# Traditional Sardinian lamb.



## moikel (Mar 28, 2012)

I found this recipe while I  was looking for a baby goat thing. I have friends coming over that have been up in our remote mining towns in the far north for several years.Lamb very hard to come by up there not sheep country.

Its boned stuffed rolled the pot roasted,I will tweak it for MES.Stuffing is sweet Italian sausage ,minced lamb,breadcrumbs etc.

I will post it if people are interested. Its extravagant by" cucina povera" poor kitchen standards,special meal hang the expense feel to it.Wedding,birthday,christening maybe?

Can the lamb eaters let me know if its of interest.I anticipate a lot of drinking so photography may not be a priority.


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## chefrob (Mar 29, 2012)

sounds good to me...........


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## daveomak (Mar 29, 2012)

Mick, morning....   Do I hear you correctly......  You remove all the bones, stuff and roll like a roulade ????   A four legged turkucken so to speak....   WOW !!   Take pictures of the boning, stuffing and all the rest..... Dave


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## moikel (Mar 29, 2012)

DaveOmak said:


> Mick, morning....   Do I hear you correctly......  You remove all the bones, stuff and roll like a roulade ????   A four legged turkucken so to speak....   WOW !!   Take pictures of the boning, stuffing and all the rest..... Dave


Dave.Its sort of a dutch oven recipe if Sardinians had dutch ovens
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






.You got the roulade part spot on. The reason I called it a special day dish is that in a poor kitchen you would never take a prime cut,leg,then add sausage,$$ then add minced lamb$$,eggs,breadcrumbs before you even got the thing in a pan. To much, over the top what are you thinking
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





.Leg is a meal or 2,mince is a meal,sausages are a meal,eggs are for pasta",what we won the lottery"?
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Its a good looking recipe Coscia Prena must be dialect.To me its agnello ripiene alla forno.

I will bone out leg,make stock from bones,add red wine & bits,stuff & roll,brown all sides then put it in MES over stock same as I  did goat.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Does that make sense?


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## chef jimmyj (Mar 29, 2012)

Hey Mick, Hell Yeah I would like to see a recipe and details on this, sounds like a winner!...JJ


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## daveomak (Mar 29, 2012)

Absolutely no sense at all..... 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





..... I need Q-views.... lots and lots of Q-views.... Once or twice in ones lifetime you have to make Philly Cheese Steak out of prime rib....   Nothing wrong with using a prime cut to celebrate friends stopping in.... 

After your friends have dined on that meal and said their farewells, they will be thinking about stopping in again just to see what sort of  fare is placed on the table....  You are setting the bar pretty high....  

That sounds so good and imaginative.....  I'm in for this one too....


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## larrym (Mar 29, 2012)

I spent about 6 years in Sardegna when in Navy, stationed on a sub tender at La Maddelena.  Would love to see a recepie for this :)  Toss some wine my way,, still the best I have ever tasted.


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## smokinhusker (Mar 29, 2012)

I'm with everyone else...sometimes you just have to use a prime cut for a great meal with friends! I've used Prime Rib for Philly Cheese steaks and they were awesome. Anyway, would love to see the process and recipe!!!!


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## moikel (Mar 29, 2012)

I meant in a Sardinian poor kitchen,it was a poor part of Italy back in the day & bandit country!! I live pretty well particularly in the kitchen.It just seemed like it must be one of those things that got made in the old country back in the day only for special meals. 

I will be rolling it out Sunday my time. My friends are coming to Sydney to catch up with people & go to see Lucinda Williams in concert. Now thats my kind of music.

I might even do a Sardinian starter for you LarryM .Pasta con bottarga ,I make my own bottarga. Theres an old post of it on here somewhere. Season starting again soon.


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## venture (Mar 29, 2012)

Sure, send it along.

I am not usually a guy to stuff tender cuts because I like to cook them to lower temps.  When stuffed they need higher temps as they are no longer considered intact muscle meat. 

Having said that, a new lamb or goat recipe wouldn't hurt my feelings a bit!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## moikel (Mar 29, 2012)

LarryM said:


> I spent about 6 years in Sardegna when in Navy, stationed on a sub tender at La Maddelena.  Would love to see a recepie for this :)  Toss some wine my way,, still the best I have ever tasted.


Lot of real good wine in this country,havent been to Sardinia but one of my friends has a Southern Italian restaurant where its regional wine& food only . So I  have had the wine. Let me dig around in the cellar & I will see what I  can find perhaps an Aussie version of an Italian or Rhone classic.Lot of our wine is evolving as we try out new grape varieties that suit our climate,Spanish,Southern Italian etc.


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## moikel (Mar 30, 2012)

Im not going to post photos of all ingredients,just thought I  would get recipe down now while I  have time.It calls for sweet sausage which to me means these guys made by my friends at AC butchers .Called romane here.The wine is sicilian,that will go in sauce it may be available in USA for all I  know. $13 here,mix of 75% nero d,avola 25% shiraz. Pretty good.Full list next post.You guys are all asleep anyway.


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## larrym (Mar 30, 2012)

Been up for almost 2 hours :)  Sausage n wine for breakfast :)


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## moikel (Mar 30, 2012)

Leg of lamb ,mine 2.5 kg,225g minced lamb,110g sweet sausage, 3 eggs,50g breadcrumbs  2 cloves garlic,1 bunch parsley 1 onion 100ml olive oil .

So its bone out leg,fry onion garlic parsley,gbp salt, mix that with sausage ,minced lamb,eggs breadcrumbs get it to a paste sort of then spread it over lamb.Roll tie up with string. Brown in pan juices from onions then place in pot with 750gm of plum tomatoes. Add water ,simmer gently until done & so on.

I am going to leave the recipe alone & make as per until tomato stage. I think from there when I  brown it add a bit of prosciutto fat to pan juices,then remove lamb,hefty slug of red wine,.Cook it off hard,then lamb stock,rosemary canned tomato's. That will then go in pan under leg in MES.

I will Qview just thought I  would get it down in principle so people could see what I am doing.

Old school southern Italians would never cook like this to extravagant. I suspect that the sauce might be touched up a bit then put on pasta /gnochi as a first course with pecorino ,then serve lamb with potato,greens, then maybe pecorino again with fruit,honey as a desert.

You can do all my shopping in my suburb without speaking english,just mixed southern Italian dialects & english. I may ask the nonna's when I am shopping tomorrow. I butcher Italian they butcher English should be a laugh.


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## moikel (Mar 30, 2012)

LarryM said:


> Been up for almost 2 hours :)  Sausage n wine for breakfast :)


Thats a really early start! I am drinking that red wine watching friday night football. Do you want me to stick my version of Sardinian clams,pasta bottarga in this thread? Just to remind you of Sardinia.Fine with me if its alright with the rest of the viewers.I have some bottarga I  made with kingfish on hand.Next new season batch will be cold smoked. My neighbours mom was sardinian .Passed away now. Great old girl with a wicked sense of humour.Lived to 92.


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## larrym (Mar 30, 2012)

Sounds delicious so far,, cant wait to see some Qviews.  And yes please on the bottarga recipe.  And I know next comment doesnt fit thread.  My first duty station was Sardegna,, remember the first time I ordered spagetti and the sauce had a whole mullet in it,, heads and all :)  What a shocker...


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## moikel (Mar 31, 2012)

Boned the leg out but its a bit rough.Cut it out further to get it to lay flat.Leg not something I  normally bone out ,Shoulders yes. Anyway  I will trim it up & get it stuffed & rolled today,cuts down my prep time tomorrow &  I have bacon to go in smoker for morning shift.Great timing there big guy!

I made stuffing as per except I had an end bit of proscuito that I  beat the nonna's to in mark down section,Diced it fine,left everything else as per recipe..Sausages are seasoned no need to get to clever.

Making stock from shank,& leg bone parsley stalks.

Its the rolling & tying part that is a bit daunting


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## moikel (Mar 31, 2012)

This it before I  roll it,all looks & smells good.I figure I get the raggedy side inwards & just roll it up like a be swag,bed roll to you guys.


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## moikel (Mar 31, 2012)

I remembered I  had elastic from butchers.Used plenty it came together pretty well. The shank end is a bit rough I might string it or even stitch it. I will put this in fridge now let all the flavours come together.Kick off again about 4pm to serve at 7ish depending how much wine gets drunk. Roast potato's a green called broccoletti  here,sort of a collard green almost will go with it.


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## daveomak (Mar 31, 2012)

Mick, morning.....  The stuffed lamb looks delish... one of the few meats that can handle and improves with aromatics...  Hidden flavors seem to escape from the muscle when added.... 

I'm thinking I have to find a leg at the store now....


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## chefrob (Mar 31, 2012)

DaveOmak said:


> ... one of the few meats that can handle and improves with aromatics...


spot on dave and this is going to be very nice Moikel.............


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## smokinrick (Mar 31, 2012)

This is the ticket! The wife wanted me to do something special for Easter dinner and here I am drooling after a search. All we need is to see how long and what temp. This looks like the Bomb! I'm always under pressure since the daughter married a top drawer pro chef and when they come over it is put up or shut up time. This should keep him quiet and munching with a smile. ;)


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## moikel (Mar 31, 2012)

Smokinrick said:


> This is the ticket! The wife wanted me to do something special for Easter dinner and here I am drooling after a search. All we need is to see how long and what temp. This looks like the Bomb! I'm always under pressure since the daughter married a top drawer pro chef and when they come over it is put up or shut up time. This should keep him quiet and munching with a smile. ;)


Now I am under pressure! The recipe has 70-90 minutes in a dutch oven.Liquid plum tomato's water.

I will be doing lamb stock,red wine,still not sure about tomato & in MES. One tip early is get 2 people to string up roast.Move it around gently.Pops could help with the boning tutorial.I know there are a lot of members who have great knife skills including the guys who hunt elk & all those other tasty looking critters you have..Its about unfolding the meat so it lays flat,I should have trimmed shank end too late know. I will touch up carving knife on waterstone I want to slice it neatly. 1 of guests culinary school grad back in the day so I will get plenty of help. 

730 am here bacon gone in now.


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## africanmeat (Mar 31, 2012)

Wow i will wait


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## moikel (Mar 31, 2012)

OK I changed it up a bit,I cant help myself.1x finely chopped onion,1x carrot same,garlic,into the pan from last night that I  used to roast 2 of the sausages & a patty I  made out of leftover stuffing.fried in the drippings.Pulled shank,leg bone out of stock pot,finely diced what meat was there was .Into pan,scrappy bit of pancetta chopped,garni,red wine tomato passata,stock. Cook it off a bit .This will sit under lamb roast,catch drippings & then be both sauce for meat ,then for pasta at a later time.I will brown & put in leftover lamb mince then.

This is the way Southern Italians taught me to cook  here & in Italy. I did this same sauce  or close for 8 Italians in a little village in Abruzzo Easter 2000 with leftover lamb from a big Easter dinner. They ate ,looked at me then said Great sauce,you must have been taught to cook by an Abruzzo nonna.
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Given they dont think the people in the region can cook let alone Aussies high praise indeed.


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## moikel (Mar 31, 2012)

Last rambling post until I get it in MES.If I  drink to much at least all the early photos are on the thread.


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## venture (Mar 31, 2012)

That is more carrot than I would have used.

Having said that?  After seeing your posts, I would be very to happy to eat the cooks you didn't think came out perfectly!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## moikel (Apr 1, 2012)

This is for LarryM,its my homemade bottarga the big one is kingfish the small one the more traditional m sea mullet.I will just make a standard clams & mussells in white wine ,garlic etc the add parsley & shaved bottarga on service. Got Sardinian pecorino,dried fruit & honey for desert.

I cant get it posted in here .There is an old thread of me making bottarga.This season I am going to cold smoke some.


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## moikel (Apr 1, 2012)

OK its 1050pm & a bit late in the evening to make a lot of sense v but this turned out really well Pan under was closer to element logically
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
  so sauce thickened a bit  but did it taste good! Lamb was tender & had all the flavours from stuffing.It went 3 hours in MES at 80 or 1 hour at 100c.Perfect.


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## moikel (Apr 1, 2012)

With the pan juices on it .I could have tweaked juices a bit but I  got company.All saved for later.Very deep rich flavours in sauce.Lamb stock a big part ,glad I  skimmed fat ,it will be pasta sauce another day. Was it worth the trouble ,did it live up to hype YES it did. Great way to do lamb, shoulder a real option.Roast potato & greens blanched then refried with garlic,pancetta ,onion,squeeze of lemon..Ate till we couldn't eat no more.

Carved fairly well but still a bit trick
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
y to keep it neat.Really good meal.Plenty left over.


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## moikel (Apr 1, 2012)

Out of order,I  know. Decision not to brown it in pan first ,right.Pan under ,right.Might have added a bit more wine/stock to it during smoke but not fatal.Will still make great sauce.


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## daveomak (Apr 1, 2012)

That looks so good Mick.... thanks


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## smokinrick (Apr 1, 2012)

Now that looks superb! I see you pretty much wing it but I get the feel. Great job and photos. I can do this. What herbs did you use in the stock? Adding carrots is a good idea. Thanks for a great idea and recipe.


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## moikel (Apr 1, 2012)

Smokinrick said:


> Now that looks superb! I see you pretty much wing it but I get the feel. Great job and photos. I can do this. What herbs did you use in the stock? Adding carrots is a good idea. Thanks for a great idea and recipe.


Stock was just lamb bones parsley stalks water& a glass of leftover charddonay I found lurking in fridge. Made day before in fridge to set fat so I could remove it. 

Red sauce under lamb had thyme,oregano & bay leaf. 

I would pass on these things.Tie it up snug it will make it easier to carve,add extra liquids to pan under,combination of stock,red wine,passata if you want to use it as pasta sauce for your starter or another time. Dont overstuff lamb,those amounts gave me enough  over to make a patty but I only really went by feel eye except for eggs,onion,parsley.I would have been close.Stick a probe in it , I didnt turn it ,move it poke it ,nothing.

I was 3hours at 90c,1 hour at 100c I think.Red wine was kicking in by then.

I used quality sausage. Reusing the lamb from stock gave red sauce lovely depth.

Good luck


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## africanmeat (Apr 2, 2012)

It is a great meal


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## larrym (Apr 2, 2012)

Looks fantastic,, Thank you for recipe's


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## moikel (Apr 2, 2012)

Glad you guys liked it. 3 out of 4 diners were Aussies from country towns born in the 60s.We grew up on lamb it was a staple.This was a lovely way to eat it.Had it cold for dinner it had all set beautifully ,tender stuffing was great. Would be great in sammies. I think it would work really well with shoulder.Mostly that gets cut on bandsaw & sold as grilling chops. Bachelor chops they call them in country towns,cheap & chewy.

I had great fun with it.


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## moikel (Apr 4, 2012)

Forgot to post these


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## ahakohda (Apr 5, 2012)

I am drooling here.....Well done!


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## smokinrick (Apr 9, 2012)

Thank YOU! Here it was side box but followed your directions. Pro Chef SIL came back for thirds!













Pomodoro sauce under the meat in the smoker was genius. Unreal!







Easter Feast! Three year vertical of Napa Cabs to wash it down. '04,'05,'06.


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## moikel (Apr 10, 2012)

You hit that out of the park,great work
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






. The sauce under was the one bit that was out of my own head so thank you very much for your kind words. It does make a great pasta sauce the next day.


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## moikel (Apr 10, 2012)

Nice work with the wine.Dont know that maker,dont drink Californian wine down here.Dont think I  have even seen it sold here. You did get a lovely colour on that leg,you do like it rare!


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## smokinrick (Apr 11, 2012)

Moikel said:


> Nice work with the wine.Dont know that maker,dont drink Californian wine down here.Dont think I  have even seen it sold here. You did get a lovely colour on that leg,you do like it rare!


Used hickory chunks on mesquite charcoal. Two legs done 4 hours, [email protected] 190f, [email protected] 235f, pulled out to rest at internal of 130f and it rose to 138.  Winery is a small cult place in St. Helena, Napa. Not found often in stores. Yes, we like it rare. We had the leftover sauce on pasta. YUM. This recipe goes in the book. BTW, I had some garlic scapes fresh from the garden which we chopped and put in the stuffing. Very nice result.


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## irie (Apr 11, 2012)

holy crap this turned out awesome... I can almost smell it through my screen. Nice job that would make a hell of a last meal.


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## venture (Apr 11, 2012)

Another awesome post!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## kiwijumper (Apr 13, 2012)

Mick , that lamb looks awesome i am from New Zealand and we know our lamb . let me know how it turns out i wanna smoke some lamb this weekend !!


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## moikel (Apr 13, 2012)

I am pretty proud of how it turned out. I tweaked the recipe a bit,but you can see in the thread where I went with it. Smokingrick nailed it following my lead.I have an MES 30  so my instructions are for that . He has an off set I think? You kiwi's do have some lovely produce right across the board.A close mate is the GM of Mercure Queenstown so I spend a bit of time there.

Restaurant scene in Queenstown pretty competitive. NZ seafood arrives at our market every friday, love that turbot,hapuka & those tua tua clams.

Did I  see somewhere that you were in restaurants? It is a lovely meal & a different way to do it for a change.


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## smokinrick (Apr 13, 2012)

As he said, Moikel made the lead, I followed. Here are some of my adaptations. I doubled the recipe and used two 5 lb. legs that were pre trimmed with shank end removed since I was feeding a gang (and like leftovers). The shank bones were included in a side package at the store. The legs were boned and butterflied as he said. Bones were boiled with water parsley and white wine to give a rough quart and a half of stock. Cooled in fridge overnight and fat skimmed before pulling the bones out of the jellied stock and trimming the meat for dicing. The sauce was prepped and stuffing/tieing up was done the day before to let the flavors meld. I sweated onion, carrot, garlic in the fat from a 1/4 lb of diced pancetta which was removed for the stuffing, added stock, 2 cups good red wine and bouquet of bay leaf, sage, oregano,thyme, s/p and rosemary (all fresh), a dozen roma tomatoes roughly chopped and simmered a few hours. I decided to toss in the extra stuffing we couldn't fit and it surely added to the flavor and texture of the sauce. Stuffing was the pancetta, diced lamb, sweated onion, bread crumbs to texture and 2 eggs with fresh parsley and fresh rosemary/garlic chop. It needed two to tie up as he said. My smoker is a side box unit but temp/time roughly the same, end temp is how you want it, I wouldn't go past medium rare at 145 f. I left the sauce a bit soupy since he said it got reduced a bit too much. I put it in a throw away aluminum roasting tub under the meat for the whole time. It smelled divine when it came out and we had enough for pasta later after the meal.

To die for is the result. Thanks again for a classic Moikel. You Aussies got it down!


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## moikel (Apr 14, 2012)

Very kind of you Rick but it was a pretty good recipe to start with. I like the way you tweaked it as well. Red sauce is a killer the next day over some rigatoni. Lamb stock a big help lets face it what else was I  going to do with 1 shank & 2 dogs


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## rstr hunter (Apr 14, 2012)

That looks awesome.  Great job.


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