Stefano de Pieri

Presented in 2002

Stracotto of lamb with olives and orange

Serves 4–6

Stracotto translates to “overcooked” in English. This melting dish is delicious for a cold winter night, when the delicate combination of olives and orange adds warming depth of flavour to the tangy gaminess of not-so-young lamb. Serve with cubes of sautéed pumpkin.

1 boneless leg of lamb (about 2.25 kg/5 lb), butterflied

salt and pepper

60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil

2 medium red onions, chopped into 1 cm (½ inch) dice

4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole

2 anchovy fillets, rinsed and dried

2 oranges, quartered, deseeded, and sliced into 5–6 mm (¼ inch) quarter-moons

1 cup Tuscan green olives or picholines

125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) freshly squeezed orange juice

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) Chianti or other dry red wine

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) basic tomato sauce (sugo)

Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F/Gas 3).

Trim most of the fat from the lamb and season to taste with the salt and pepper. In a large, heavy-based casserole, heat the oil until almost smoking. Brown the lamb on both sides until dark golden brown and remove to a side dish.

Add the onion, garlic, anchovies and orange pieces to the casserole and cook over medium heat until softened, 4–6 minutes, scraping the casserole base with a wooden spoon to loosen the brown bits.

Add the olives, orange juice, wine and tomato sauce and bring to the boil. Return the lamb to the casserole, bring to the boil, then cover and bake for 1½–2 hours or until fork-tender. Remove from the oven, then simmer over medium heat for 10–15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and reduced. Slice the lamb and serve with the sauce.

Michel Roux, Langham Melbourne MasterClass, 2008.