Lamb fricassee is a slow cooked stew made with greens and finished with avgolemono (egg and lemon sauce). In Cyprus, this dish is called 'endratha' and has the addition of potatoes.
This is a wonderful meal for the fall or winter, especially if you have fresh bread to soak up all the juices.
To make lamb fricassee:
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a 6 qt casserole on medium heat.
When oil is hot, add 4 lamb shanks and brown each shank on all sides.
Remove lamb shanks onto a plate, and set aside.
Add another tbsp of olive oil to the pot, then the chopped onions, leeks, and celery.
Cook until the onions, leeks and celery are very soft. This will take at least 20 minutes.
Place lamb shanks back into the pot, so they are on top of the onions and celery.
Pour in two cups water (or broth), as well as 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
Bring to a boil, and once boiling, bring the heat down to medium-low.
Cover and simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally.
After two hours, stir in parsley, dill, romaine lettuce, and potatoes.
If needed, add a bit more water or broth.
Cover and simmer for another hour or until potatoes are completely cooked through.
When the potatoes have finished cooking and you can pierce them with a fork easily, take the pot off the heat.
Note: The pot should be off the heat for at least 10 - 15 minutes before adding the avgolemono.
Hint: I usually discard the bones at this point, as the meat typically is falling off the bone anyways.
It's easier to stir in the avgolemono when the bones aren't in the way.
To prepare the egg-lemon (avgolemono) sauce:
In a small bowl, whisk the egg whites with a teaspoon of water until frothy.
Slowly whisk in the egg yolks and lemon juice.
With a ladle, slowly add some of the hot liquid from the pot to the eggs; whisking the whole time.
Add another ladle, and then a third.
Now incorporate the avgolemono into the pot and gently stir, or just gently shake the pot without stirring.
You can keep the fricassee warm on the lowest heat setting until ready to eat.
Serve with fresh bread and a simple salad.
