Braised Lamb With Egg And Lemon Food

BRAISED LAMB WITH EGG AND LEMON

Steps:

• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400 degrees. Season lamb pieces generously with salt and pepper. Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottom soup pot over medium-high heat and brown the lamb lightly on each side. (Do this in batches so as not to crowd the pan.) Remove browned lamb from pan and set aside.
• Lower heat to medium, then add onions and cook until soft, allowing them to brown a bit, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, flour, tomato paste and saffron, if using, and stir to coat the onions. Stir in wine and broth, then bring to a simmer. Add the browned lamb pieces, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf.
• Cover pot and place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower heat to 350 degrees and cook for an additional hour. The meat should be meltingly tender when pierced with a paring knife or skewer.
• Remove lamb pieces with a slotted spoon. Strain cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, then return lamb pieces and strained liquid to the pot. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cool to room temperature, then cover pot and refrigerate overnight; this makes removing the fat easier and improves the flavor.
• Remove the stew from the fridge and remove congealed fat. Place pot over medium heat and bring to a bare simmer.
• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook fregola until al dente, about 8 to 9 minutes, drain and put into a large serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle with olive oil. Keep warm.
• Just before serving, whisk egg yolks and lemon juice together until well combined. Gradually whisk in some of the hot stew liquid to temper the eggs. Turn off the heat under the stew. Pour egg mixture back into the stew, stirring carefully with a wooden spoon. The sauce will thicken very slightly. Taste for seasoning. (Sauce may curdle if it gets too hot. If necessary, keep stew warm over a double boiler.)
• Transfer stew to a serving dish. Mix together parsley, celery heart leaves and lemon zest, and sprinkle abundantly over the stew. Garnish with peeled and halved hard-cooked eggs. Serve with fregola and, if desired, vegetables such as spring carrots, turnips, asparagus or peas.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH LEMON

Steps:

• Put oil in a large, deep skillet or casserole that can be covered later, and turn heat to medium-high. Add shanks, sprinkling them with salt and pepper. When pieces are deeply browned on one side, add thyme, garlic, onion, half the celery and half the carrots, and more salt and pepper to skillet. Continue to brown, stirring occasionally.
• Add wine, and let mixture bubble for about a minute; cover and adjust heat so that mixture simmers steadily. Cook for about an hour.
• Add remaining vegetables to pan; zest lemon, and add zest as well. Continue to cook until lamb is very tender and vegetables soft, another 30 to 45 minutes. (You can prepare dish up to this point in advance; let sit for a few hours, or cover and refrigerate for up to a day before reheating and proceeding.)
• When lamb is done, juice lemon, and add juice to sauce. Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve, garnished with parsley.

BRAISED ENDIVE WITH AVGOLEMONO SAUCE

Steps:

• Soak the endive in salted ice water for about 15 minutes. Drain and remove as much moisture as possible.
• In a large skillet, over medium, melt butter. Add endive, lightly season with salt and pepper . Add lemon juice and saute lightly 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
• Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Lower heat to maintain a simmer and simmer uncovered 25 to 30 minutes or until tender. Remove skillet from heat.
• In small bowl of electric mixer, beat eggs until light and frothy. Add flour and continue to beat. Slowly add lemon juice; gradually drizzle in hot broth from the skillet.
• Return skillet to low heat. Pour egg-lemon sauce over endive, shaking pan back and forth to incorporate avgolemono sauce with endive and to thicken sauce.
• Serve immediately.

THE TRADITIONAL EGG-LEMON SAUCE (GREEK AVGOLEMONO) RECIPE

Steps:

• To prepare the classic Avgolemono recipe, start by cracking the eggs into a bowl and whisk well.
• Gradually add the lemon juice and whisk again to combine.
• Add a little of the warm stock or soup and whisk quickly, add more and whisk again. The reason for slowly adding the broth is to gradually warm up the eggs so you don't end up with an omelette instead of a sauce!
• Pour gradually the egg mixture back into the pot, whilst constantly stirring and bring just below boiling point. Remove the pan from the stove and serve.

SLOW-BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER WITH PRESERVED LEMON AND SPICES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to its highest setting. Gently heat the cumin seeds in a small dry frying pan for 3-4 minutes until they start to pop and brown. Cool a little, then grind to a powder in a spice grinder/pestle and mortar.
• Put the cumin in a food processor with the preserved lemon, onion, garlic, cinnamon, coriander, 1 tbsp of the oil and some salt and pepper, then whizz to form a thick paste.
• Make slashes in the lamb skin about 1cm deep. Rub the spice mix over and into the slashes, then put the meat in the casserole. Add the pomegranate molasses, remaining 1 tbsp oil and 150ml water. Put a sheet of baking paper on top of the lamb, then a sheet of foil. Add the lid to cover as tightly as you can.
• Transfer the dish to the oven and turn the heat down to 130ºC fan/gas 2. Cook for 3½ hours. Remove the lid, foil and baking paper and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes. Remove from the oven - the meat should be falling from the bone (see Know How). Cover and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, beat together all the ingredients for the tahini sauce and season to taste.
• Serve the lamb with the tahini sauce, extra coriander and, if you like, lemon wedges on the side.

GREEK LAMB STEW WITH EGG AND LEMON SAUCE

Steps:

• In a casserole combine the lamb with enough water to cover, bring to a boil, skimming, and simmer 5 minutes. Drain.
• In a casserole set over moderate heat, heat oil until hot. Add onion, celery and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are softened. Add stock, water, cheesecloth bag, marjoram, reserved lamb and salt to taste. Bring liquid to a boil and simmer, partially covered, for 1 1/2 hours.
• Transfer lamb to a platter and strain cooking liquid. Return lamb and cooking liquid to casserole, bring liquid to a boil and add artichokes. Simmer, partially covered, 20 to 25 minutes, or until lamb and artichokes are tender.
• In a bowl whisk eggs until thick and light. Whisk in lemon juice and 1 cup of hot stock, a little at a time. Add egg mixture to casserole and simmer over moderately low heat, stirring, until lightly thickened. Do not boil. Before serving stir in fresh dill.

BRAISED LAMB WITH PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, cumin and onion, and cook 4 minutes, until limp.
• Add lamb and cook 5 minutes, until browned on all sides.
• Add preserved lemon, mint, bay leaves, cinnamon and beef stock; cover and simmer 40 minutes.
• Add eggplant and simmer another 10 minutes. Serve over couscous, with a dollop of yogurt on top of each serving.