Mutton And Lamb, Looking for more

[Shadows]

Cat, et al...

Anyone have historical recipes for mutton or lamb? I have a few but am looking for some diversity in cooking this very Scottish food. I have several versions of shepards pie along with a few others, but would love to see what else is out there.

[Catriona]

Don't know about how 'historical' ie how far back the dishes date, but a famous ENGLISH recipe for lamb is 'LAMB HOTPOT'

Here's the recipe I use - I have an old family one, but I have to confess that I like this one by Delia Smith better - although I confess, I leave out the kidneys as I don't like them at all!



Serves 4

2 lb (900 g) best end and middle neck of English lamb, chopped into chop-sized pieces
1 tablespoon groundnut or other flavourless oil
knob of butter
**4 lambs' kidneys, cored, skinned and chopped fairly small** - I don't add these!
12 oz (350 g) onions, peeled and cut into half lengthways through the root then cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm inch) wedges
1 level tablespoon flour
1 pint (570 ml) hot water, mixed with 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 lb (900 g) potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch (2 cm) slices
salt and freshly milled black pepper

large lidded flameproof casserole with capacity of 6 pints (3.5 litres).


Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3, 325ºF (170ºC).

First trim the lamb of any excess fat and wipe with kitchen paper. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and 1/4 oz (5 g) butter until it is very hot, then brown the pieces of lamb two or three at a time until they all have a good brown crust. As they cook, remove them to a wide casserole. Brown the pieces of kidney too, and tuck these in among the meat.

Next, fry the onions ? add 1/4 oz (5 g) butter to the pan if you need any extra fat ? cooking them for about 10 minutes till they turn brown at the edges. Now stir in the flour to soak up the juices, then gradually add the hot water and Worcestershire sauce, stirring or whisking until flour and liquid are smoothly blended. Season with salt and pepper and bring it up to simmering point, then pour it over the meat in the casserole. Add the bay leaf and thyme, then arrange the potato slices on top, in an overlapping pattern like slates on a roof. Season the potatoes and add a few flecks of butter here and there. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook near the top of the oven for 1.5 hours, then remove the lid and cook for a further 50 minutes.

I sometimes finish off the hotpot under the grill. If you brush the potatoes with a little more butter and place the casserole under a hot grill they crisp up and brown beautifully. Alternatively, if you think they're not browning enough during cooking, you can turn the heat in the oven right up during the last 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs before serving.

Very nice served with buttered carrots and a green vegetable.

[Catriona]

Lamb casserole
As cooked by my Mum!

It is very similar to the Lancashire hotpot one, and I have eaten it in Ireland when it has been called Irish Stew.....

1.5 lb middle neck of lamb
1 large onion
half pint (Imperial) of veg or chicken stock
1.5 lb potatoes
1 tbspoon fresh parsley
1 tbsp thyme or 2 large sprigs if fresh
Freshly milled salt and black pepper to taste.

Pre-heat oven to 325°F: Gas 3.
Trim the lamb and cut into cutlets.
Thinly slice the potatoes and onion.
Place place layers of meat, vegetables herbs and seasoning, in a deep casserole dish (with a tight fitting lid) finishing with a layer of potatoes.
Pour over the stock and cover with casserole lid.
Cook for approx 2 hours or until tender.

[Shadows]

Thank you dear Lady!
I will let you know how they turn out for me, they sound real good!!!
I too think I will leave out the kidneys, they are an aquired taste!

[Catriona]

Shadows
I was looking through a few cookery books last night and I found a couple more lamb dishes. This is one that I obviously clipped from a newspaper - and, judging by the yellowish appearance of the clipping, it was more than a couple of years ago. I cannot give a source, as I clipped only the one recipe from the article - I THINK it might have been in the Sunday Times, but I'm not too sure (just don't want anyone to think I'm pinching the glory for someone else's work!!!)

I use this recipe quite often, in fact, I tell family that I'm cooking Reform Club lamb - but I just add or subtract things that I may or may not have lying in the cupboards! So, the sauce changes each time! Having just read it again, it says it was invented in the 1830s - so it is 170 plus years old!


REFORM CLUB LAMB CUTLETS (I think the RC ref refers to the sauce!)

Reform sauce is piquant and deliciously seasoned with herbs and spices. It was invented in the 1830s by Alexis Soyer. At the time he was Chef de cuisine of the Reform Club in London's Pall Mall, a favourite meeting place for politicians after Parliament. The club still exists with Lamb Cutlets Reform a popular item on the menu.

INGREDIENTS: Butter - 15 g, Onion - 1 small finely chopped, Carrot - 1 medium finely sliced, Lean Ham - 50 g (2 oz) cut into thin strips, Red wine vinegar - 4 tbsp, Port - 3 tbsp, Lamb or chicken stock - 600 ml (1 pint), Cloves - 2, Mace - 2 blades, Bay leaf - 1, Juniper berries - 4, crushed, Dried thyme - a pinch, Lamb cutlets - 8 each weighing about 75 g (3 oz), Cooked ham - 50 g (2 oz) finely minced, Fresh breadcrumbs - 50 g (2 oz), Egg - 1 beaten, Cornflour - 1 tbsp.

COOKING: 1. To make the Reform sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then add the onion, carrot and ham strips and cook gently until just turning brown. Add the vinegar and port and boil rapidly until almost all the liquid evaporates.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the stock, cloves, mace, bay leaf, juniper berries and thyme. Stir well, return to the heat and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently for about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, trim the cutlets to remove most of the surrounding fat. Scrape the bone absolutely clean to within 2.5 cm (1 inch) of the 'eye' of the meat.
4. Mix the minced ham and breadcrumbs together. Brush each cutlet with beaten egg and coat with the ham and breadcrumb mixture. Cover and chill until required.
5. Blend the cornflour with about 2 tablespoons of water and add to the sauce. Stir well and bring the sauce to the boil, stirring continuously. Simmer until thickened.
6. Grill the cutlets for about 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Arrange the cutlets on a warmed serving dish and garnish each one with a cutlet frill. Reheat the sauce gently and serve separately.

[Catriona]

Shadows
My family recipe for Scotch broth is on the soup thread, but I've copied it here.... At least it is traditional and it used lamb or mutton (but I find mutton far too fatty for today's palates!!) I've copied it in its entirety, so just ignore the comments re 'Scotch' vs Scottish etc....!

SCOTCH BROTH

('Scotch' is an acceptable term when talking about food, ie Scotch beef, Scotch eggs, or Scotch Whisky... however, we natives prefer to be called Scots or Scottish )

Traditionally this recipe called for mutton, but that is very fatty and no longer widely available - so use a cheap cut of lamb, eg neck....

1 lb cheap lamb (neck)
1 medium sized swede (diced into reasonable sized chunks)
2 medium onions, sliced
3 large carrots, cut into reasonably chunky slices
3 large leeks, sliced
4 oz dried peas
4 oz pearl barley
2 bay leaves
Ground black pepper and small amount of salt, to taste

Soak the dried peas/barley by covering with water and leaving for a few hours (overnight is easiest). Drain the peas and barley when you are ready to start making the soup.

Put meat into a pan with sufficient water to cover the meat - 2/3 pints (these are Imperial pints, by the way, and I THINK that US pints are different to Imperial ones! and add the bayleaves. Cover and bring slowly up to the boil, then simmer for about an hour. Skim off any fat which floats to the top (keep doing that throughout the cooking time). Add the barley/peas and diced veg and season as required, cover again and simmer for about another hour, until the meat is really tender and the chunky veg and dried peas/barley are tender.

If the broth starts to get too thick, just add a little more water...

Serve with chunky, granary bread - a meal in a bowl!

[Aon_Daonna]

use a lambshoulder =) yummy

Just eating that atm btw