Italy, one plate at a time

[Photo provided to China Daily]

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RECIPE

Lamb leg stuffed with dried figs and date sauce

Ingredients:

1 New Zealand lamb leg

8 dried figs

8 dried dates

150g celery

150g carrot

200g onion

10g rosemary

Salt

Black pepper

80g olive oil

200g chicken stock

100g butter

250g port wine

1 clove garlic

To make:

Marinate the figs and the dates in the wine overnight.

In the morning remove the fruits from the wine and dice into 1/2 cm pieces.

Remove the bone from the leg and season the meat with salt and pepper (if you like, also cumin).

Put the fruit in the leg and roll it. Use kitchen string to nicely close the roll; add some rosemary around it.

Wash and rinse the vegetable and cut them in small cubes.

In a large pot put the olive oil and the garlic; when the oil is hot, add the vegetables and cook gently for about 20 minutes until they have a brown color. In a nonstick pan with a spoon of olive oil, sear the lamb leg, add salt and pepper and then add the lamb leg into the vegetable mix.

Sprinkle the lamb leg with the wine used to marinate the fruits, and add 200g chicken stock. Let it cook very slowly for about 1 hour; occasionally turn the roast. It must remain moist and wet; with a kitchen needle, check if the meat is soft and tender. If not let it cook more.

Once the meat is cooked, remove it from the sauce.

Put the sauce in a vegetable mill and then strain it.

Finish the sauce with butter. Carve the meat in slices and cover with the sauce. Serve with mash potatoes.