Ingredients
2 lb lamb shoulder, boneless
8 oz apricots, dried
3/4 cup chicken stock, hot
1 salt
1 pepper
1/2 tsp thyme, dried
1/2 tsp ginger, ground
2 tsp cornstarch
Directions
Use fresh or frozen lamb shoulder. If using frozen, thaw in
refrigerator overnight. Trim off any fat from lamb and pat dry Chop
apricots finely (scissors work well) and combine with chicken stock.
Set aside for 20 minutes. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper; rub all
over with thyme and ginger. Reserving stock, drain apricots and
spread inside shoulder. Fold two halves togethe to enclose apricots
and wrap tightly in large piece of greased foil. Place in roasting
pan and roast in 300F(150C) oven for 1 1/2 hours or until lamb is
fork tender. Carefully remove from foil and place on board; keep
warm. Pour juices from foil into roast pan with reserved stock. (Dont
worry if there are lots of apricot bits in the pan.) Bring to boil.
Meanwhile dissolve cornstarch in 2 tb cold water and add to pan.
Cook, stirring, until thickened. Slice lamb, keeping apricots more or
less in centre. Arrange on heated platter with sauce from roast pan
poured over top.
Servings: 6 servings
Apricot-Roast Lamb Shoulder Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Fruit; Lamb; Meat
The History of Recipes
Experts have found proof that recipes existed way back into the far past, in truth as far back into history as the ancient Egyptians, and possibly even further than that. Interesting though that maybe, mostly, these old recipes were just basic pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for meal preparation.
In an interesting twist, the most ancient recipe found, according to academics are some stone tablets in Sumerian which show the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making those who drank it feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. Much later, in Roman times a roman called Apicius compiled a number of documents showing how to cook the recipes prepared by the Romans. In his scrolls, he describes how the meals of wealthy Romans were split into hors d`oeuvres, main meal and desserts, a very modern way of dining. Additionally, he describes how the cooks of Roman times were skilled in the use of many herbs and spices, including many that are still in use today like thyme, fennel and parsley. Over the succeeding few hundred years, the rich and powerful families of Wesstern Europe strove to lay on the best banquets, and as a result the best chefs and their recipes were much in demand. Nevertheless, it wasn`t until the 19th century the formal cooking and recipe books became popular. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Farmer in the US, spent years to collecting, verifying, and recording recipes to help cooks of their time. When we get to the twentieth century, cookery books were starting to become popular due to increased literacy, people having increased free time and having more disposable income. |
We hope you enjoy this Apricot Roast Lamb Shoulder recipe.
