In Sardinia braised mutton is an everyday merchandise on restaurant menus. It has extra depth of taste and is extra unctuous than lamb. For those who can’t discover mutton, you too can 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 using sundried tomatoes and omitting carrot and celery. To make it much more Sardinian I’ve additionally added some dried mirto berries, however these are non-compulsory.
By cooking the mutton sous vide for twenty-four hours at 74C/165F quite than on the stovetop, will probably be very tender and juicy, and can all the time prove good. 24 hours seems like a very long time, however you don’t must do something throughout that point apart from ready for the magic to occur.
Substances
Serves 6
- 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) mutton stewing meat
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 mirto berries (non-compulsory)
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) pink wine
- 6 sundried tomatoes, soaked in sizzling water after which minced
- 2 Tbsp minced contemporary flat leaf parsley
- salt and freshly floor black pepper
- olive oil
Directions
Don’t lower the mutton into chew measurement items earlier than browning, however solely after browning. The mutton I acquired got here in massive 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 no less than 1 hour, and even higher in a single day within the fridge.
Enable 6 sundried tomatoes to soak for 10-Quarter-hour in sizzling water to melt them and to eliminate a few of 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 will not be overcrowded. This enables the liquid that can come out of the meat to evaporate extra rapidly, thus browning the meat extra rapidly. We solely wish to sear the skin of the meat, and hold the within as uncooked as attainable as a result of we wish as a lot of that fantastic sous vide texture as attainable.
Flip the meat solely as soon as, to brown it with out cooking the within greater than needed.
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 further tablespoons of olive oil if wanted.
Stir the onion over medium warmth till it’s delicate, about 10 minutes. Then add 2 minced garlic cloves…
…in addition to 1 bay leaf, 6 mirto berries (non-compulsory), 2 tablespoons of minced contemporary 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 may make it bitter).
Deglaze with 120 ml of pink wine.
Scrape with a picket spatula to get all the taste into the sauce.
Enable the wine to cut back over medium warmth till the combination appears nearly dry, then flip off the warmth and permit the pan and its contents to chill fully.
Enable the seared mutton to chill off as nicely, coated within the fridge. It is because it’s best to hoover seal the meat when it’s fully chilled. If you may be utilizing ziploc luggage, it isn’t wanted to permit the meat to chill off first.
Minimize 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.
Cook dinner the mutton sous vide at 74C/165F for about 24 hours (just a few hours roughly gained’t make a noticeable distinction).
After cooking sous vide you possibly can serve the mutton immediately, or chill it by inserting the luggage in chilly water (with ice cubes if wanted) after which retailer it within the fridge or freezer. You’ll be able to then reheat it sous vide, 1 hour at 74C/165F (or 1.5 hours immediately 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 cut 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 aspect of grilled zucchini.
Wine pairing
That is nice with a full bodied however delicate oak-aged pink wine from Sardinia, a Cannonau di Sardegna or a Carginano del Sulcis.
