Braised American Lamb with Lemon
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless American Lamb shoulder, cut into 1 1/2" - 2" pieces
1 cup well seasoned all purpose flour
olive oil
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
4-8 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1/2 bunch each flat leaf parsley and cilantro, coarsely chopped, loosely packed, about 3/4 cup each
2 bay leaves
2 large or 3 small lemons, sliced 1/4" thick, seeds removed and ends discarded
2-3 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon chicken stock base, not diluted
4 carrots, peeled and sliced 3/4" thick, about 2 1/2 cups
Directions
Carefully trim the cubes of lamb of fat and any gristle or silver skin. Dredge the lamb in the well seasoned flour if you want a gravy-like final sauce.
Using a Dutch oven or heavy skillet, brown the lamb in a little olive oil.
Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside. Add onions and garlic to the pan drippings; add a little salt to get them to release their juices.
Sauté to soften the onions, scraping up any browned bits. Return the browned lamb to the pan and add everything (parsley, bay leaves, lemon slices, wine, bouillon) but the carrots, stirring to blend.
Decide now if you want to cook the dish on the stove top or in the oven, either works just fine.
Cover tightly and simmer gently 20-30 minutes on stove top or in a 325 degree oven.
Stir gently now and then to prevent sticking, especially if you dredged the lamb.
After about 20 minutes, add the carrots and stir to submerge them in the sauce. This way they will be tender but not be mushy when the lamb is done.
Add a little water or wine if the sauce is thickening too quickly.
Cook another 30-45 minutes until lamb is fork tender. You want the cubes to hold together, not fall apart and turn to shreds.
Garnish with a fresh lemon slice and a little chopped parsley if you want.
Serve with rice pilaf (my favorite), mashed potatoes, grits, couscous, or pasta.