Sardinian lamb with lemon sauce

This is my Italian grandmother's recipe for slow cooked lamb. A festive Sardinian dish made only in Spring with Spring lamb. Whisked eggs are carefully stirred into the cooked lamb and juices adding a slightly creamy consistency. Delicious!

• serves

  10

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  1:20 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• ½ x 6–7 kg spring lamb, meat only, bones reserved
• olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
• small bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
• sea salt
• 1½-2 lemons, juiced
• 8 eggs

Instructions

Cut lamb into chunks. Heat oil in a pan or casserole dish over low heat. Sear the lamb in batches, when searing each batch cover once seared and simmer till lamb juices run out into the pan. (Approx. 10-20 minutes). Remove lid to completely reduce meat juices.

Return all lamb to the pan, add chopped garlic, parsley and sea salt. Half cover with hot water, return lid to the pan and cook until lamb is soft and tender (about 1 hour). Add more water during cooking if needed. When ready the lamb should be very tender and soft and have a nice thick sauce from the juices of the lamb (but not be too reduced).

Squeeze over the lemon juice so it covers each piece of lamb. Remove pan from heat.

Whisk the eggs while allowing the lamb to cool slightly. Add the egg to the lamb a little at a time, stirring very gently so as not to break up the lamb pieces. Return to very low heat and gently stir so the eggs and lemon blend into a delicious sauce. (Don’t allow the eggs to curdle). Serve.

To accompany
Place lamb shanks and other lamb bones in a large pot, add diced tomatoes, halved celery, whole onion, whole peeled carrot and sea salt. Cover with water and bring to boil and simmer approx. 45 –60 minutes. When stock is almost ready, skim it and add whole peeled potatoes till they are cooked. Serve the potato, carrot and celery with the meat.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.