Stuffed Lamb Breast With Lemon Ricotta And Oregano Recipes

STUFFED LAMB BREAST WITH LEMON, RICOTTA, AND OREGANO RECIPE

Steps:

• Finely grind oregano, fennel, and red pepper flakes in spice mill or with mortar and pestle. Place lamb breasts on a work surface, fat side down, and season with salt. Sprinkle spice mixture over top, then rub garlic into meat, working over entire surface.
• Mix egg yolk, Pecorino, ricotta, olives, parsley, and lemon juice in a small bowl to combine and spread evenly over both lamb breasts. Working with 1 breast at a time and starting from a short end, roll up so lamb is resting seam side down. Starting at the center, tie each roll with kitchen twine at even intervals.
• Preheat oven to 300°F. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Season lamb all over with salt and pepper and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add onion, carrot, shallots, and garlic to same pot; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are browned around edges, 8-10 minutes. Add wine, scraping up browned bits. Bring to a boil and cook until liquid is almost completely evaporated, about 4 minutes. Add lemon, parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, peppercorns, and 4 cups cold water. Add lamb back to pot and bring to a simmer; cover and transfer to oven. Cook, turning once, until lamb is tender but not quite falling apart, 2-2 1/2 hours. Transfer lamb to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
• Bring braising liquid to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until reduced by half, 15-20 minutes. Taste and season with more salt, if desired. Remove kitchen twine from lamb and slice 3/4-inch-thick. Transfer to a platter and strain braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve over lamb. Top with parsley leaves.
• Lamb can be stuffed 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before cooking.

SLOW-COOKED LAMB WITH LEMON AND OREGANO

Steps:

• Combine lemon juice, oil, oregano, and water in a large nonreactive baking dish. Rub lamb all over with salt and pepper, and place in marinade, turning to coat well. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 24 hours, turning once or twice.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer lamb and marinade to a roasting pan. Cover lamb with parchment, and cover pan tightly with heavy foil. Roast 1 hour, then flip lamb. Cover again, and reduce heat to 300 degrees. Roast lamb 2 hours.
• Flip lamb gently, since it will be very tender. Add potatoes to pan, and sprinkle with a little salt. Cover, and roast 1 hour. Raise heat to 400 degrees. Uncover, and roast until potatoes are golden around edges, 15 to 20 minutes.

STUFFED BREAST OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Sprinkle the breasts of lamb inside and out with salt and pepper.
• Pick over the spinach and pull off and discard any tough stems or blemished leaves. Drop the spinach into boiling water to cover and cook one minute. Drain. When cool enough to handle, press the spinach to extract as much excess liquid as possible. Chop finely.
• Heat the butter in a saucepan and add the garlic, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms give up their liquid and it evaporates. Add the chopped spinach and stir to blend. Let cool slightly. Spoon the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the ricotta, Parmesan, egg and nutmeg. Blend thoroughly.
• Stuff each lamb pocket with equal amounts of the filling, packing it down to almost completely fill the pockets. Sew up the openings of each pocket with string.
• Rub the meat all over with oil. Sprinkle both sides with rosemary and place the breasts bone side up on a baking dish.
• Place in the oven and bake 20 minutes.
• Reduce the oven heat to 400 degrees. Turn the breasts bone side down. Bake 25 minutes. Pour off the fat. Pour the broth into the pan and stir to dissolve the brown particles that cling to the bottom and sides of the pan. Place in the oven and bake 15 minutes longer.

ARMENIAN STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Marinate lamb: Remove fell (the thin outer membrane) and all but 1/8-inch layer fat from lamb. Make 12 small incisions in outside surface and insert garlic slivers. Combine oil, lemon juice, mint, oregano, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Place lamb in glass dish and spread o il mixture evenly over inside and outside surfaces. Let stand covered at room temperature 1-1/2 hours or refrigerate overnight. (If lamb is refrigerated, let warm to room temperature 1-1/2 hours before roasting.).
• Make stuffing about 1-1/2 hours before roasting lamb: Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery; saute until tender but not browned, about 4 minutes. Stir in rice, pine nuts and parsley. Reduce heat to low and cook until rice turns opaque, 2-3 minutes. Gradually stir in broth. Stir in currants and pepper to taste. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer covered until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and add allspice and cinnamon while fluffing rice with fork. Let cool at room temperature about 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 475 degrees.
• Place lamb, fat side down, on work surface. Spoon about 2 cups stuffing into pocket where bones were. Press leg together and tie at 1-inch intervals with kitchen string. Place lamb on rack in roasting pan. Spoon remaining stuffing into small casserole and set aside.
• Roast lamb on rack in upper third of oven until browned, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Carefully pour 1-1/2 cups water into pan. Continue to roast, basting every 15 minutes, until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of leg registers 145 degrees for medium-rare; it will take about 45 minutes. Fifteen minutes before lamb is done, spoon 1-2 T. pan juices over stuffing in casserole and bake in oven until heated through. Transfer lamb to carving board and let stand 15-20 minutes.
• Spoon fat from pan juices, then heat juices to boiling, scraping loose browned bits on bottom of pan. Strain into sauceboat and season with pepper.
• Slice lamb 1/2-inch thick and serve with stuffing and pan juices.