How to Cook Lamb Cacciatore

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 1 hour 15 mins

Ingredients needed to make Lamb Cacciatore:

• 2 lb  lamb shoulder
• 12 button mushroom
• 12 dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tinned anchovy fillets, finely chopped
• 8.5 oz hot water
• 3 tbsp wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp butter
• ¼ tsp dried sage, crushed
• ½ tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• Fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cooking instructions for Lamb Cacciatore:

• Peel off the skin from meat and trim off any fat in it before chopping it into 4’’ dices.
• Rinse and blot dry with a paper towel; set aside.
• Pour a couple of tbsp oil into a heat-proof casserole dish and heat it over moderate flame.
• Throw in the diced lamb and sauté them for about 5-6 minutes or until they brown nicely.
• Stir in the garlic as well as the crushed, dried herbs and dust some flour over it.
• Stir them all together until they are mixed thoroughly and continue to stir fry the mixture until the meat turns golden brown and is cooked through.
• Add a splash of vinegar, followed by water and give it a nice stir to mix well.
• Bring it to a boil over high heat and then bring it down to a simmer over reduced heat.
• Place a lid on top and cook gently for an hour or until the meat is cooked through, while opening the lid to stir at times; splash some water to it if the sauce tends to dry up.
• While the mixture cooks, place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and pour in boiling water until they are completely immersed in it; set aside for about 15 minutes to soak.
• Pass them through a colander to separate the mushrooms from the soaking water and reserve both of them separately.
• Add a knob of butter in a small skillet and melt it over moderate heat.
• Throw in the button mushrooms and stir fry for about 10 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
• After 45 mins of cooking, pour 10 tbsp of the gravy into another small skillet and stir in the anchovy fillets.
• Simmer the mixture while stirring often and return it back to the simmering gravy.
• Stir in the mushrooms, along with a splash of mushroom soaking liquid and continue to cook to thicken the sauce to some extent.
• Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary.
• Turn off the heat and pour it into a large serving bowl.
• Sprinkle the chopped parsley on top and serve right away.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons