Lamb Recipes

Beef, veal, chicken, pork, lamb and rabbit are the standard recipes that we will be looking at. Other fowl and game will follow on a later date.

Obviously veal dishes figure predominantly in all the fine Italian dining establishments. There are two types of veal. Milk fed which is very tender and slightly more expensive then grain fed veal. You pay for what you get.

A little secret. My husband owned a gourmet italian restaurant in the early nineties and learned one important thing amongst his best chefs. A small ingredient that kept going into all the meat dishes. The name of this ingredient is stock. Add a little to every meat dish for a five star taste.

10 pounds soup bones, the meatier the better. Use a combination of beef and veal bones.

3 large carrots.
2 good size onions
4 cloves fresh garlic
fresh parsley
1 box mushrooms
bay leaves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse, peel and chop the carrots, onions and garlic. Distribute the vegetables on a oven pan and lay the bones on top. Roast 2 hours until browned, turning over a few times. Take out of oven and and fill a pot half full of water and drop everything and let simmer over low heat at least two hours.

Strain the stock through a fine strainer and then refrigerate. Throw away remnants or make a soup that evening and strain for broth.

After the stock has chilled for a few hours, peel off the fat and you have pure stock for adding to all meats when cooking.

Homemade stocks can be the building blocks of flavor for so many dishes. For rich veal stock, keep a supply of inexpensive veal shoulder bones in the freezer. Veal stock provides a light flavor for mushroom- and pasta-based dishes such as Pappardelle con Vitello.

2 pounds veal bones
1 large carrot, peeled and quartered
1 large onion, unpeeled, quartered
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 large bay leaf
1 rib celery, cut in half
1 cup hot water
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Generously oil a roasting pan. Add all the ingredients except the water and salt and pepper and roast for about 45 minutes, turning occasionally, until the veal bones are nicely browned. Transfer all of the ingredients to a large soup pot.

Pour the hot water into the roasting pan and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits remaining in the pan. Add this liquid to the soup pot along with enough water to just cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the bones and strain the stock through a cheesecloth-lined colander set over a bowl. Press hard on the solids with a wooden spoon to extract all the juices. Discard the solids. Season the stock with salt and pepper. The stock is ready to use. It can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Lamb Recipes

Baked Edam with Curacao Lamb

Ingredients:
2 2-pound Edam balls
3/4 pound freshly ground lamb
1 tablespoon butter, plus 2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 firm ripe tomato, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped, drained canned tomatoes 1/4 teaspoon
ground hot red pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste) freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
1/4 cup soft fresh crumbs made from homemade-type white bread, trimmed of crusts and pulverized in a blender or finely shredded with a fork
6 small pimiento-stuffed olives, drained and finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped sweet gherkin
2 tablespoons seedless raisins
1 egg well beaten

Directions:
1• Peel the wax from the cheeses and cut a 1-inch-thick slice off the top of each.
2• With a spoon, scoop out the center of the cheese leaving a boatlike shell about 1/2 inch thick.
3• Hollow the slice from the top in a similar manner to make a lid for the shell.
4• Place the lid and shell in a large pan or bowl, pour in enough cold water to cover them by at least 1 inch, and let them soak for 1 hour.
5• Grate enough of the scooped-out cheese to make 2 cups and set it aside.
6• Brown the meat for a short time.
7• Remove the cheese shells and lids from the water and invert them on paper towels to drain.
8• Pre-heat oven to 350F.
9• With a pastry brush, spread the tablespoon of softened butter evenly over the bottom and sides of two round baking dishes at least 3 inches deep and just large enough to hold the cheese compactly. (If the dish is too large or shallow, the cheese will collapse and spread when it is baked.)
10• In a heavy 10-inch skillet melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the vegetable oil over moderate heat.
11• Drop in the onion and stirring frequently, cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions are soft and transparent but not brown.
12• Watch carefully for any sign of burning and adjust heat accordingly.
13• Add the tomato, pepper, salt, and a few grindings of black pepper, and still stirring, cook briskly until most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated and the mixture is thick enough to almost hold its shape in the spoon.
14• With a rubber spatula, transfer the entire contents of the skillet to a deep bowl.
15• Add the meat, grated cheese, bread crumbs, olives, gherkin, and raisins, and toss together gently but thoroughly.
16• Taste for seasoning and adjust, then stir in the beaten egg.
17• Spoon the meat mixture into each cheese shell, place the shells in the prepared dishes, and top them with the cheese lids.
18• Bake uncovered on the middle shelf of the oven for about 20 minutes or until the top is bubbly and delicatedly browned, and the meat tender.
19• Serve at once, directly from the baking dish.
Serves 6-8.

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Lamb Recipes!