In mixing bowl,
combine lamb, chili paste, soy sauce and fructose. Blend well. Return skillet
to heat. Add remaining oil and allow to heat for 1 or 2 minutes. Add lamb
mixture. Cook about 30 seconds, stirring down and around with large spoon
to separate the grains of meat. Add the ginger and garlic. Cook briefly,
stirring. Add broth and cook about 1 minute, stirring. Add eggplant cubes and
stir to blend. Add onion and peppercorn powder and stir to blend. Combine
cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Add to skillet and stir to blend. When
the liquid has thickened, stir in sesame oil. Transfer to serving platter and
sprinkle with coriander. Serves 4 to 6.