Best Braised Lamb With Egg And Lemon Recipes

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH LEMON

Braised Lamb Shanks With Lemon image

Many of us had our earliest experiences with braised foods not at the pricey restaurants that have recently rediscovered their appeal but at the Greek diners that never forgot it. So it's not surprising that I associate braised lamb shanks with egg-lemon sauce, a Greek staple. But when I set about to recreate this standard dish I found the sauce superfluous. Though a slow-cooked pot of braised lamb shanks and root vegetables becomes so sweet that it begs for something to counter it, it is also so rich that the thick sauce (a primitive form of béarnaise, really) is overkill. Better, it seems to me, is to finish the braised shanks with what you might call lemon-lemon sauce, using both a lemon's zest and a lemon's juice. That little touch converts this dish from a delicious but perhaps one-dimensional stew to something more, a braise that may never look particularly elegant but tastes that way.

Provided by Mark Bittman

Categories dinner, weekday, soups and stews, steaks and chops, main course

Time 2h

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 lamb shanks, roughly a pound each
Salt and pepper to taste
3 or 4 thyme sprigs
6 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
1 large onion, cut into chunks
4 stalks celery, roughly chopped
4 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cups dry white wine or water
1 1/2 pounds waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 lemon
Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Steps:

Put oil in a large, deep skillet or casserole that can be covered later, and turn heat to medium-high. Add shanks, sprinkling them with salt and pepper. When pieces are deeply browned on one side, add thyme, garlic, onion, half the celery and half the carrots, and more salt and pepper to skillet. Continue to brown, stirring occasionally.
Add wine, and let mixture bubble for about a minute; cover and adjust heat so that mixture simmers steadily. Cook for about an hour.
Add remaining vegetables to pan; zest lemon, and add zest as well. Continue to cook until lamb is very tender and vegetables soft, another 30 to 45 minutes. (You can prepare dish up to this point in advance; let sit for a few hours, or cover and refrigerate for up to a day before reheating and proceeding.)
When lamb is done, juice lemon, and add juice to sauce. Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve, garnished with parsley.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 1137, UnsaturatedFat 32 grams, Carbohydrate 48 grams, Fat 61 grams, Fiber 8 grams, Protein 76 grams, SaturatedFat 26 grams, Sodium 2115 milligrams, Sugar 8 grams

BRAISED LAMB WITH GARLIC AND LEMON

Braised Lamb with Garlic and Lemon image

Like most braised dishes, this stew takes time but, once the initial browning is done, very little work. There are times I consider browning optional, but this isn't one of them, because the dish is so simple that you need the complexity browning brings. Serve with Pilaf (page 513) or another rice dish. Other cuts of meat you can use here: beef chuck, brisket, or round (all of which will take somewhat longer than the lamb); pork shoulder; lamb shanks (again, longer cooking); or veal shoulder or round.

Yield makes 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 6

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds boneless lamb, from the shoulder or leg, cut into 1- to 2-inch chunks
Salt and black pepper to taste
5 or 6 garlic cloves, slivered
2 lemons
1 cup dry white wine, stock, or water

Steps:

Put the oil in a large deep skillet with a lid and turn the heat to medium-high. A minute later, add as many chunks of lamb as will fit without crowding (you will inevitably have to brown in batches). It will take 3 or 4 minutes for the pieces to brown; when they do, turn them and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Adjust the heat so the pieces brown as rapidly as possible without burning. After each has browned on 2 sides, remove it from the pan and add another piece or two. The entire browning process will take 10 to 15 minutes.
When all the meat has been removed from the pan, turn off the heat and wait a minute for the pan to cool a bit. Turn the heat back to medium and add the garlic; wash and slice one of the lemons and add it also. Cook for about 30 seconds, then add the liquid. Raise the heat to high and let the liquid bubble away for a minute. Return the meat to the pan and cover; adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles very gently. (If it cooks too quickly, you may have to add a little water once or twice.)
Cook, undisturbed (you can stir occasionally if you want to, but it's unnecessary), until the meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve over the rice with the other lemon cut into wedges.