Braised Lamb With Anchovy Sauce Abbacchio Alla Cacciatora Recipes

ROMAN LAMB STEW (ABBACCHIO ALLA CACCIATORA)

Steps:

• Peel the garlic and cut one clove in half and set aside. Roughly chop the other clove.
• Remove the leaves from the stem of rosemary and finely chop them. Add the garlic and anchovies to the rosemary and chop them all together until they form a coarse paste. Use the side of your knife to mash the garlic and anchovies a little towards the end, adding a little salt if needed to help them mash.
• Place the garlic-rosemary paste in a small bowl and add the vinegar. Mix all together so the paste breaks up in the liquid. Set aside.
• Warm the oil in a medium-large Dutch oven or similar pan with a lid over a medium heat. Add the two halves of garlic clove and brown on both sides then remove from the pan.
• Increase the heat to medium-high and add the lamb. It can be good to start by adding some, then wait a minute before adding the rest to save the temperature reducing too much. Season the meat with salt and pepper then turn the meat to brown it all over.
• Once the meat has browned, sprinkle over the flour and stir to mix through. Try to avoid having any lumps of flour left.
• Add the wine to the pan and stir to deglaze any browning from the bottom of the pan. Allow most of the alcohol to evaporate then add the rosemary-vinegar mixture.
• Stir through the vinegar mixture then reduce the heat and cover the pan with a lid. Reduce the heat further if needed to have the mixture just gently simmering. Cook for around 1 - 1 1/2 hours until the meat is very tender. If needed, top up the liquid a little with some water or stock so it doesn't become dry, but you don't want a very liquid mixture either. Serve the meat with the sauce that has formed.

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.

LAMB IN FRASCATI WINE (ABBACCHIO ALLA CACCIATORA)

Steps:

• Season chops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a heavy casserole and lightly brown chops on high heat, working in shifts if necessary. Remove chops as they are browned. It is fine if some separate into smaller pieces. Reduce heat to very low, add onion and garlic and sauté until translucent. Add rosemary, anchovies and chili flakes and cook 1 minute. Add vinegar and wine, increase heat and cook until reduced by half. Return lamb to casserole, add stock, reduce heat to low and cook, partly covered, 1 hour. Halfway, turn chops in pan.
• Remove lamb, increase heat and reduce sauce for 5 minutes or so until starting to thicken. Check seasoning, briefly reheat lamb in sauce and serve, garnished with rosemary sprigs, with potatoes alongside.

ABBACCHIO ALLA CACCIATORE

Steps:

• The lamb should be a combination of leg, shoulder, ribs and kidneys.
• Cut lamb into 2 ounce pieces then rinse to remove bone splinters and dry thoroughly.
• Sauté 2 of the garlic cloves in 2 tbsp olive oil and melted lard in a LARGE saucepan. You want the pan so large you can put the lamb in a single layer.
• After saute remove the garlic then add the lamb. Turn and brown evenly.
• While browning wash and fillet the anchovies.
• Mince the rosemary leaves finely, together with the remaining garlic and the anchovy fillets.
• Pour this into 3/4 cup vinegar, mixing well.
• When the lamb is browned, add pepper and a small amount of salt if needed. Remember anchovies are very salty so you might want to hold back on the salt.
• Moistening the meat first with the vinegar mixture and then with water and continue to cook, over a medium heat for 30 minutes
• Preheat a platter and place lamb with cooking juice on it.
• Servings are based on 1/2 pound per person. If you serve more or less per person servings will vary. Time is a guess.

ROMAN-STYLE SPRING LAMB WITH FRESH SUGAR SNAP PEA SALAD

Steps:

• Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the lamb cubes, tossing a few times to distribute it evenly. Heat the fat in a large, sturdy sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown the pieces of lamb, working in batches if needed so the meat is not crowded in the pan.
• Reduce heat to medium and return all the meat and any juices to the pan. Add the rosemary and garlic and cook for another minute or so, turning the meat. Sift the flour over the meat, and turn again so the flour is absorbed. This should take just another minute or so. Add the vinegar and bring it to a boil, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add 1/2 cup water, then lower the heat so the liquid barely simmers and then cover the pan.
• Cook for an hour, or until the meat is very tender, turning it every once in a while. Add a few tablespoons of water if the sauce is too thick or the meat is beginning to stick to the pan.
• Mash the anchovies in a small bowl. Take about 1/3 cup of the sauce and mix it well with the anchovies. Add the mixture back to the meat, stirring briefly so the meat is well coated. Put the meat on a platter and arrange the pea salad across the top. Or, divide into 6 servings and top each with 1/2 cup of the salad.

BRAISED LAMB WITH ANCHOVIES, GARLIC AND WHITE WINE

Steps:

• Cut lamb shoulder into 2-inch cubes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and brown in a large skillet over medium-high heat; remove.
• To the skillet, add shallot, garlic, and a few anchovy fillets; cook until fragrant. Add wine, stock or water and browned lamb. When the liquid boils, lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Garnish: Parsley.

NEW ZEALAND BRAISED LAMB WITH HERBS, APPLES AND SYRUP

Steps:

• Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan and brown the lamb chops well. Transfer to a casserole.
• Add a dash more oil to the pan and brown the onions, leek and apple slices. Scatter over the lamb chops with the carrots and marjoram or oregano. Season well with salt and pepper and pour the stock over.
• Cover and cook at 325F for 1¼ - 1½ hours or until the lamb chops and vegetables are tender.
• Carefully pour the cooking juices into a saucepan, leaving the chops and vegetables in the casserole for now. Mix the cornflour with enough water to make a smooth paste and stir into the cooking juices. Cook, stirring over a moderate heat until thickened. Add the golden syrup or maple syrup, season and pour back over the chops and vegetables in the casserole dish. Mix well and serve with plenty of mashed potatoes.