Any ideas???

[Athenaeus]

It is not exactly a question .
I want to present you a recipe of mine that I like very much but I need to add something more to make it perfect but I cannot imagine what this "something more" maybe...

I call this recipe the lamb of the wine producer.
I take the upper part of lamb's leg and I remover the bone, after adding salt and pepper I filll the leg with cheese.
I use saltless mytzitrhra , a cheese that is like ricotta.
I cover the lamb with fresh grape leaves and I cook ii in the oven in a bake wrap.

It is tastefull and impressive but I feel that I have to add something to the cheese, I wouldn't like garlic...
Maybe a herb but it must be something delicate and discret...
Any ideas??

Thank you in advance!

[Kimmie]

Herbes de provence
Mint or Sage (which comes from the Mint family)
Fresh Rosemary and Oregano

are herbs that go well with Lamb.

P.S.: Almost forgot the lemon. It's not a herb but it would heighten your dish!

[Isa]

Reading your recipe I thought about herbs, Kimmie got here before me. You said no garlic but what about garlic confit? The mellow taste of cooked garlic is great with lamb.

[chrose]

This is how my mind works.
You don't want something like garlic overpowering the dish, ok I can see that. You call it "Lamb of the Wine Producer" but you only use Grape Leaves, a fairly benign flavor with a fairly benign cheese. I'm all for delicate flavors but Lamb is a rather bold flavor, so I say celebrate the Wine Producer, celebrate, the Lamb, celebrate your culture. My thought would be to
A: Marinate the Lamb in Red Wine or baste it as it's cooking in the grape leaves.

B: Add chopped Kalamata Olives to the cheese or add it to the pan as you're cooking and use it for a sauce base.

This leaves the delicateness of the cheese fairly intact and heightens the flavor of the lamb and the whole experience.

Another thought would be to use lemon slices on top of the leaves as it's cooking to season the Lamb. Toss on some Oregano or Herbs de Provence.

Either way it sounds good to me.

Kalos trofi kai kalos ygeia!

[Athenaeus]

Chrose!!!

I am impressed. It's as if you were in my head!!!
Yes, this were my thoughts and my problems!!
I will try everything you say! You have a point!!!
I guess that why you are a pro...

Isa!!! how can I make a garlic confit. I love garlic but I never heard of it!

Kimmie, thank you so much.You are always so helpfull!!

[panini]

I'm not Greek, although I'm quite handsome. I cook lamb just like this. I like the idea of olives.
I use a dry and wet riccotta. To this I add roasted lemon zest, oregano and pine nuts. I add a couple of eggs and chopped dried apricots.
I also stud the leg with garlic.
panini

[Peachcreek]

Puree wine-soaked raisins with some fresh lemon thyme and cracked pepper and use that to coat the inside of the lamb leg before putting in the cheese. Maybe use that same mix to lightly coat the outside and then dust that lightly with dry Herbs de' Prov before putting on the grape leaves. Pick up the drippings and reduce with a little wine and use that to baste the sliced lamb.

[Athenaeus]

Thanks for your replies.
I am willing to try every single of it!

Yesterday I prepared chrose's suggestion, I marinated the lamb in red wine and I also did something I usually do with marinades and I don't kow how acceptable this is but it works for me.

I take a small amount of the marinade ( 1tbs) with the help of a syringe and I inject it in the meat...

This variation tasted much better than my original recipe!

Thanks again

PS Panini, am glad for you (for being handsome) it is obvious that being handsome is very helpfull in cooking, otherwise you wouldn't mention it.

[panini]

Athenaeus,
Your absolutely right. You must resemble your food. I've been in the industry for 35 yrs. now. I explain my food as handsome, not pretty. Call it crazy, but I usually don't eat where the chef is not well groomed, skinny as a rail ,or smokes.

[Kimmie]

You're welcome, Athenaeus.

Hey I like your injecting the meat using a syringe!

[Isa]

I love syringe in the kitchen. It's great to shoot brandy deep into the fruitcakes or adding syrup to a genoise. Great for meat and poultry. Wouldn't do my turkey without it.


The first time I asked my doctor for a needle for my syringe she looked at me like I was nut. I’m sure that for a second she wondered if it really was for the kitchen…

[Athenaeus]

Hmmmm...
Is there other way to inject a liquid into flesh than using a syringe?

Isa I use it too when I want to make turkey edible

[Isa]

Turkey edible Athenaeus?? I guess you don't care much for turkey or is Turkey different in your country?

[pollyg]

There are so many lovely suggestions for flavouring the lamb that i'm only going to add a suggestion about technique that i think makes lamb really special:
Flavour it as you want and wrap it thoroughly with vine leaves.
Get some roughly crushed rock salt, moisten with some water, and place half of it in a baking tray. Place your lamb on top and cover it in the rest of the salt, patting the salt down to keep it in place. Then cook in a medium to low oven for about 2 hours.
This 'salt-baking' seals in juices and intensifies flavours. The meat comes out fork tender and gorgeous.

[Olive Branch]

Oh yes yes yes - this salt baking is SO GOOD! I'm diabetic and use my syringes for lots of things - to bad we look so suspect! But the BEST idea is herbes de provence - so delicate and so romantic and so NOT GARLICKY, which I understand you don't want, but stands up to the lamb! Combine the herbes de provence and the salt baking - if you don't die of pleasure, let us know how it comes out. If we don't hear from you, we're going to try it too! See you in the next life!

Love, Debbie