Steamed Lamb

Serves: 2

Vicente Kshlerin

1 January 1970

Based on User reviews:

57

Spice

51

Sweetness

46

Sourness

41

mins

Prep time (avg)

5.6

Difficulty

Ingredients:

1.5 tsps

Coarse Salt

Directions:

1

Trim the lamb of excess fat: the thin fell can be left on

2

Blend the saffron with 1/4 cup butter, salt, and pepper

3

Rub into the lamb flesh

4

Bring plenty of water to a boil in the bottom of a steamer, kettle, or couscousière (to borrow a trick from Diana Kennedy, author of The Cuisines of Mexico,* toss in a penny — when the penny stops clicking you need more water)

5

Dampen a piece of cheesecloth and twist into a strip the length of the circumference of the kettle's rim

6

Use this strip to fasten the perforated top so that it fits snugly on top

7

Check all sides for effective sealing: steam should rise only through the holes

8

Make a bed of parsley over the holes and rest the shoulder of lamb on it

9

Surround with the onions, if used, and cover with a double layer of cheesecloth and then, tightly, with a lid

10

Do not lift the lid during the first 1 3/4 hours of steaming

11

Be very careful, and stand back when lifting the lid

12

If the lamb is tender and falling off the bone it is ready; if not, continue steaming 15 to 30 minutes longer

13

If desired, brown in oil and butter or rub again with butter and brown in a very hot oven (highest setting)

14

Serve with bowls of ground cumin and salt, to be used as a dip

15

Trim the lamb of excess fat: the thin fell can be left on

16

Blend the saffron with 1/4 cup butter, salt, and pepper

17

Rub into the lamb flesh

18

Bring plenty of water to a boil in the bottom of a steamer, kettle, or couscousière (to borrow a trick from Diana Kennedy, author of The Cuisines of Mexico,* toss in a penny — when the penny stops clicking you need more water)

19

Dampen a piece of cheesecloth and twist into a strip the length of the circumference of the kettle's rim

20

Use this strip to fasten the perforated top so that it fits snugly on top

21

Check all sides for effective sealing: steam should rise only through the holes

22

Make a bed of parsley over the holes and rest the shoulder of lamb on it

23

Surround with the onions, if used, and cover with a double layer of cheesecloth and then, tightly, with a lid

24

Do not lift the lid during the first 1 3/4 hours of steaming

25

Be very careful, and stand back when lifting the lid

26

If the lamb is tender and falling off the bone it is ready; if not, continue steaming 15 to 30 minutes longer

27

If desired, brown in oil and butter or rub again with butter and brown in a very hot oven (highest setting)

28

Serve with bowls of ground cumin and salt, to be used as a dip

29

New York: Harper & Row, 1972

30

New York: Harper & Row, 1972

31

New York: Harper & Row, 1972

32

Paula Wolfert shares her tips with Epicurious: •Traditionally, this dish would be prepared with zebda, a pungent, naturally curdled product that originated with the Moroccan Berbers

33

American unsalted butter, while not an exact match, can be successfully substituted

34

���This dish is typically served with couscous, the tiny Moroccan semolina pasta

35

To produce authentically fluffy Moroccan couscous, steam it for 30 minutes in a couscousière or tight-fitting, lidless steamer

36

Then dump it into a flat pan, slowly add 1 cup of salted water, and rake out any lumps with a wire whisk

37

Finally, return the couscous to the couscousière and steam it for an additional 30 minutes

38

•Traditionally, this dish would be prepared with zebda, a pungent, naturally curdled product that originated with the Moroccan Berbers

39

American unsalted butter, while not an exact match, can be successfully substituted

40

���This dish is typically served with couscous, the tiny Moroccan semolina pasta

41

To produce authentically fluffy Moroccan couscous, steam it for 30 minutes in a couscousière or tight-fitting, lidless steamer

42

Then dump it into a flat pan, slowly add 1 cup of salted water, and rake out any lumps with a wire whisk

43

Finally, return the couscous to the couscousière and steam it for an additional 30 minutes