In Sardinia braised mutton is a daily merchandise on restaurant menus. It has extra depth of taste and is extra unctuous than lamb. Should you can’t discover mutton, it’s also possible to make this with lamb and even beef.
You can even discover braised mutton in different components of Italy. What makes this a Sardinian recipe is the usage of sundried tomatoes and omitting carrot and celery. To make it much more Sardinian I’ve additionally added some dried mirto berries, however these are optionally available.
By cooking the mutton sous vide for twenty-four hours at 74C/165F slightly than on the stovetop, it will likely be very tender and juicy, and can all the time prove excellent. 24 hours feels like a very long time, however you don’t must do something throughout that point apart from ready for the magic to occur.
Components
Serves 6
- 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) mutton stewing meat
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 mirto berries (optionally available)
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) crimson wine
- 6 sundried tomatoes, soaked in sizzling water after which minced
- 2 Tbsp minced recent flat leaf parsley
- salt and freshly floor black pepper
- olive oil
Directions
Don’t reduce the mutton into chunk dimension items earlier than browning, however solely after browning. The mutton I acquired got here in giant chunks. If yours is available in one piece, slice it into thick steaks. Season the mutton with salt and permit the salt to penetrate into the meat for a minimum of 1 hour, and even higher in a single day within the fridge.
Permit 6 sundried tomatoes to soak for 10-Quarter-hour in sizzling water to melt them and to eliminate among the salt. Then drain and mince them.
Pat the meat dry with paper towels earlier than browning. Moist meat doesn’t brown simply.
Warmth 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and sear the mutton on all sides over very excessive warmth. Brown the meat in batches, so the pan shouldn’t be overcrowded. This permits the liquid that may come out of the meat to evaporate extra shortly, thus browning the meat extra shortly. We solely need to sear the surface of the meat, and maintain the within as uncooked as potential as a result of we wish as a lot of that great sous vide texture as potential.
Flip the meat solely as soon as, to brown it with out cooking the within greater than essential.
Take the mutton out of the pan as quickly because it has been browned on all sides, and place it on a plate in a single layer to chill off. Don’t clear the pan, however add a chopped onion to the pan with the drippings from browning the meat. Add 1 or 2 extra tablespoons of olive oil if wanted.
Stir the onion over medium warmth till it’s tender, about 10 minutes. Then add 2 minced garlic cloves…
…in addition to 1 bay leaf, 6 mirto berries (optionally available), 2 tablespoons of minced recent flat leaf parsley, and the minced sundried tomatoes. Stir for an additional minute over medium warmth, taking care that the garlic doesn’t flip brown (as a result of that will make it bitter).
Deglaze with 120 ml of crimson wine.
Scrape with a picket spatula to get the entire taste into the sauce.
Permit the wine to scale back over medium warmth till the combination appears to be like virtually dry, then flip off the warmth and permit the pan and its contents to chill fully.
Permit the seared mutton to chill off as effectively, lined within the fridge. It is because it’s best to hoover seal the meat when it’s fully chilled. If you can be utilizing ziploc baggage, it isn’t wanted to permit the meat to chill off first.
Reduce the chilled meat into bitesize items after which combine it with the sauce. The meat ought to nonetheless be uncooked on the within.
Vacuum seal the mutton with the sauce.
Prepare dinner the mutton sous vide at 74C/165F for about 24 hours (a couple of hours kind of received’t make a noticeable distinction).
After cooking sous vide you’ll be able to serve the mutton right away, or chill it by putting the baggage in chilly water (with ice cubes if wanted) after which retailer it within the fridge or freezer. You possibly can then reheat it sous vide, 1 hour at 74C/165F (or 1.5 hours straight from frozen).
To serve, pour the liquid out of the bag right into a pan.
Style for salt. If the saltiness is to your liking, simply carry the liquid to a boil. If it isn’t salty sufficient, permit the liquid to scale back a bit.
Add the meat to the liquid after which flip off the instantly. Stir and permit to relaxation for a minute or so. Take away the mirto berries, if utilizing.
Serve the braised mutton on preheated plates. I served it with a facet of grilled zucchini.
Wine pairing
That is nice with a full bodied however tender oak-aged crimson wine from Sardinia, a Cannonau di Sardegna or a Carginano del Sulcis.
