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.