As usual, it’s difficult photographing brown food. It was dinnertime with waning sunlight coming in through the kitchen window, so I finally took the bowl there and snapped this photo. It doesn’t begin to do justice to the dish. It’s hard to see the meat – I did prop up one piece (at 11:00 in the photo) so you could at least see a piece of the meat that wasn’t completely enveloped in the milky sauce. But with the shadow, it’s hard to tell, isn’t it?
It’s not really the season for stews and braises, but I had a 2 1/2 pound chunk of leg of lamb in the freezer that needed to be used. We’ve agreed to buy 1/4 of a Berkshire pig this summer, through our friend who has 4H boys and girls using her farm pens. So I need to make room in the garage freezer. I have some room, but perhaps not enough, so I need to get busy using up some of the larger type pieces in there.
Actually I have a 6 pound pork roast in there and it needs to be used too. Soon, since the Berkshire pig will go to slaughter this next week. They’ll deliver it probably at the end of next week (I’m writing this a couple of weeks ago . . .).
Anyway, back to lamb here. I’d copied off a recipe over at Simply Recipes a couple of years ago. Elise said it was based on a Mario Batali recipe, and she raved about it. Indeed, this dish IS really delicious. For a summer evening, it was coolish as we sat outside having dinner, so it ended up being a great night for a lamb stew. I made farro also, which Elise recommended. All I did to that was add in salt and some broth (rather than straight water) to the cooking water. The lamb I made according to the recipe with no variations. It’s quite simple – I actually made it in my crockpot, but am not sure I’d do that again – FYI: 6 hours on low was too long. So, just use the recipe below. The use of milk (and a little bit of cream) makes a fantastic creamy sauce to go with the lamb, and gives it lots of luscious stuff to go along with the farro too. Kind of like mashed potatoes and a milky chicken gravy, except this was farro and lamb.
The lamb cubes need to be browned sufficiently to generate some good flavor, then everything is put together for the braise. After the meat is done, remove it and boil down the juices. They’ll look kind of awful – most things made with milk will separate – but boil it down anyway, then puree in a blender to smooth it out. Add back into the pot with the lamb and heat through. And serve!
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Lamb Braised in Milk with Fennel
Recipe By: Simply Recipes blog (adapted from a Mario Batali recipe)
Serving Size: 6
NOTES: The farro will make enough to serve 6 people, maybe with a little bit left over. Farro is a type of wheat. Substitute brown rice if you can’t find the farro.
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 pounds lamb shoulder — boneless, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
1 fennel bulb — diced
2 garlic cloves — minced
1/2 cup Italian parsley — finely chopped
1 teaspoon fennel seeds — crushed (use mortar and pestle, or chop finely with a chef’s knife)
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 sprig rosemary
2 cups farro, dry — or substitute brown rice
Salt
1 In a large (5 to 6 quart) thick-bottomed Dutch oven, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil on medium high. Pat dry the lamb pieces. Season well with salt and pepper. Working in batches, place lamb pieces in the pan (do not crowd). Do not stir. Turn only once a side has browned. Brown all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
2 Reduce heat in pan to medium. Add remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add the diced fennel and cook a few minutes until softened, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Add the garlic, parsley, crushed fennel seeds.
3 Add the meat back into the pot. Add the milk and cream. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, add the sprig of rosemary, cover. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until meat is tender.
4 While the lamb is cooking, prepare the farro (or brown rice). The farro will take about 45 minutes to cook, after which it can be kept warm, so time accordingly. Rinse farro through a sieve until the water runs clear. Add it to a large, thick-bottomed saucepan. Cover with about two inches of water and add about a tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, partially cover and let cook for 45 minutes or until tender. Drain of excess water and set aside until you are ready to use it.
5 Once the lamb is tender, remove the pieces from the pot and set aside. Discard the rosemary. Bring the milk cream sauce to a boil over high heat and reduce to about 2 cups. Working in batches, purée in a blender (or with an immersion blender) until smooth. (When puréeing hot liquids in a blender it’s best to work with relatively small amounts, filling just maybe a quarter of the blender. Otherwise the pressure can blow the top off the blender and make a hot mess.) Return the sauce and the lamb to the pot and if needed heat until warm through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Before serving, stir in the fresh chopped parsley. Serve the braised lamb over warm farro.
Per Serving: 611 Calories; 51g Fat (75.7% calories from fat); 29g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 146mg Cholesterol; 162mg Sodium.
Three years ago: Vinaigrette
Four years ago: Grandgirl’s Fresh Apple Cake
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