Braised Lamb With Anchovy Sauce Abbacchio Alla Cacciatora Food

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.

BRAISED LAMB WITH ANCHOVY SAUCE (ABBACCHIO ALLA CACCIATORA)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500*. In a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil until a light haze forms over it. Add the lamb, 4 or 5 chunks at a time, and brown it over moderately high heat.
• As the chunks become richly colored on all sides, transfer them to a heavy 2 1/2- to 3-quart flameproof casserole. Then pour off all but a thin film of fat from the skillet and set the pan aside.
• Season the lamb with garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper, and sprinkle it with flour, tossing the meat with a wooden spoon to coat the chunks as evenly as possible with the seasonings and flour.
• Place the casserole in the upper third of the oven and brown the lamb uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, turning it 2 or 3 times.
• When no trace of gummy flour remains and the chunks of lamb are lightly crusted, remove the casserole from the oven and reduce the oven heat to 350*.
• Pour the vinegar into the waiting skillet and boil it briskly over high heat for a minute or two, scraping in any browned bits clinging to the bottom and sides of the pan.
• Add the chicken stock to the vinegar, bring to a boil, and pour the liquid over the lamb in the casserole. Cover the casserole and place it in the middle of the oven.
• Braise the lamb for about 1 hour, or until it is tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. (If the braising sauce seems to be cooking away too fast, add a little more stock, a Tblsp. at a time.).
• Just before serving, ladle 1 or 2 Tblsp. of the sauce from the casserole in to a small bowl and mix in the chopped anchovies. Stir the anchovy mixture into the casserole and cook for 2 or 3 minutes more. Serve the lamb directly from the casserole or in a deep, heated platter.

CHILLI GINGER SAUCE

Steps:

• Place all the ingredients in a saucepan, bring to boil, stirring, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
• Transfer to a food processor or a blender and process to a puree. Keeps for many weeks if stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
• Can be used as an ingredient in recipes or as a condiment.

CUBED CHICKEN WITH COFFEE SAUCE

Steps:

• Add the butter to a pan and fry the cubed chicken. Mix-in the chillies, garlic and bayleaf.
• When the chicken is golden brown in colour remove from the pan and set aside. Add the wine and coffee to the pan and continue cooking until the sauce has thickened appreciably then add the coffee beans and cream.
• Mix well, return the chicken pieces to the pan and cook for 15 minutes. Serve on a bed of rice.

PROVENçAL BRAISED LAMB CHOPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
• Pat chops dry and season with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper (total). Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook garlic, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a plate. Brown chops in 2 batches, turning once, about 4 minutes total per batch. Transfer to a plate.
• Add onions, bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits, then remove from heat.
• Peel potatoes and slice about 1/8 inch thick. Scatter half of potatoes in a shallow 3-quart baking dish, then top with half of onions. Scatter garlic, thyme, and olives over onions, then top with lamb chops. Repeat layering remaining potatoes and onions, then pour wine, broth, and meat juices over top.
• Bake, uncovered, basting top with juices once or twice, until potatoes are tender and browned on top and meat is tender when pierced with tip of a knife, about 1 1/2 hours.

BRAISED LAMB WITH ANCHOVIES, GARLIC AND WHITE WINE

Steps:

• Cut lamb shoulder into 2-inch cubes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and brown in a large skillet over medium-high heat; remove.
• To the skillet, add shallot, garlic, and a few anchovy fillets; cook until fragrant. Add wine, stock or water and browned lamb. When the liquid boils, lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Garnish: Parsley.

ASPARAGUS WITH BUTTER AND PARMESAN CHEESE

Steps:

• Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus and discard. Wash the asparagus thoroughly.
• Put the tips of the asparagus together evenly and, with a sharp knife, cut off any parts extending beyond about 6 inches.
• Cut these trimmings into 1-inch pieces. Place them in a covered casserole with the water.
• Cook in the microwave oven for 2 to 3 minutes, depending upon their toughness. Add the remaining asparagus, putting the butt end toward the outer edges of the baking dish. Cover and cook until barely tender. (This should take about 6 to 8 minutes.).
• Remove asparagus to a serving dish, putting the cut pieces in the bottom of the dish and placing the spears attractively on top.
• Melt the butter in a small container in the microwave oven. Pour evenly over the asparagus. Sprinkle on the parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Return to the microwave oven to reheat for 30 seconds. Serve.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

Steps:

• Put the vinegar, wine, rosemary leaves, and garlic in a small bowl.
• Put the extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet and turn the heat to medium. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and sauté until lightly browned. Add salt and pepper.
• Stir in the flour.
• Add the vinegar-wine mix, turn the heat to high and let the liquid evaporate.
• Turn the heat to medium low, cover, and cook for about 30 - 35 minutes or until the chicken becomes tender. Stir occasionally to prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan.
• In case there is too much liquid when the meat is almost ready, remove the lid and let the liquid evaporate until the sauce is thicker.
• When the chicken is ready, add the anchovies to the skillet, stirring vigorously for a few seconds until dissolved. Serve hot.

ABBACCHIO ALLA CACCIATORE

Steps:

• The lamb should be a combination of leg, shoulder, ribs and kidneys.
• Cut lamb into 2 ounce pieces then rinse to remove bone splinters and dry thoroughly.
• Sauté 2 of the garlic cloves in 2 tbsp olive oil and melted lard in a LARGE saucepan. You want the pan so large you can put the lamb in a single layer.
• After saute remove the garlic then add the lamb. Turn and brown evenly.
• While browning wash and fillet the anchovies.
• Mince the rosemary leaves finely, together with the remaining garlic and the anchovy fillets.
• Pour this into 3/4 cup vinegar, mixing well.
• When the lamb is browned, add pepper and a small amount of salt if needed. Remember anchovies are very salty so you might want to hold back on the salt.
• Moistening the meat first with the vinegar mixture and then with water and continue to cook, over a medium heat for 30 minutes
• Preheat a platter and place lamb with cooking juice on it.
• Servings are based on 1/2 pound per person. If you serve more or less per person servings will vary. Time is a guess.

NEW ZEALAND BRAISED LAMB WITH HERBS, APPLES AND SYRUP

Steps:

• Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan and brown the lamb chops well. Transfer to a casserole.
• Add a dash more oil to the pan and brown the onions, leek and apple slices. Scatter over the lamb chops with the carrots and marjoram or oregano. Season well with salt and pepper and pour the stock over.
• Cover and cook at 325F for 1¼ - 1½ hours or until the lamb chops and vegetables are tender.
• Carefully pour the cooking juices into a saucepan, leaving the chops and vegetables in the casserole for now. Mix the cornflour with enough water to make a smooth paste and stir into the cooking juices. Cook, stirring over a moderate heat until thickened. Add the golden syrup or maple syrup, season and pour back over the chops and vegetables in the casserole dish. Mix well and serve with plenty of mashed potatoes.

LAMB IN FRASCATI WINE (ABBACCHIO ALLA CACCIATORA)

Steps:

• Season chops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a heavy casserole and lightly brown chops on high heat, working in shifts if necessary. Remove chops as they are browned. It is fine if some separate into smaller pieces. Reduce heat to very low, add onion and garlic and sauté until translucent. Add rosemary, anchovies and chili flakes and cook 1 minute. Add vinegar and wine, increase heat and cook until reduced by half. Return lamb to casserole, add stock, reduce heat to low and cook, partly covered, 1 hour. Halfway, turn chops in pan.
• Remove lamb, increase heat and reduce sauce for 5 minutes or so until starting to thicken. Check seasoning, briefly reheat lamb in sauce and serve, garnished with rosemary sprigs, with potatoes alongside.