Paola Di Mauros Roman Lamb Food

PAOLA DI MAURO'S ROMAN LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Rinse the lamb chunks under cold running water, and pat dry with paper towels.
• In a casserole or roasting pan large enough to hold all pieces of lamb, heat olive oil over medium-high to high heat. When oil is almost smoking, add lamb chunks and brown quickly, turning frequently, for about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Coarsely chop 2 of the garlic cloves; add to lamb as it browns. When all the lamb is browned, add salt and abundant pepper. Sprinkle flour over lamb pieces, and turn them to mix in seasoning and salt. Add wine; as soon as it starts to bubble, cover pan and place in oven to roast, covered, for 30 minutes.
• While lamb is roasting, coarsely chop remaining garlic, and using a mortar and pestle, pound it with chopped rosemary into a coarse paste. Add chopped anchovies, and continue pounding to make a fairly smooth paste. A tablespoon at a time, mix in wine vinegar to make a smooth emulsion.
• When lamb has roasted for 30 minutes, remove from oven, and pour vinegar emulsion over lamb pieces. Turn them to coat well with sauce. Return to oven, uncovered, to roast an additional 30 minutes.
• When lamb is done, with no trace of red in the meat, remove from oven, set aside for 5 minutes, then put lamb on a heated serving platter. Bring pan juices to a boil and cook rapidly for about 45 seconds, or just long enough to reduce juices and thicken them slightly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour juices over lamb chunks; serve immediately.

ROAST LEG OF YOUNG LAMB

Steps:

• Trim and discard excess fat from lamb. Using a sharp-pointed knife, make little angled incisions all over the lamb and stuff the incisions with slices of garlic and sprigs of the fresh herbs. Rub lamb with the oil; then sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set lamb aside in a cool place to marinate for at least 2 hours.
• When ready to cook, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put lamb on a rack in a roasting pan and roast 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and cook 30 to 50 minutes longer, depending on the size. Total cooking time for medium rare should be 10 minutes to the pound. When lamb is done, remove to a serving platter and let rest 10 to 20 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, prepare sauce by first removing fat from roasting pan and setting pan over medium-high heat. Add vinegar to pan and boil, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping to get all the brown bits. Add stock, raise heat to high and boil about 5 minutes to thicken stock. Remove from heat and taste, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Strain sauce into a gravy bowl to serve with carved lamb.

GRATIN OF FLAGEOLET BEANS

Steps:

• Warm the olive oil over medium heat in a large noncorrodible pot (glass, ceramic, stainless steel or enameled iron). Add the diced carrot, celery and onion along with the garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the thyme, diced tomatoes, prosciutto hock, beans and the broth or water. Salt to taste. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, adding water if the bean mixture becomes too thick. Remove the cover, raise the heat slightly and cook for another 30 minutes, reducing the liquid until it is at the same level as the beans. When stirred, the beans should have the consistency of a thick sauce.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the prosciutto hock and thyme sprigs from the pot. Remove the rind from the prosciutto, chop the ham into coarse pieces and add them to the beans. Stir in about half of the parsley.
• Pour the beans into a baking dish. Mix the bread crumbs with the remaining parsley and the extra-virgin olive oil and Parmesan cheese, and spread this over the beans in an even layer. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the edges bubble and the top is evenly browned.

MIDDLE EASTERN-STYLE OKRA

Steps:

• Over medium low heat, gently saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are transparent and just starting to color. Add tomatoes and crushed coriander seeds, and cook 5 minutes, until tomatoes have given off their liquid. Add salt if desired.
• Trim the stems from the okra, and add to tomato-onion mixture. Mix well and add water. Start with 1/2 cup; more can be added as necessary.
• Turn heat down to low. Cover okra, and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the okra is tender. Stir occasionally, and add more water if the vegetables start to stick.
• Just before serving, add the lemon juice, mixing well.