BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER WITH OLIVES

prep time:: I hour, plus 2 to 3 hours? cooking time and overnight chilling

Ariane

From New York Times, January 16, 2002

ingredients

4 to 4 1/2 pounds lamb shoulder, boned, rolled and tied (ask your butcher to do this, leaving a good layer of fat on the meat and reserving the bones)
Sea or kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 leek, cut crosswise in 1/8-inch slices
10 cloves garlic, peeled
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups crisp, dry white wine
About 1 cup chicken broth
2 cups canned, peeled tomatoes, drained
1 cup top-quality green or black olives, pitted.

directions

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1. The day before serving, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put lamb bones in the oven in a small roasting pan. Cook until browned, about 20 minutes. Lower oven to 275 degrees. Generously season lamb with salt and pepper. Place a stainless steel or copper fait-tout, a braisière or a Dutch oven over high heat a minute or two. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter. When butter stops foaming and begins to brown, carefully lower lamb into pan. Sear until very brown on all sides, turning just three times. Transfer lamb to a plate.
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2. Pour all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Place back on medium-high heat. Add leek, garlic and onion, stirring to coat and scraping any bits stuck to pan. Sauté until caramelized on edges. Pour in wine, and bring to a boil. Return lamb to pot, along with the bones; pour in just enough broth so liquid reaches a third of the way up the side of the lamb.
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3. Bring to a simmer, cover pot and transfer to oven. Braise 1 hour, and turn lamb. Regulate heat, if needed, so the liquid is just gently bubbling. Braise 60 to 90 minutes longer. When the lamb is tender, turn it once more; turn off heat, and let cool in oven. When cool, chill overnight in the refrigerator.
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4. The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove fat that has collected at top, and discard. Lift lamb from gelatin, scraping off excess. Pull meat from bones, and reserve; discard bones. Scrape gelatin into a small saucepan. Place over high heat, and reduce by half; taste, and adjust seasoning. Meanwhile, carve lamb into 1/2-inch slices, and arrange slices in base of cooking pot with reserved meat from bones. In a small sauté pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over high heat. Add tomatoes, and cook until reduced and lightly caramelized. Season with salt, and spoon over lamb. Sprinkle with olives, and strain the reduced cooking liquid on top. Place in oven, and heat through, basting frequently, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve.
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Yield: 6 servings.
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