Lamb fore

Brace yourselves! We had dinner at my mom's last night and she made a unique cut of lamb called the 'fore'.

Basically you are getting the front breast quarter, the front shank and a few ribs. (the image above includes the neck. Ours didn't.) It is a big hunk of meat that the butcher usually cuts into forequarter chops and other parts. Mom went in to the grocery store the other day and discovered that chops were on sale for $1.99 a lb, so she asked the butcher if she could buy a whole fore at that price. He brought a kryovac bag out of the back and labeled it for her. Total cost: around $14 bucks.

The fore is a fairly fatty cut, so first thing you do is cut off all visible fat. Then, she rubbed it all over with salt, pepper, garlic and oregano and put it into a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes to cook off some of the fat. She drained out all the fat and at that point added to the roasting pan:

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes, with juice
1 14 oz. can of chicken broth
2 green peppers, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 cup dry red wine
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
2 to 5 cloves minced garlic
zest and juice from 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

You can add other veggies if you like. Try diced eggplant or zucchini or green beans, for example.

Cover the whole thing with foil, lower the temperature to 325 degrees and cook until the meat is falling off the bone. (About another 2 1/2 hours.) Check after 1 hour and add more liquid if necessary.

Remove as much fat as possible from the vegetables. The lamb just pulls apart at this point, so remove chunks and serve over pilaf with the veggies and a salad. It is a very rich meal, so follow with some fruit and tea for dessert.

This recipe also works for lamb shanks.

The result? My youngest son announced that it was the best dinner he had ever eaten. I brazenly went back for seconds, immediately regretted it and had to go lie down on the sofa. It was spectacular, with succulent meat and incredibly rich tasting vegetables. A sure hit.