Provençal Lamb with Garlic and Olives
Michel Kalifa is one of the few butchers in France who go through the laborious process of removing the many veins in a leg of lamb, a process that is integral to koshering. Because of the difficulties in koshering a leg of lamb, most people will use the shoulder, which he loves as well. Glancing lovingly at his wife, he said, “A thigh of a woman is as nimble and light as a shoulder of lamb.” Here is an old Jewish Provençal recipe for a shoulder of lamb. Make it, as Michel Kalifa would, with a caress of garlic.
If you’d like to make the dish in advance, refrigerate the lamb in the sauce overnight. Remove the fat that accumulates from the top, carve the lamb when cool, return the sliced lamb to the pot with the sauce, and simmer until warm, surrounded with the olives and vegetables.
Recipe information
Yield
at least 8 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Roll up and tie the roast with twine. Make about six small incisions with a sharp knife in the lamb, then insert half the garlic slivers way into the meat. Season the skin liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven. Brown the lamb on all sides, then remove and set aside.
Step 2
Sauté the onions, carrot, and remaining garlic in the Dutch oven until the onions are lightly golden. Add the tomato paste, the tomatoes, and the broth. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Step 3
Put the lamb gently back in the pot, with the thyme or herbes de Provence. If the broth does not almost cover the lamb, add a little water. Cover with a lid, and cook very gently for about 2 hours, turning the lamb after 40 minutes.
Step 4
After 2 hours, add the olives, and continue simmering slowly for another 20 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork.
Step 5
Remove the lamb, and transfer to a platter. Discard the thyme sprigs, and return the liquid in the pot to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the pan bottom. Reduce to a sauce consistency, strain and press, reserving the juice, and adjust the seasonings. Skim off the fat, and pour the sauce into a small bowl. Carve the lamb, and serve surrounded with the olives and vegetables.
