Braised Lamb With Prunes Recipes

BRAISED LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275F.
• Rub both sides of lamb shoulder chops with 1 to 2 garlic cloves, as needed. Rub with chopped herbs and season with salt and pepper. Dust both sides of chops with flour. In a large (10-inch) cast iron skillet, heat oil over high heat. When nearly smoking, add 2 lamb chops and sear, 4 minutes each side, until well-browned. Remove and repeat with remaining chops. Discard fat that has accumulated in pan.
• In skillet layer onions, half of tomato slices and lamb chops. Top with remaining tomato slices and pour wine and 1/2 cup water over. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add remaining 4 garlic cloves, bay leaves, thyme sprigs and parsley stems. Cover pan loosely with aluminum foil and roast for 3 hours.
• Cover top with potato slices, pushing them into liquid so they are completely submerged. Cover pan, return to oven and cook 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Using a large spoon, remove excess liquid and any fat from stew to a small saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil over high heat and boil rapidly until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Before serving, broil lamb under a preheated broiler, 5 minutes or until potatoes are well-browned. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with sauce.

SLOW-COOKED LAMB WITH PRUNES AND DRIED APRICOTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 250 degrees. In 7-quart flameproof casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat, heat vegetable oil until hot but not smoking. Sprinkle salt and pepper generously over lamb shanks. Working in batches if necessary to keep them from touching during the initial searing, add shanks to pan (they should sizzle the moment they hit the pan). Cook lamb shanks until well browned on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes each side. Set browned lamb aside in a large bowl.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the sumac, and stir to combine; set the mixture aside.
• Add onion to the casserole, and cook over medium heat until softened and golden, 5 to 10 minutes. Add reserved stock mixture, apricot nectar, cinnamon stick, cloves, allspice, parsley, cilantro, tarragon, mint, and paprika; stir to combine.
• Return the reserved browned lamb shanks to the casserole. Place over medium-high heat, and bring the liquid in the casserole to a boil. Cover the pan, and transfer the casserole to the oven. Cook the mixture until the meat is tender, about 2 hours. Check the casserole in the oven occasionally to ensure a gentle simmer of the sauce, adjusting the heat of the oven or the height of the oven rack as necessary. The actual cooking time will vary depending on the size of the lamb shanks you started with. The meat should be very tender but should not fall off the bone, yet. Add the dried apricots, prunes, and chopped red bell pepper to the casserole, and continue to cook in the oven until the fruit has softened, about 1/2 hour more.
• Remove the cooked lamb shanks, apricots, prunes, and bell pepper from the casserole, and place them in the bowl with the lamb. Cover them with aluminum foil to keep warm, and set aside.
• Place the casserole over medium heat, and simmer until the liquid is thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes. Return the reserved lamb shanks, apricots, prunes, and bell pepper to the casserole just long enough to heat them through again, and stir them lightly to coat them with the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Serve lamb shanks and sauce with couscous with mint and lemon.

BRAISED MOROCCAN-STYLE LAMB WITH DRIED PRUNES, ALMONDS AND APRICOTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lay the lamb out, skin side down, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper and the thyme. Roll and tie well with butcher's string. Sprinkle the outside with 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large oven-proof casserole. Add the lamb and brown on all sides. Remove lamb from pot. Add remaining tablespoon oil. Stir in onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining teaspoon cumin, the rosemary and the red wine. Bring to a boil and cook about 3 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Stir in the stock, tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Return the lamb to the pot, cover, place in the oven and bake until meat is almost tender, about 1 hour.
• Remove the casserole from the oven and take out the meat. Remove the vegetables from the pot with a slotted spoon and place them in a blender. Blend until smooth. Scrape the mixture back into the pot and stir well. Place over medium heat and cook about 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Return the meat to the sauce and surround with the almonds, prunes and apricots. Cover and bake until meat is very tender and fruit is soft, about 15 minutes.
• Remove lamb from the pot, cut and remove string and cut lamb into thin slices. If sauce is too thick, thin with a little additional broth. Divide the lamb among 8 plates and spoon some sauce over the top. Serve immediately, passing any remaining sauce separately.

BRAISED LAMB WITH PRUNES

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a casserole dish add onion and saute until lightly browned.
• dust the lamb with the flour, salt and pepper and add to the onions. cook until meat is browned.
• add stock and simmer until until sauce has slightly thickened, about 20-30 minutes.
• add the sugar, vinegar, bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves and prunes.
• bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 mins more until meat is very tender.
• serve hot sprinkled with parsley with either rice or boiled potatoes.