Ahead-of-time note The lamb tastes best when served the moment it is done, but it can be prepared several hours in advance, up to but not including the step with the anchovies. Reheat it gently, adding a little bit of water if its juices are skimpy. When it is warm all the way through, carry out the procedure with the anchovies as described above in Step 4.
Pan–Roasted Lamb with Juniper Berries
THIS OLD LOMBARD recipe follows a procedure completely unlike that of most Italian roasts: The meat is not browned, no cooking fat is used because one relies on the juices supplied by the meat itself, and the vegetables do not undergo any preliminary sautéing, they cook from the start alongside the lamb.
Do not be discouraged by the gray appearance of the lamb during the early cooking phase. It is gray at first because it was not browned originally, but by the time it is done it will be as beautiful a glossy nut-brown as any roast. You will find that through this particular method of cooking even older lamb becomes tender, and its flavor rich and mellow. Allow about 3½ to 4 hours of cooking time.
For 4 servings
2½ pounds lamb shoulder, cut into 3- to 4-inch pieces, with the bone in
1 tablespoon chopped carrot
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped celery
1 cup dry white wine
2 garlic cloves, mashed lightly with a knife handle, the skin removed
A sprig of fresh rosemary OR ½ teaspoon chopped dried
1½ teaspoons lightly crushed juniper berries
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Choose a heavy-bottomed or enameled cast-iron pot that will contain all the ingredients. Put all the ingredients into it, cover the pot, and turn the heat on to medium low. Turn the lamb pieces over about twice an hour.
2. After 2 hours, the ingredients should have shed a considerable amount of juice. Set the pot’s cover on slightly ajar, and continue cooking at slightly higher heat. Turn the meat from time to time. After an hour and a half more, the lamb should feel very tender when prodded with a fork. If there is still too much liquid in the pot, uncover, raise the heat, and reduce it to a less runny consistency. Taste the meat and correct for salt.
3. Tip the pot and spoon off as much of the liquefied lamb fat as you can. Transfer the entire contents of the pot to a warm platter and serve at once.
Ahead-of-time note If you are going to have it that same evening, the lamb can be prepared that morning. It could even be prepared a day in advance, but its flavor will acquire a sharp edge. When making it ahead of time, do not reduce the pot juices or spoon off the fat until after you have reheated it.
Thin Lamb Chops Fried in Parmesan Batter
FRYING THEM in this batter is one of the most succulent ways to do lamb chops. The crust—crisp and delicious—seals in all the juiciness and sweetness of the lamb. The younger the lamb you use, the more delicate the flavor and texture of the dish will be, but you can successfully execute the recipe with standard lamb.
In order to fry them quickly, the chops should be no more than one rib thick. Have the butcher knock off the corner bone and remove the backbone, leaving just the rib. If he is cooperative, have him flatten the eye of each chop, otherwise flatten it yourself at home with a meat pounder, following the instructions for flattening scaloppine.
For 6 servings
12 single rib lamb chops, partly boned and flattened as described above
½ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, spread on a plate
2 eggs, beaten lightly in a deep dish
1 cup fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs, spread on a plate
Vegetable oil
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Turn the chops on both sides in the grated Parmesan, pressing the chop firmly against the crumbs, using the palm of your hand to cause the cheese to adhere well to the meat. Tap the chops gently against the plate to shake off excess cheese. Dip them into the beaten egg, letting excess egg flow back into the dish. Then turn the chops in the bread crumbs, coating both sides, and tap them again to shake off excess.
2. Pour enough oil in a skillet to come ¼ inch up the sides, and turn on the heat to medium. When the oil is very hot, slip as many chops into the pan as will fit without crowding. As soon as one side forms a nice, golden crust, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, turn the chop, and sprinkle salt and pepper on the other side. As soon as the second side has formed a crust transfer to a warm platter, using a slotted spoon or spatula. Repeat the procedure, slipping more chops into the pan as soon as there is room for them. When all the chops are done serve promptly.
Ahead-of-time note You can prepare the chops up to this point as much as 1 hour in advance or, if you refrigerate them, even 3 or 4 hours. If refrigerated, allow enough time for the meat to return to room temperature before cooking it.
Note If the chops are as thin as directed, they will be cooked in the time it takes to form a crust on both sides. If they are much thicker, they need to be cooked a little longer.
Lamb Chops Pan-Roasted in White Wine, Finished Marches Style with Egg and Lemon
LIKE THE FRICASSEED chicken in this recipe, this dish is finished with an uncooked mixture of beaten egg yolk and lemon juice that thickens on contact with the hot meat. It comes from the central Italian region known as The Marches.
For 4 to 6 servings
1 cup onion sliced very thin
⅓ cup, about 1½ ounces, pancetta, cut into thin julienne strips
1 tablespoon lard OR vegetable oil
2½ pounds loin lamb chops
Whole nutmeg
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1 cup dry white wine
1 egg yolk (see warning about salmonella poisoning)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1. Choose a sauté pan that can subsequently accommodate all the chops without overlapping, put in the onion, pancetta, and lard or vegetable oil, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook the onion, stirring, until it becomes colored a pale gold, put in the lamb chops, and turn up the heat to medium high. Brown the chops deeply on both sides, expecting in the process to see the onion becoming colored a dark nut brown.
2. Add a tiny grating of nutmeg—about ⅛ teaspoon—salt, and liberal grindings of pepper. Add the white wine and while it simmers for about 10 or 15 seconds, quickly loosen the browning residues from the bottom of the pan, using a wooden spoon. Turn the heat down to cook at a slow simmer, and cover the pan, setting the lid on slightly ajar.
3. Cook for about 1 hour, until the lamb feels very soft when prodded with a fork. If during this period you should find that the liquid in the pan becomes insufficient, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water as needed.
4. When the chops are done, remove from heat, tip the pan, and spoon off most, all but 1 or 2 tablespoons, of the fat they have shed. In a small bowl lightly beat the egg yolk with the lemon juice, then pour it over the chops. Turn the chops to coat both sides, then transfer to a warm platter with all the contents of the pan, and serve at once.
Lamb Stew with Vinegar and Green Beans
For 6 servings
1 pound fresh green beans
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes, with the bone in
½ cup chopped onion
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
½ cup good red wine vinegar
1. Snap the ends off the green beans, wash them in cold water, drain, and set aside.
2. Choose a heavy-bottomed or cast-iron enameled pot that can accommodate all the meat and green beans. Put in the olive oil, turn the heat on to medium high, and when the oil is hot, slip in as many pieces of lamb as will fit loosely, without crowding. Brown the meat deeply on all sides, then transfer it to a plate, using a slotted spoon or spatula, and put in more lamb pieces.
3. When y
ou have browned all the meat and transferred it to a plate, put the onion in the pot. Cook the onion, stirring, until it becomes colored a pale gold, return the lamb to the pot, and then add salt, pepper, and the vinegar. Bring the vinegar to a brisk simmer for about 30 seconds, turning the meat and scraping loose browning residues from the bottom and sides of the pot with a wooden spoon. Turn the heat down to cook at a slow simmer, add the green beans with a little more salt and pepper, and cover the pot, setting the lid on slightly ajar.
4. Cook for about 1½ hours, until the meat feels very tender when prodded with a fork. The juices in the pot ought to be sufficient, but if you find they are drying up, replenish when needed with 2 or 3 tablespoons water. At the end, the only liquid remaining in the pot should be the oil and the natural cooking juices. When the lamb is done, transfer it with all the contents of the pot to a warm platter and serve at once.
Ahead-of-time note The dish may be prepared entirely in advance and reheated gently just before serving. As with any dish with greens, it will taste best if consumed the day it is made without subjecting it to refrigeration.
Lamb Stew with Ham and Red Bell Pepper
UNLIKE MOST Italian stews in which the meat is put into hot fat, this one starts out a crudo, the meat and the oil heating up together, along with the garlic and herbs. There is also a difference to the ending: Strips of ham and raw sweet pepper are added when the lamb becomes tender, and the cooking continues just long enough to soften the pepper without dulling the freshness of its fragrance.
For 6 servings
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes, with the bone in
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
A sprig of fresh rosemary OR ½ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
4 or 5 fresh sage leaves OR 2 or 3 dried ones
½ cup dry white wine
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1 red or yellow bell pepper
¼ pound boiled unsmoked ham, cut into thin strips
1. Put the oil, lamb, garlic, rosemary, and sage into a saute pan and turn the heat on to medium high. Turn the meat several times for about 15 minutes, until it has become colored a deep brown on all sides. Add the wine, and let it simmer briskly for 15 to 20 seconds, while giving the lamb pieces a complete turn. Add salt and pepper, adjust heat to cook at a slow simmer, and cover the pan, setting the lid slightly ajar.
2. Cook for about 1½ hours, until the meat feels very tender when prodded with a fork. If, in the interim, you find that the juices in the pan become insufficient, replenish them with 2 or 3 tablespoons water.
3. While the lamb is cooking, skin the raw bell pepper using a swiveling-blade peeler. Split the pepper into sections, remove and discard all the seeds and the pulpy core, and cut the sections into stubby strips about ½ inch wide and 1½ inches long.
4. When the lamb is cooked through and through and has become tender, add the strips of pepper and ham to the stew, and turn over all the contents of the pan. Cover and continue cooking over low heat for about 10 or 15 minutes, until the pepper is soft. If at this point, you find that the remaining juices in the pan are rather runny, uncover the pan, raise the heat, and boil them down briefly. Turn the contents of the pan out onto a warm platter and serve at once.
Ahead-of-time note The stew can be prepared up to this point several hours or a day in advance. Reheat gently, but thoroughly before proceeding with the next step.
PORK
Pork Loin Braised in Milk, Bolognese Style
IF AMONG the tens of thousands of dishes that constitute the recorded repertory of Italian regional cooking, one were to choose just a handful that most clearly express the genius of the cuisine, this one would be among them. Aside from a minimal amount of fat required to brown the meat, it has only two components, a loin of pork and milk. As they slowly cook together, they are transformed: The pork acquires a delicacy of texture and flavor that lead some to mistake it for veal, and the milk disappears to be replaced by clusters of delicious, nut-brown sauce.
For 6 servings
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2½ pounds pork rib roast (see note below)
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
2½ cups, or more, whole milk
Note The cut of meat specified above includes the rib bones to which the pork’s loin is attached. Have the butcher detach the meat in one piece from the ribs and split the ribs into two or three parts. By having had the loin boned, you can brown it more thoroughly, and by cooking it along with the bones, the roast benefits from the substantial contribution of flavor the bones make.
Another cut of pork that is well suited to this dish is the boneless roll of muscle at the base of the neck, sometimes known as Boston butt. There is a layer of fat in the center of the butt that runs the length of the muscle. It makes this cut very juicy and tasty, but when you carve it later, the slices tend to break apart where the meat adjoins the fat. If you don’t think this would be a problem, you ought to consider using the butt because of its excellent flavor and juiciness. Should you do so, substitute 2 pounds of it in one piece for the 2½-pound rib roast.
Do not have any fat trimmed away from either cut of meat. Most of it will melt in the cooking, basting the meat and keeping it from drying. When the roast is done, you will be able to draw it off from the pot, and discard it.
1. Choose a heavy-bottomed pot that can later snugly accommodate the pork, put in the butter and oil, and turn on the heat to medium high. When the butter foam subsides, put in the meat, the side with fat facing down at first. As it browns, turn it, continuing to turn the meat every few moments to brown it evenly all around. If you should find the butter becoming very dark, lower the heat.
2. Add salt, pepper, and 1 cup of milk. Add the milk slowly lest it boil over. Allow the milk to come to a simmer for 20 or 30 seconds, turn the heat down to minimum, and cover the pot with the lid on slightly ajar.
3. Cook at a very lazy simmer for approximately 1 hour, turning the meat from time to time, until the milk has thickened, through evaporation, into a nut-brown sauce. (The exact time it will take depends largely on the heat of your burner and the thickness of your pot.) When the milk reaches this stage, and not before, add 1 more cup of milk, let it simmer for about 10 minutes, then cover the pot, putting the lid on tightly. Check and turn the pork from time to time.
4. After 30 minutes, set the lid slightly ajar. Continue to cook at minimum heat, and when you see there is no more liquid milk in the pot, add the other ½ cup of milk. Continue cooking until the meat feels tender when prodded with a fork and all the milk has coagulated into small nut-brown clusters. Altogether it will take between 2½ and 3 hours. If, before the meat is fully cooked, you find that the liquid in the pot has evaporated, add another ½ cup of milk, repeating the step if it should become necessary.
5. When the pork has become tender and all the milk in the pot has thickened into dark clusters, transfer the meat to a cutting board. Let it settle for a few minutes, then cut it into slices about ⅜ inch thick or slightly less, and arrange them on a warm serving platter.
6. Tip the pot and spoon off most of the fat—there may be as much as a cup of it—being careful to leave behind all the coagulated milk clusters. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of water, and boil away the water over high heat while using a wooden spoon to scrape loose cooking residues from the bottom and sides of the pot. Spoon all the pot juices over the pork and serve immediately.
Roast Pork with Vinegar and Bay Leaves
For 6 servings
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds pork loin roast, boneless, OR Boston butt, in one piece
Salt
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 3 bay leaves
½ cup good red wine vinegar
1. Choose a heavy-bottomed or enameled cast-iron pot int
o which the pork can fit snugly. Put in the butter and oil, turn the heat on to medium high, and when the butter foam subsides, put in the meat, the side with the fat, if it has any, facing down. Brown the meat deeply all over, turning it when necessary. If you see the butter becoming colored a dark brown, turn the heat down a little.
2. Add salt, turning the meat to sprinkle all sides. Lightly crush the peppercorns with a mallet or meat pounder or even a hammer, then put them in the pot together with the bay leaves and vinegar. With a wooden spoon, quickly scrape loose browning residues from the bottom and sides of the pot, but do not let the vinegar simmer long enough for it to evaporate. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pot tightly, and cook, turning the pork occasionally, until the meat feels tender when prodded with a fork. If during this period the liquid in the pot becomes insufficient, replenish with 2 or 3 tablespoons water.
3. Transfer the pork to a cutting board. Let it settle for a few minutes, then cut it into slices about ⅜ inch thick or slightly less, and arrange them on a warm serving platter.
4. Tip the pot and spoon off most, but not all of the fat, and all the bay leaves. Add 2 tablespoons water, turn the heat on to high, and while the water boils away scrape loose with a wooden spoon any cooking residues from the bottom and sides. Pour the pot juices over the pork and serve at once.
Drunk Roast Pork
THIS TIPSY ROAST cooks at length in enough red wine to cover it, achieving extraordinary tenderness and acquiring a beautiful, lustrous, deep mahogany color. Without agonizing over the choice of wine, you should select one able to perform its crucial role in this preparation. A Barbera or Dolcetto from Piedmont would accomplish the job perfectly. So would one of the Tuscan wines made entirely from the sangiovese grape; or, from other countries, an Australian or South African Shiraz, or a well-made California Zinfandel, or a Côte du Rhone from France. Have an extra bottle or two on hand so you can serve it with the pork.
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking Page 46