Roasted Leg Of Spring Lamb Gigotan With Baked Cannellini Beans And Confit Of Spring Vegetables Recipes

LEG OF LAMB WITH SAVORY BEANS

Steps:

• Put the beans in Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Add 8 cups water and place pot over high heat. Stick 1 whole clove into each onion half. Add onion, bay leaves, carrot, garlic, thyme and salt. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to a bare simmer and cover with lid ajar. (The slow simmer keeps the beans from bursting.) After 30 minutes, taste the bean broth, and add salt as necessary. Cook for about another 30 minutes, but check for tenderness after 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let beans cool in their cooking liquid. (You may cook the beans several hours, or up to 1 day, in advance.)
• Meanwhile, prepare the lamb: With a sharp paring knife, make 24 small slits over the surface of the lamb. Using your fingers, push a garlic sliver into each slit.
• Season the leg generously all over with kosher salt, then sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon black pepper. Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons olive oil, and massage oil and seasonings all over the meat. Leave at room temperature for at least an hour. (Alternatively, wrap and refrigerate the seasoned leg for up to 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
• Heat oven to 475 degrees. In a sturdy roasting pan, arrange the onions and celery. Lay down the thyme and rosemary branches and set the lamb leg on top. Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes, then add wine to the pan and turn heat to 350 degrees. Continue cooking, basting the roast occasionally, until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees for medium-rare or 140 for medium, which will take up to 1 1/2 hours.
• Transfer the roast to a cutting board and keep warm, tented with foil, for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the onions, celery, thyme and rosemary from the roasting pan and discard. Skim fat from surface of pan juices.
• Set pan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Taste and adjust with a splash of water if the pan juices are too salty.
• While lamb is resting, boil carrots in well-salted water until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, toss with butter and keep warm.
• Reheat the beans in their broth, then drain reserving bean broth for another use. Remove and discard onion, bay leaves, carrot, garlic and thyme. Put beans in a warm serving dish. Toss beans gently with the parsley, chives, lemon zest, olive oil and pepper. Reheat pan juices, strain and pour into a serving vessel.
• Carve the lamb and arrange on serving platter along with the carrots. Garnish with watercress, if desired.

ROAST LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cut slits in the top of the leg of lamb every 3 to 4 inches, deep enough to push slices of garlic down into the meat. Salt and pepper generously all over the top of lamb, place several sprigs of fresh rosemary under and on top of the lamb. Place lamb on roasting pan.
• Roast in preheated oven until the lamb is cooked to your desired doneness, about 1 3/4 to 2 hours. Do not overcook the lamb, the flavor is best if meat is still slightly pink. Let rest at least 10 minutes before carving.

ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. Using paper towels, pat lamb dry. Using a sharp knife, score the top side of the lamb by making shallow cuts all over. In a small bowl, combine garlic, olive oil, rosemary, thyme, Dijon, salt and pepper. Place lamb, fat side up, on a rack in the prepared roasting pan. Spread garlic mixture evenly over the lamb, rubbing in thoroughly into the scored cuts. Place into oven and roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees F for medium, about 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, or until desired doneness. Let rest 15 minutes before slicing. Serve immediately with mini hasselback potatoes.

RIBOLLITA CON VERDURE

Steps:

• Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add oil and the the pancetta or bacon and render 4 minutes. Add rosemary, the garlic, 3/4 of the onions, carrots and zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Saute the veggies 7 to 8 minutes, then add wine and deglaze the pot. Stir in the tomatoes and stock and bring up the heat. When soup boils, reduce to a simmer and stir in bread and beans. Pile the greens into the pot and wilt them into the soup. Simmer the ribollita 5 to 10 minutes, stirring soup as it simmers until it thickens to a dense stew-like consistency. A wooden spoon should be able to stand upright in the pot. Turn off heat, adjust seasonings and ladle into shallow bowls. Top with grated cheese, an additional drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and a spoonful of reserved finely chopped raw onions.

ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• For the cleanest-looking presentation, trim 1 1/2 inches of flesh from the shank bone with a sharp paring knife. (Your butcher may be willing to do this for you.)
• The fell is a thin outer layer of fat that you may find if you buy an untrimmed leg from a butcher. It's very tough, so it's important to remove all of it. A long knife with a sharp thin blade is the best tool for the job.
• Trim the excess fat that lies beneath the fell, but leave enough to enrich the meat and gravy. It also crisps up nicely when broiled, which helps give the carved slices great texture. Use shears to trim the fat pads around the hip, or large end.
• Make incisions 1 inch long and 1/2 inch deep all over the leg; they?ll allow the aromatic rub to penetrate the meat more easily. Roughening the surface in this way also results in a crisper, more flavorful crust after broiling.
• Stir together salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, mustard, and oil in a small bowl until it forms a wet paste. Spread rub evenly over lamb, working it into the incisions. Let lamb sit at room temperature, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Transfer lamb, fat side up, to a large roasting pan fitted with a rack, and add broth. Roast lamb 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees, and roast until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of flesh near the bone reaches 130 degrees to 135 degrees (medium-rare), about 55 minutes. Increase temperature to broil; broil until surface sizzles and becomes brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer lamb to a platter or carving board; let rest at least 20 minutes before carving.

ROASTED LEG OF SPRING LAMB WITH ROASTED GARLIC AND ROSEMARY JUICE AND PORTOBELLO AND EGGPLANT RATATOUILLE

Steps:

• Portobello and Eggplant Ratatouille: Place the portobellos, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, pepper, jalapeno and cherry tomatoes in a large bowl. Add olive oil and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables in a single layer over grill. Grill over medium heat for 4 minutes. Turn and cook 4 more minutes. Starting with the tomatoes, remove all the vegetables from the grill. Place the vegetables on a cutting board and chop coarsely. Add garlic, rosemary, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Allow to sit 1/2 hour. After 1/2 hour drain 1/2 cup of the juice from the vegetables and save for the Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Juice.;
• Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Juice: Puree the garlic, rosemary, olive oil and ratatouille juice in a blender. Season with salt and pepper.;
• Roasted Leg of Lamb: Combine garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper in a bowl, or mortar, and crush together. Add oil and rub the mixture over the lamb vigorously, forcing the mixture into the meat. Skewer the lamb and place on a spit. Roast the lamb 1 1/2 hours over medium heat. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Take the bone out and slice the leg into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange slices into a circle around the outside of a platter. Place the ratatouille in the center and drizzle juice around the lamb.

KAHLUA PIG SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Julienne the carrots, green beans, and celery. Shred the Kahlua pig and season it with salt and pepper. Whisk together the egg and water to make the egg wash.
• Wrap all ingredients, including bean sprouts, in lumpia wrappers, using egg wash to seal. Preheat a deep fryer or a heavy pot halfway filled with oil to 360 degrees F. Deep-fry the rolls until golden brown on all sides. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
• Cut each roll in half on a slant. Serve with Pineapple Salsa.
• Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Serve with Kahlua Spring Rolls.

DOLMAS

Steps:

• Mix together the beef, lamb, rice, olive oil, salt, mint, parsley, pepper, oregano and onions. This is the filling. Next, rinse the grape leaves and separate in a colander. Place 2 to 3 grape leaves stem-side up on a work station; they should overlap each other. Place desired amount of filling in the center and roll, folding in the sides. Repeat with the remaining grape leaves and filling. Arrange tightly together in a stockpot. Once the stockpot is full, cut the lemons in half and put on top. Cover with beef stock and simmer until the rice is soft, 30 to 45 minutes.

ROASTED LEG OF SPRING LAMB "GIGOTAN", WITH BAKED CANNELLINI BEANS AND CONFIT OF SPRING VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Soak cannelloni beans in water overnight. Remove hind legs from baby lamb. Remove femur bone and kneecap. Pick 1 sprig of rosemary and 1/2 bunch of thyme, clean 4 cloves of garlic. Chop together until fine. Season bone marrow and inside of lamb leg with salt and pepper, and rub with chopped herb and garlic mixture. Insert marrow into leg cavity and tie with butcher's twine. Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Blanch Roma tomatoes in boiling water for 15 seconds. Shock in ice water until cold. Peel skin from tomatoes, cut in half and scrape out the seeds. Place 8 halves on foil lined sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and add 2 crushed cloves of garlic and 2 sprigs of thyme. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Place in oven, cook for 45 minutes to an hour, flip over and cook for another hour or until firm and dry. Turn oven up to 400 degrees. Clean 4 cloves of garlic of excess skin, but be sure to leave 1 layer on. Place in small pot and cover with oil. Place on moderate fire until slow simmer, about 5 minutes. Once simmer is reached, turn fire down very low and let garlic cook in oil. Be careful at this point, excessive heat will cause garlic cloves to explode, shooting hot oil in all directions. Use a splatter guard if unsure. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, remove from heat and let cool in oil. Crack femur bone and kneecap. Cut scrap meat, from lamb carcass, into large dice. Heat large roasting pan, add half of garlic "confit" oil. Carefully place lamb bones and scraps in pan and place in oven. Let roast, stirring occasionally, until dark golden brown. At this point, remove from oven, add 2 crushed cloves of garlic, 1 small piece each of rosemary and thyme and deglaze with 4 cups of water. Make sure to scrape pan bottom well to loosen all of the meat bits that adhered during the roasting period. Transfer into saucepot large enough to fit everything, and simmer, skimming frequently, until reduced by half. Add demi-glace and reduce further until 12 ounces remains. Pass this fragrant lamb "Jus" through a strainer or coffee filter, and season to taste. Drain beans and place into thick bottomed pot. Cut carrot, celery and onion in half, add to pot. Add remaining rosemary, thyme, tomato halves, garlic and 2 ounces olive oil. Cover with water and bring to simmer. Continue to cook until beans are tender, about 2 hours. Pull off of fire and season with liberal amounts of salt. Let cool in liquid. When cold, remove cooking liquid and discard with herbs. Chop aromatics and re-combine with beans. Cut each of the squash and zucchini into 3 equal sized cylinders. Cut each of the cylinders into 4 equal sized wedges. Trim each of the wedges, using a pairing knife, into football shaped pieces. This is called "Tourne." Blanch in salted, boiling water until easily pierced with a knife tip. Cool quickly. Turn oven down to 375 degrees. Season lamb legs with salt and pepper, rub with oil, place on roasting rack and cook for 45 to 55 minutes. Check internal temperature with thermometer, it should be about 135 to 140 degrees. Pull from oven and let rest for 15 minutes. Place beans and vegetables in medium sized pot with 4 ounces of lamb "Jus". Simmer until thick, season to taste and serve, distributing the vegetables evenly. Slice leg of lamb cross grain, making sure to keep whole slices intact with marrow. Place on top of vegetable, bean mixture. Place 1 piece of garlic confit and 2 pieces of tomato confit on top of each portion. Drizzle 2 ounce of lamb "Jus" on each plate and serve piping hot!