Dominican Braised Lamb Recipes

BALSAMIC-BRAISED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Cut the leg of lamb into 4 even pieces.
• Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil in an 8-quart stovetop pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the lamb pieces and bones all over with salt and pepper. Working in batches (to not overcrowd the pot), sear the meat and bones in the hot oil until well browned on all sides. Remove from the pot and set aside. Pour off excess oil from the pot and then add the garlic, fennel, jalapenos, onions and red bell peppers. Sweat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomato paste; cook for 2 minutes. Deglaze with the beef stock and balsamic vinegar. Add the seared lamb and bones back the pot, close the pressure cooker and cook on low heat until fork tender, 45 minutes.
• Remove the lamb from the braising liquid and pull into large chunks. Remove the bones from the pot, and discard. Strain the braising liquid and then add it back to the pot. Cook over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by half. Turn off the heat, add the lamb back to the pot and spoon the reduced liquid over the top to glaze. Keep warm until ready to serve.

DOMINICAN BRAISED LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To make the lamb, in the bottom of a large Dutch oven or braising pan, heat the oil over high heat. Sprinkle lamb shanks with salt and pepper and cook until seared all over. Remove shanks, drain excess oil and return shanks to the pan. Add garlic, chicken stock, capers and enough cold water to just cover the shanks. In a square of cheesecloth, tie together the thyme, tarragon and Scotch bonnet and add to the pan.
• Return the pan to high heat and bring just to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover the pan and bake in the oven until the meat is very tender and begins to pull away from the bone, about 2 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and cool. Discard the cheesecloth bundle.
• To make the sauce, in a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Using your hands, squeeze as much excess liquid from the drained tomatoes as possible. Add the tomatoes to the pan along with the tomato paste, sugar and 1 teaspoon of the capers. Add 2 1/2 cups of the liquid the lamb shanks were cooked in. Tie the sliver of Scotch bonnet in a piece of cheesecloth and add. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1/2hour.
• Remove and discard the cheesecloth bundle. Working in batches, carefully puree the mixture in a blender. Return the sauce to the pan. If it is very thick, whisk in more of the lamb cooking liquid. Season with salt and pepper.
• When ready to serve, reheat the lamb shanks in their liquid on top of the stove. Stir the remaining teaspoon of capers into the sauce and reheat if necessary. Place a lamb shank on each of 4 deep plates. Cover with sauce and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve immediately.

SLOW BRAISED LAMB

Steps:

• Toss lamb chunks in seasoned flour, then shake off excess.
• Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and fry lamb chunks all over to brown. Do this in batches. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a flameproof casserole.
• Add 2 tbsp more olive oil to the pan and fry onion to soften but not brown. Add to lamb. Next add carrots and celery and lightly brown. Add to lamb with garlic. Pour over stock and wine and bring to bubbling. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Turn down to simmer, then cook over lowest heat for around 1 ¼ hours, or until lamb is tender. Sprinkle with parsley.
• Meanwhile, cook potatoes in lightly salted boiling water until soft to the point of a knife. Mash with extra virgin olive oil and egg to fabulous creaminess. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Briefly toss spinach in a pan with a little salted water to wilt. Drain.
• Serve lamb with mash and spinach on the side. Drizzle mash with more extra virgin olive oil.

BRAISED LEG OF LAMB WITH POTATOES AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Make 10 slits in lamb using a paring knife, and insert a piece of garlic into each. Generously season lamb with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sear lamb on both sides until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from heat, and add wine. Return to heat, and simmer for 1 minute. Add stock, remaining garlic, and the rosemary; bring to a boil. Cover with lid, and braise in oven for 4 hours.
• Add potatoes and olives, and continue to braise until lamb and potatoes are tender, 35 to 40 minutes more.
• Transfer lamb to a platter. Transfer potatoes and olives to platter using a slotted spoon. Strain pan juices, and skim fat from top; return to Dutch oven. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by half, 5 to 6 minutes. Spoon sauce over lamb.

FOUR & THIRTY BRAISED LAMB

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife, trim the skin and as much fat as possible from the lamb. Smear lightly with olive oil and season. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a very large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Brown the lamb thoroughly on all sides, turning it with a big pair of tongs, then put it in a large, but fairly snug-fitting, casserole (a 4.8 litre/8 pint oval one is ideal). Reserve the pan.
• Slit lengthways through the first two layers of the leek, remove leaves and wash them. Put the bay leaf, thyme and celery inside one leaf and wrap with the other, to enclose the contents. Tie this 'faggot' with kitchen string and set aside. Rinse the rest of the leek and slice finely.
• Put the reserved frying pan over a low-medium heat and melt the butter. Tip in the onion, carrot and sliced leek and cook gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened. Add them to the casserole, draining off any fat first. Reserve the pan.
• Preheat the oven to 150C/Gas 2/fan oven 130C. Break the garlic into cloves and place in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and leave for 1 minute, then drain, run under cold water and peel: the best way is to place a clove on a chopping board, nick off the root end and, without lifting the blade, pull the clove away. This removes the first bit of skin and the rest should come away easily. Set the cloves aside.
• Discard any fat from the frying pan and put it over a very high heat. Pour in the wine, scrape up any bits from the bottom and boil furiously for 5 minutes. Pour the wine and stock into the casserole. Add the garlic cloves and leek faggot, making sure they are immersed - the lamb should be at least half-covered. Do not add salt.
• Cover the casserole and put it into the oven. Braise for 4 hours, reducing the temperature to 140C/Gas 1/fan oven 120C for the last 2 hours and turning the lamb every hour. Remove the lamb, put it on a heated dish, drape loosely with foil and keep warm for up to 30 minutes.
• Strain 1 litre/13⁄4 pints of the cooking juices into a pan and bring to the boil over a very high heat. Bubble madly for 8-10 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half. Meanwhile, tip the vegetable debris (but not the faggot) into a food processor and whizz to a smooth purée. Whisk this into the reduced liquid to make the sauce. Check the seasoning, then keep the sauce at a bare simmer until you are ready to serve.

WINE-BRAISED LEG OF LAMB WITH GARLIC

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475°F. Place lamb in large roasting pan. Rub all over with half of minced garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place halved heads of garlic around lamb, cut side up. Scatter 1 bunch thyme over and around lamb. Roast lamb 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Boil wine in large saucepan for 5 minutes. Pour wine around lamb. Cover and roast until lamb is very tender, about 2 hours 45 minutes longer. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, uncovered, 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm, covered, in 350°F oven for 30 minutes before continuing.)
• Transfer lamb and heads of garlic to platter. Tent with foil. Using slotted spoon, remove thyme sprigs and garlic skins from pan juices. Place roasting pan over medium-high heat on stovetop. Bring juices to boil. Add butter and remaining minced garlic. Boil until juices thicken slightly, about 12 minutes. Season jus with salt and pepper. Slice lamb; spoon jus over.

BRAISED LEG OF LAMB WITH ROOT VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Trim any excess fat from the lamb and season with salt and pepper.
• In a large pot (with a tight-fitting lid), add the oil and heat it over a high flame.
• Place the lamb in the pot and let it sear on all sides until golden brown (about 12-15 minutes).
• Remove from the pot and drain off all of the oil except for 2 tablespoons.
• Add the garlic, rosemary, thyme, tomato paste and cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Add the wine to the pot and reduce by ¾.
• Place the lamb back into the pot and cover completely with chicken stock; bring to a simmer (about 15 minutes).
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Put the lid on the pot and place in the oven, and cook for 3 hours.
• Add the carrots, celery root, rutabaga and cippolini onions to the pot and cook for 1 more hour, until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.
• Remove the lamb and place it on a serving platter.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables and arrange them around the lamb.
• Strain the remainder of the sauce and put it back in the pot; reduce by 3/4 (approximately 20 minutes) until thickened and richly flavored.
• Season with salt and pepper.