So what is one to do when they find themselves faced with a large portion of leftover roast leg of lamb?

Birria!

(pron. bee-ree-a, with the "r" rolled in the Spanish style)

Though traditionally made from goat, this Mexican stew with origins in the state of Jalisco was not safe from my need for experimentation. I've made birria from beef and venison in the past, successfully. There's no reason it shouldn't work well with a leftover lamb leg. Because I live in a household occupied by more than carnivores, I had to come up with something for the vegetarians in the house.


Perfect Leg of Lamb.​

This past year has found me taking my personal experience with vegetarian alternatives into the nether realms; I must dig deep in order to create something both new and delicious using techniques on veg that I'd never used before. My goal is not to make a vegetable "copy" of any animal protein, it is to make something delicious for those who don't partake in said proteins. In order to save time, I've gotten into the habit of creating a vegetarian alternative at the exact same time I'm making dinner for the meat-eaters, as demonstrated by this recipe.

The list of ingredients is exactly the same for both versions, with the exception of the Portabella mushrooms, of course. And the portion of mushrooms was for two diners.

Ingredients:

2lbs roast leg of lamb, cut into 1-in strips OR 4 lg portabella mushrooms, cut into 1-in strips

2 med red onions, cut into 1/2-in strips

2 lg peppers (color irrelevant), cut into 1/2-in strips

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1 bay leaf


Lamb on the left, Portabella on the right.​

The first step is to heat up oil in a large saute pan. The idea is to brown the meat and the mushrooms. We want that caramelized goodness that comes from the Maillard effect! Keep in mind that the mushroom is like a sponge, it will absorb your oil nearly instantly, so you'll want to use more than usual.











For the sauce:

1 ancho chili, seeded

3 guajillo chilis, seeded

3 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1/2 med white onion

1 tsp dried oregano