Braised Lamb with Quince Jelly & Marsala/Port Reduction

 Happy to be home and back in the kitchen, my break away was fun but I did miss cooking. This recipe for braised lamb is very easy and the finished meat moist and tender. It is worth the time it takes to cook and you can do something else once it is on cooking. The sauce is sweetish but not cloyingly so due to the balsamic added at the end. I like to carve the meat into thick slices and spoon over a little sauce. Serve with vegetables of your choice. If you want roasted vegetables put them in the oven to cook once you have got the lamb cooking. Mashed potatoes and scalloped potatoes are also nice with this dish.

Braised Lamb with Quince Jelly & Marsala/Port Reduction

1 boned leg or shoulder of lamb
6-8 cloves of garlic
1 cup chicken stock or water if you do not have stock
1/2 cup marsala or port
2 sprigs thyme
the peel of a mandarin
3 tablespoons quince jelly
balsamic vinegar

Use a pot that has a lid and is large enough to hold the lamb.

Brown the lamb all over, add unpeeled garlic cloves and cook for a further minute, do not burn them.

Add chicken stock or water, marsala or port, rosemary and mandarin peel.
Bring liquid to boil, scraping pan to dissolve/remove brown pieces. Cover and simmer on low heat until meat is tender. Approximately 45 minutes -1hour depending on size of the piece of meat.

Cut meat into two smaller pieces if you want it to cook faster

Remove meat and allow the meat to rest, keep it warm. I use a poystyrene box with a lid.

Remove rosemary and mandarin peel.
Squish the garlic cloves and remove the skins, mash the garlic with the back of the wooden spoon.
Make the reduction by adding the quince jelly and boiling the mixture down until reduces by a third to a half.

Sharpen sauce with some balsamic vinegar, add 1 teaspoon at a time.

Slice meat and serve with a little of the sauce poured over.

These potatoes are fresh from my friend Maria's garden, scrubbed but not peeled, cut into halves, sprayed with cooking spray and baked in  a hot oven until soft, golden brown and crispy. Absolutely delicious.