Lamb Fricassee Food

LAMB FRICASSEE

Steps:

• Cut the lamb in portions.
• Melt a tablespoon of butter in a pot and brown the lamb in it.
• Strain excess fat. Take out the lamb.
• Add the rest of the butter, salt& pepper, the lettuce, the onions and the lamb.
• Cover and simmer for about 1 hours Stir.
• Don't fret about not having any water in the stew. The veggies will provide it as they cook.
• Prepare the avgolemono sauce, by beating together the eggs, lemon juice and flour (I use about 2 tsp).
• Just before serving, pour the avgolemono in the pot, simmer lightly and serve hot.
• Note: With 2 - 3 (2 - 3 lbs) heads of lettuce and 3 lbs of green onions, you will need a pretty big pot to hold all the chopped veggies. These will cook down to half the raw amount.

GREEK FRICASSEE OF LAMB

Steps:

• In a large Dutch Oven, heat the olive oil till smoking and in it brown the pieces of lamb (you may have to do this in 2-3 batches) until golden-brown all over.
• When all the pieces are browned add onion, garlic, water and wine (you could use just water if you wanted to), salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, or until meat is very tender.
• Add lettuce and dill. You may have to cram it into the pot but it will reduce to practically nothing. Put the lid on the Dutch Oven and cook for 8 minutes. Remove lid, stir carefully not to break up meat and cook another 2 minutes. Turn off heat.
• In a large, heatproof bowl, whisk together eggs, cornstarch, lemon juice and a little salt and pepper to taste (remember, there is more in the pot).
• With a ladle, remove ladlefuls of the cooking liquid the meat and lettuce have cooked in and VERY slowly whisk it into the egg/lemon mixture. Keep doing this until, whisking all the while, until you have incorporated most of your cooking liquid - this tempers the egg-lemon sauce so it won't curdle when added to your lamb.
• Pour all the sauce into the pot, covering the lamb and lettuce. Turn heat up to medium-high and just bring to the boil. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Dinner is ready. Have lots of crusty bread around to sop up the delicious avgolemono sauce.

RACK OF LAMB WITH SPRING POTATO AND CHEESE GATEAU, ENGLISH PEA FRICASSEE

Steps:

• Cut the rack of lamb in 1/2, just to the right of the 4th bone. Remove the outer layer of fat and the bones from the right sided rack so that when you are finished you just have the eye. In a hot saute pan sear the rack and eye in the olive oil until well-browned on all sides. Remove the eye from the pan. Put the rack in the oven for 5 to 6 minutes or until rare, then put on stovetop. Return the boneless rack (eye) to the pan and add garlic, thyme and butter. Baste for 2 minutes over low heat then remove both and let rest on a cooling rack.
• For the gateau: Starting in salted cold water, cook the potatoes until tender. Drain the potatoes and fork crush them with the butter. Season with salt and pepper. Fill two greased ring molds (2 1/2-inches in diameter by 1 1/2-inches in height) 3/4 of the way with the potatoes and form a well. Put the goat cheese in the center and cover with the potatoes. Smooth the top.
• For the fricassee: Render the bacon over low heat. When bacon is lightly crisp, strain through a chinois. In a small saucepan, sweat the onions and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Add the peas, bacon and Garlic Puree. If the mixture is dry, you may add a few drops of water. Season to taste.
• Assembly: Warm the potato gateaus until warm in the center, about 5 minutes. Lift off the rings and put in the center of the plate. Cut the rack into 4 chops and the eye into 4 slices. Lean two chops and two slices on the gateau. Divide the peas into two portions and spoon onto the plate. Sauce over the top with warm lamb jus.;
• Bring the garlic to a boil, starting with cold water. When water reaches a boil, strain garlic and refresh under gently running cold water. Repeat process 6 to 8 times until garlic is tender and mild flavored. Puree in food processor and pass through chinois.

TRADITIONAL LAMB FRICASSéE WITH AVGOLEMONO SAUCE

Steps:

• Trim most of the visible fat from the lamb then cut the meat into 1½" - 2" chunks. Pat down the lamb to remove any excess moisture then brown it on all sides over medium-high heat in the olive oil in a large Dutch oven.
• Add the leeks, onions, and celery to the pot and sauté until the vegetables soften. Add the chicken stock to cover the mixture and season it generously with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 40 minutes.
• Mince the dill, reserving some for garnish. Chop the lettuce and add it to the pot, along with the dill. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or, until the lamb is fork-tender and a small amount of liquid (about a cup or so) remains in the pot. Turn off the heat.
• Prepare the egg-lemon (avgolemono) sauce. In a small bowl whisk the egg whites with the teaspoon of cold water and a little corn flour until very frothy. Whisk in the egg yolks and lemon juice (start with only one lemon if you do not like the acidity of the lemon too much). Temper the avgolemono sauce by slowly adding one ladleful of the hot liquid from the pot to the small bowl with the eggs, while whisking the whole time. Continue with a second ladleful of the hot liquid and whisk again. Now add the avgolemono to the pot and stir gently to incorporate. Shake the pot a few times to make sure everything is thoroughly mixed together.
• If you need to reheat the lamb fricassée before serving, do so very gently, making sure the stew does not come to a boil. Place on a serving platter, topped with the reserved minced dill, a drizzle of olive oil and a few wedges of lemon. Good, crusty bread is a must and a Greek salad on the side is always a good idea.

BABY LAMB AND ARTICHOKE FRICASSEE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove and discard the garlic. Add the lamb to the skillet and saute until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer slowly until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes.
• Add the artichokes and cook for 3 minutes. Add the hot broth, partially cover the pan and simmer slowly until the lamb and artichokes are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in the parsley, salt and pepper.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and lemon juice. Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot cooking liquid. Stirring constantly, pour the egg mixture into the skillet. Remove from the heat and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Divide among 4 plates and serve.