½ lb. pancetta, diced small

1 yellow onion, diced small

2 carrots, peeled and diced small

2 stalks celery, diced small

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 lbs. ground Ohio lamb

6 oz. tomato paste

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup whole milk

3 tablespoons fennel seed

2 tablespoons ground cardamom

1 orange, quartered

coarse salt

1 cup roughly chopped mint leaves

1 ½ cups roughly chopped unsalted pistachios

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

 

In a large pot over moderate heat, render pancetta slightly with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. (Do not brown.) When pancetta is translucent, about 8 minutes, add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Lower heat and sweat until vegetables are translucent and soft, about 12 minutes. (Do not brown.) Add lamb and cook, working it with a wooden spoon until it loses its pink color, about 12 minutes.

 

Add tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until it turns rust colored, 3 to 5 minutes. Add up to ½ cup water and stir to loosen tomato paste so it doesn't burn. Add wine and simmer 2 minutes, stirring and scraping the pot with the wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits of meat. Add milk, fennel seed, cardamom, orange, and 1 tablespoon salt. Stir to combine. Cover and barely simmer over extremely low heat until flavors are well blended, about 1 ½ hours. Skim off fat and discard, remove orange, and season with salt to taste. Stir in mint and pistachios. Add butter and reduce until sauce clings to the back of a spoon.

1 5-to-7-pound leg of Ohio lamb 

1/2 cup yogurt 

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint 

2 tablespoons orange zest 

2 teaspoons ground cardamom 

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

 

Heat the oven to 425º. Mix together the yogurt, mint, orange zest, cardamom, salt and pepper; rub the meat all over with the yogurt mixture.

 

Put the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350º.

After about 1 hour (total) of roasting, check the internal temperature of the lamb with an instant-read thermometer. Continue to check every 10 minutes; when it reaches 140, remove from oven. Let it rest for a few minutes before carving. 

Ohio lamb shoulder roast, cut into 1-inch cubes

olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

 

Brush lamb with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on preheated grill. Grill lamb on covered grill, over medium coals about 10 minutes per pound or until instant-read thermometer inserted into chops registers 160 degrees F for medium or to desired doneness, turning once. Lamb may be brushed with fresh herbs, citrus zest, wine or spices during last half of cooking time.