Roast Shoulder Of Lamb With Caramelized Baby Onions And Honey Recipes

LAMB SHANKS WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Sprinkle lamb shanks with salt to taste; if using kosher lamb, less salt will be needed. In a large, wide casserole with a lid, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches, brown lamb shanks on all sides. Transfer lamb to a plate and set aside.
• Add onions to pan and sauté until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of water and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until onions are very soft, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 275 degrees.
• Mix saffron with 1/4 cup water and add to pan. Stir to mix well, 2 to 3 minutes. Add lamb to the onions and mix well. Cover and transfer to oven. Bake until lamb is very tender, about 2 hours.
• Stir 1 cup of the tanzeya into onions. Return pan to the oven and bake, covered, until mixture is reheated, about 15 minutes. Garnish with toasted almonds and serve by itself or over couscous.

ROASTED SHOULDER OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Push garlic (3 to 4 slivers) into the shoulder of lamb. Cover with sprigs of rosemary, salt and a little olive oil. Roast uncovered for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Remove lamb and leave to rest. Drain off the excess fat. Over the heat, add the flour to the pan of juices and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add red wine or vegetable stock, stir until thick.

TAGINE OF LAMB WITH CARAMELIZED BABY ONIONS AND PEARS

Steps:

• Cut the meat into 6 or 8 pieces, and put it into a wide pan with 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat; turn to brown the pieces all over. Add the chopped onion and barely cover with water. Stir in salt and pepper, ginger, cinnamon, and saffron, and simmer, covered, over a low heat for 1 1/2 hours, turning the pieces over a few times.
• To peel the onions or shallots, blanch them in boiling water for 5 minutes and, when cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and trim the roots. Sauté them in a skillet in 2 tablespoons oil over a low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, shaking the pan, until the onions have slightly colored. Then add them to the meat and cook for a further 30 minutes, until the meat is very tender and the baby onions are so soft that, as they say in Morocco, "you can crush them with your tongue." Toward the end of the cooking time, cook uncovered to reduce the sauce. There should be only a small amount of liquid remaining.
• Wash the pears. Quarter and core them but do not peel them. Sauté them in a large skillet in a mixture of butter and the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat until their cut sides are slightly brown and caramelized. If they have not softened right through (that depends on their size and degree of ripeness), put them into the pan over the meat, skin side up, and continue to cook, covered, until they are very tender. It could be 15 minutes, but you must watch them as they can quickly fall apart.
• Serve the meat with the pears, arranged skin side up, on top.
• variations
• Stir in 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of clear honey when you put in the pears, and adjust the seasoning so that there is enough salt and plenty of pepper to mitigate the sweetness.
• Add 1/2 cup blanched almonds to the meat at the start. They will soften during the cooking.
• Instead of pears, sharp green apples, such as Granny Smiths, may be used.
• Use veal instead of lamb.