Lamb Fricassée

This lamb shank fricassée is sure to delight anyone who enjoys lamb. The meat is fall off the bone tender and the flavors from the dill and greens are a nice change from the traditional lamb roasts and stews. While this specific recipe uses lamb shanks, the fricassée can also be prepared using chicken, pork, or beef, all of which I will share at a later date. As far as pairing is concerned, rice or couscous works well. In our family, we typically enjoy the meat and greens on their own with a slice or two of bread for sopping up the broth.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lamb
• 1 large onion
• 1 pound Swiss chard or 2 heads romaine lettuce
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 5 cups water

Preparation

• Peel and chop the onion
• Wash the chard or lettuce and set aside
• Brown the meat with the olive oil and onion on medium heat in a large sauté pan (approximately 10 minutes)
• Once the meat has browned, add the water (if 5 cups is not enough to cover the lamb, add more)

• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes
• After 1 hour and 30 minutes, check the meat to make sure it has begun to separate from the bone. If needed, cook for an additional 15 to 30 minutes
• Once the meat has begun separating from the bone, add the salt, dill, and greens and simmer uncovered for an additional 30 minutes
• From this point onward, limit stirring as this will cause the greens to break apart

• Depending on the amount of water remaining in the pan, you may wish to raise the heat to medium-high during the last 10 minutes of cooking to evaporate some of the water and thicken the broth