Recipes for Winter Days
In Memory of Maryam
Recipe from Persian Cuisine: Recipes That My Mother Taught Me by Maryam Khatamee Cornejo
Run e Bareh – Braised Leg of Lamb with Caramelized Onion
Serves: 6 to 7
Cook time: start to finish, 4 hours
Ingredients:
1 leg of lamb (about 6 pounds), extra fat trimmed
1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 ½ teaspoons turmeric
4 large yellow onions, peeled, cut in half crosswise
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus ¼ cup
1 can diced tomatoes (28 ounces), plus their juices
6 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups dry red wine (Bordeaux, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon or any other good quality drinking wine)
2 carrots, peeled, sliced into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 ¼ cups (18 ounces) moist pitted prunes
7 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon black peppercorn
Directions:
- With hand, rub ¼ cup olive oil all over the lamb. Rub salt, pepper, and turmeric on the meat. Set aside.
- In a large (10- to 13-quart) nonstick heavy pot, place the onions, cut side down, in one single layer across the bottom of the pot. Place the leg of lamb over the onions.
- Combine, in a large mixing bowl, the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine, ¼ cup of remaining olive oil, prunes, thyme, rosemary, basil, celery, carrots, peppercorn, and garlic. Pour this mixture over the lamb in the pot. Cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat on top of the stove. Reduce heat. Simmer over medium heat for about 3 hours, or until lamb is fully tender. Remove pot from heat.
- Gently, with two large spatulas, transfer the lamb to a large platter. Place the caramelized onions and prunes around it. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
- Strain the lamb juice and vegetables in a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl. Discard the solids. Pour the juice into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, over high heat. Cook until the juice is reduced by half (about ½ cup), for about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Remove the aluminum foil, spread the sauce over the lamb, and serve.
NOTE: You may serve leg of lamb with grilled Yukon gold or red potatoes, or other vegetables. Also, grilled fresh fruit, such as peaches, prunes, and mangoes are my favorite. If you do so, halve the fruit and discard the pits, but do not peel. Heat an outdoor grill or an indoor grill pan, to medium; when it is hot, lightly oil the fruit and also the grill pan, place the fruit cut side down on the grill, until lightly grill marked, for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and serve warm.
