Lamb shoulders are tough and full of gristle from elastin that won’t break down, but the flavour makes up for these shortcomings. It’s best to ask your butcher to semi-cut the shoulder into portions and score the fat before you take it home. That’s the hard part; the meal just about cooks itself.
Feeds 4 or more, takes 3.5 hours mostly in the oven, lasts for days in the fridge
Here’s what you need:
- Lamb shoulder on the bone, about 1.5 kgs
- 400g speck, cut into biggish cubes
- 4-5 small or spring onions
- Garlic to taste
- 3 carrots, chopped into chunks
- 2 zucchinis
- Chopped green capsicum or sweet pepper
- Handful of semi-sundried tomatoes
- Tin of crushed tomatoes
- cup or 2 of Passata
- 2-3 glasses of white or light red wine
- 500ml or so of chicken stock
- Seasoning to taste
- 2-3 bay leaves, twigs of fresh Rosemary, thyme, teaspoon of cumin seeds, lemon zest
- Chopped shallots or spring onion tales
- A bowl of spinach leaves chopped
Here’s the process:
- Roast the shoulder in a casserole dish with a little olive oil for an hour and a half at 125⁰. This will render some of the fat which you can discard.
- Now add the onions, garlic, carrots, capsicums, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, white wine, chicken stock, bay leaves and seasoning. Turn the oven up to 160⁰ and cook for 2 more hours (until the lamb falls off the bone).
- With 45 minutes to go, add the zucchinis and sun-dried tomatoes, add the herbs then adjust seasoning and liquid level.
- With 15 minutes to go, add the shallots and spinach leaves
This dish is like a pot roast, with some of the meat sticking out from the rest. From time to time, spoon some of the liquid over the meat to keep it moist. Add more stock or water if necessary. Serve with roast potatoes or pasta or on its own.
Photo source: the gourmet grocer
Kim