mivox's blog

OK, it's been a while since Nick's curry thread... the Threadwatch Recipe Box is getting a bit quiet. I've got this fantastic lamb recipe that comes out tasting absolutely restaurant-quality outstanding, but is stupendously easy to make... ante up! What's your bestest, favoritest, easiest recipe?

Neuroscientist's Lamb (as annotated by Duncan Ellis)

Description:
Sez my step-uncle, the aforementioned Mr. Ellis: "This recipe was given to me by a neuroscientist, who's lab I worked in for a while, and who got it from a BBQ recipe book. I've included my own comments with each step."

Ingredients:
- 1 butterflied leg of lamb, 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 pounds. (I usually de-fat the lamb as much as possible to allow better marination and prevent flare-ups. The lamb will probably try to fall apart into two or three pieces. This is good and can be encouraged, because it makes the meat easier to handle on the grill and allows you to remove the parts that cook faster than the others. Also, you can cut partly through -- butterfly -- thicker bits to achieve a more uniform thickness.)

- 1 cup dry red wine. (Reasonably drinkable so as to be acceptable for the basting of the chef during the cooking procedure.)

- 1/3 cup soy sauce. (I use Kikkoman Lite, which reduces the saltiness but still gives good flavor and helps the meat retain moisture.)

- 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves. (Pack the measuring cup reasonably tightly.)

- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, slightly bruised, or 1 tablespoon dry rosemary. (The fresh are preferable, don't be afraid to bruise them, it's therapeutic.)

- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed. (I think this is wimpy and usually go for at least 8 cloves and chop them a bit as well as crush them.)

- 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper, freshly ground.