i just checked the local supermarket adds for my area sacramento, and found that Save Mart is having a sale on Lamb shoulder chops for $3.99lb and also Beef short-ribs for $2.99lb.
Looks like i will be cooking some lamb this weekend!!
A local grocery sells a cut of lamb that they confusingly call “lamb blocks”, which are in actuality small lamb chuck roasts, IOW, lamb shoulder pieces. Whenever I see them, I buy several because they’re not always available and I too have trouble finding cheap pieces of lamb for stews and braises.
I also love lamb shanks, but they’ve become pricier nowadays.
I make a braise of white beans, lamb chunks in tomato sauce, artichoke hearts and black olives that’s to die for. Winter’s coming up - time to look for lamb blocks at the market.
Would you share the recipe?
Please?
It’s from Sunset magazine. I use frozen baby artichokes rather than fresh, but I copy and paste the recipe in its entirety here anyway.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds fat-trimmed boned lamb shoulder or other stewing cut, rinsed and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 can (14 oz.) fat-skimmed chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup dried tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
2 pounds baby artichokes (about 3 in. long)
2 cans (15 oz. each) cannellini (white) beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
Preparation
1. Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart pan over medium-high heat. Add lamb and stir occasionally until browned, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute longer.
2. Add broth, wine, tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to maintain a simmer; cover and cook until lamb is tender when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours.
3. Meanwhile, rinse and trim artichokes (see "Trimming Baby Artichokes," below) and cut in half. When lamb is tender, stir in beans, olives, parsley, thyme, and artichokes. Cover and cook until artichokes are tender when pierced, 20 to 25 minutes longer.
Trimming baby artichokes:
1. Cut off the stem at the base of the artichoke, using a sharp knife.
2. Peel back and snap off the leaves all around the base of the artichoke until you reach the tender layer of leaves that are yellow at the bottom and green at the top.
3. Cut off the top third of the remaining leaves (the green part). With a sharp paring knife, trim off all of the remaining green, fibrous material from around the base of the artichoke.