Shoulder Of Lamb Braised In Chianti Recipes

ROSEMARY AND THYME BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER

Steps:

• Roast lamb:
• Make slits in lamb shoulder all over at 2-inch intervals with a paring knife.
• Pound garlic with kosher salt, zest, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to a coarse paste with mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a large knife), then stir together with oil and 1 tablespoon each of rosemary and thyme. Rub paste all over lamb. Put in heavy pot or roasting pan, then chill, covered, 12 to 24 hours.
• Bring roast to room temperature (about 1 hour).
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in lower third.
• Pour wine and water around lamb and add herb sprigs. Cover roast with a sheet of parchment. Cover pot with lid or cover roasting pan tightly with heavy-duty foil. Braise lamb in oven until tender but not falling off the bone, about 3 hours.
• Increase oven to 450°F and remove parchment, then braise lamb, covered with lid (or foil), until very tender and top is browned, about 1 hour more. Carefully transfer lamb to a platter and loosely cover with foil. Let it stand 10 minutes.
• Make sauce:
• Pour braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, then spoon off and discard fat remaining on liquid (you should have about 2 cups liquid; reserve pot). Whisk together flour and 1 cup liquid in a small bowl until smooth. Bring remaining liquid to a boil in uncleaned pot, then whisk in flour mixture and boil, whisking, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Stir in thyme and rosemary and season with salt and pepper.
• To serve:
• Remove and discard strings. Meat is too tender to slice with a carving knife; use a meat fork to pull meat into serving pieces.

BRAISED SHOULDER OF LAMB WITH JEWELLED STUFFING

Steps:

• To make the stuffing, soak the dates, apricots and cranberries in boiling water for 30 mins, then drain and squeeze dry gently. Mix with the rest of the stuffing ingredients and salt and pepper.
• Season the lamb well on both sides. Spread on the stuffing, then roll into shape and secure with string. Heat the oil in a large, lidded ovenproof pan. Add the lamb and brown on all sides. Remove to a plate.
• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Brown the onions in the remaining fat for 5 mins, add the garlic and sizzle for 30 secs. Now pour in the cider and as it bubbles, scrape up any caramelised bits at the bottom and sides of the pan. Add enough of the stock to come ¹/³ of the way up the lamb, and the orange zest, cinnamon and bay leaves.
• Cover with a piece of crumpled baking parchment and cook for 2½-3 hrs, turning halfway through, until the meat is completely tender. Remove and wrap with foil. Strain the juices and spoon off any fat that comes to the top, then put into a wide pan and boil to reduce for 5-10 mins, until slightly thickened and rich in flavour. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon or orange juice, if necessary. Slice the lamb and serve with the sauce, and parsley sprinkled over.

BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER CHOPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season lamb chops with salt and pepper. Sear lamb in hot oil until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove chops to a plate to drain, reserving drippings in the skillet.
• Saute onion and garlic in reserved drippings until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer drained lamb chops to a baking dish; add onion mixture. Sprinkle rosemary over the chops. Pour beef broth and red wine into the baking dish. Cover dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven for 3 hours.
• Remove lamb to a serving platter. Carefully drain liquid from baking dish into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Beat cornstarch and water together in a bowl using a whisk to assure no lumps remain; stir into the liquid in the saucepan. Add Worcestershire sauce and cook until the liquid thickens into a gravy, about 5 minutes.

BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Season lamb all over with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Add lamb shoulder, and cook, turning occasionally, until lamb is browned all over, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove lamb; set aside. Pour out any excess oil, and discard. Add remaining tablespoon oil and heat over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic, celery, carrot, onion, herbs, nutmeg, and cloves. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute. Return lamb to Dutch oven. Add wine and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to the oven. Cook until fork-tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Remove from oven. Transfer lamb to a platter, and keep warm. Make sauce: Place the Dutch oven over low heat, and cook the liquid until it has reduced and thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove twine from lamb, and slice; serve with sauce.

SHOULDER OF LAMB BRAISED IN CHIANTI

Steps:

• Salt and pepper the lamb. Warm the olive oil in a wide-bottomed pot. When the oil is very hot, add the lamb. Brown the meat well on all sides over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove it from the pan.
• Add the carrot, celery, shallot, garlic and thyme and cook over low heat, loosening any brown pan crust with 2 tablespoons of water. Add the meat to the pan and stir in the flour. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 8 minutes.
• Raise the heat to high, add the Chianti and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, 2 hours. Remove the meat from the sauce, discard the thyme and puree the sauce in a food processor. Return the meat to the sauce, stir in the vinegar and serve. Can be made a day in advance and gently re-warmed.