Description
Slow cooked lamb doused in a deeply flavorful reduced sauce, served over fregola sarda to soak up the flavors and brightened with lemon slices.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 pounds of lamb neck (4 slices)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup carrot, medium dice
- 1/2 cup celery, medium dice
- 1/2 cup white onion, medium dice
- 5 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 8 ounces canned chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 cup Fregola sarda
- Preserved lemon peel, thinly sliced, for garnish (if you don’t have preserved lemon peel – a nice squeeze of lemon before serving will work)
- Chopped mint or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a deep, heavy-based Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the lamb neck in a single layer and sear on both sides until well browned.
- Remove the lamb neck, wipe the pan, and add more oil to coat. Add the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the red wine and vinegar, and cook, stirring and scraping any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, thyme and rosemary. Return the lamb neck to the pot, bring the liquid to a boil, cover, and transfer to the oven. Cook, turning the lamb once, until fall-off-the-bone fork tender, about 2 hours.
- Remove the lamb from the cooking liquid. Strain the liquid and add to a pot. Skim off any fat (my lamb neck had very little fat). Cook over medium-high heat until somewhat reduced and becoming thicker and more flavorful.
- Serve the lamb (2 slices per plate) over fregola sarda. Drizzle with the reduced sauce. Garnish with preserved lemon. Sprinkle with fresh mint or parsley.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 2.5hrs
- Category: Main
- Method: Braising
- Cuisine: Italian