Posted on Thu, Mar. 20, 2008
1. In a large saucepan, boil the wine, reducing it to 2 cups, about 10 minutes. Add the carrots, onion, leek, garlic halves, lemon, tomatoes, thyme, oregano, peppercorns and bay; simmer 5 minutes. Let cool or chill until needed.
2. Put lamb in a large glass bowl or heavy-duty plastic salad bag; add the marinade. Cover. Refrigerate overnight.
3. To proceed, return meat to room temperature, remove from marinade and pat dry. Discard lemon. Strain the marinade, reserving the vegetables and liquid separately.
4. Season the lamb well with salt and pepper. In a large heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Cook lamb in batches on medium-high heat, turning to brown all over, about 8 minutes per batch. Heat oven to 240 degrees. Put the lamb in a large (7-quart) enameled cast-iron casserole.
5. In the skillet on medium-low heat, stir-fry reserved vegetables with the last tablespoon of oil until deep brown and tender, up to 15 minutes, and add to the pot.
6. Wipe oil from the skillet. Bring ½ cup water to a boil, scraping up any browned bits; reduce to a syrup. Add 1 cup water, bring to a boil and scrape all into the casserole. Bring marinade wine to a simmer in skillet; add to the pot. Put a crumpled wet parchment sheet on top of the meat.
7. Cover pot with lid and bake at 240 until meat is very tender, 4½ to 5 hours. Discard parchment. With slotted spoon, transfer lamb to an oiled, shallow baking dish in a single layer. Add salt and pepper. Cover loosely with foil.
8. In a fine sieve, strain remainder over a saucepan; press hard to extract liquid. Skim off all fat possible. Boil the liquid on high heat, skimming often. Reduce to 2 cups, about 15 minutes. (Can be prepared ahead to this point. Refrigerate meat and sauce separately.)
9. To finish, if chilled, bring meat to room temperature. Gently reheat meat and sauce separately. Scrape the picada into the sauce; cook on medium-high to thicken a bit, about 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Pour the sauce over the lamb. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Garnish with parsley. Serve.
- From The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen
by Paula Wolfert (Wiley, 2003).
In a dry skillet on low heat, toast
24 blanched almonds. In a mini-processor or mortar, grind the almonds and
4 cloves garlic to a coarse paste. Add
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley,
1 slice stale country white bread (1-inch, toasted, crust trimmed),
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder,
1 tablespoon brandy and
2 teaspoons cooking liquid from lamb recipe (above) or as needed to grind picada to a fine, smooth paste.
Per serving: 1,115 calories, 80 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams sugar, 73 grams fat, 272 milligrams cholesterol, 361 milligrams sodium, 7 grams dietary fiber.
Chopped Greens, Carrot and Dill Salad with Yogurt Dressing
Makes 4 to 6 servings
For the salad:
11/2 large heads romaine (outer leaves removed), washed, dried, shredded
1 cup chopped arugula, washed and well dried
1 large fresh carrot, scraped and shredded
Flourish
today's 
