The oldest recipe for lamb I could find is for a shoulder of mutton or lamb—a membre de mouton à la judaïque—which comes from Pierre de Lune’s 1656 cookbook, Le Cuisinier, où Il Est Traité de la Véritable Méthode pour Apprester Toutes Sortes de Viandes . . . This recipe calls for lots of garlic and anchovies to be embedded in a shoulder of lamb with herbes de Provence. The pan juices are reduced with the juice of an orange and enhanced with white pepper and orange peel. The title of this recipe is one of the first known uses of “judaïque” (“Jewish style”) in a French recipe. Don’t forget that, “officially,” no Jews lived in France at this time. Here is my adaptation 350 years later.
Recipe information
Yield
6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and season the roast with salt and pepper. Then pierce the lamb with a sharp knife, and insert the anchovy fillets and the garlic bits in the slits. Place in a small roasting pan with the herbs and about a cup of water. Scatter the potatoes and the green beans or zucchini around the lamb, and toss the vegetables with a little olive oil.
Step 2
Place in the oven, and roast for 20 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 350 degrees, and continue cooking for about another 1 1/2 hours, or until done and a meat thermometer measures 140 degrees, basting occasionally.
Step 3
Remove the lamb from the oven and the pan. Add the orange juice and grated peel. Then cook, stirring, until the juices are reduced by about a half. Degrease the sauce, sprinkle with pepper, adjust seasonings, and serve.
