In our 2021 Lamb Fest cooking competition, the winning dish was the lamb lettuce cup by Chris Bonfili and Cory Hughes, two all-star chefs. Braised Elysian Fields lamb shoulder melded with yam, pomegranate seeds, curry aioli and the crunchy, gently bitter contrast of iceberg lettuce. Judge Hal B. Klein proclaimed this the winner. These were bites to remember, and we hope you enjoy it too!
What Kind of Lettuce Should You Use for Your Lettuce Cups?
Though maybe you’re used to seeing lettuce at the store or in sandwiches, there are many different kinds of lettuce. The four main types of lettuce in the Western world are looseleaf, romaine, crisphead, and butterhead. Iceberg lettuce, also called crisphead, is the most popular variety, typically what you see in a salad. For a lettuce cup, iceberg will be best because it will be the firmest base for your lamb to sit in. You don’t want wilted or flimsy lettuce for a recipe like this where the meat needs to balance in the cup-like shape. For another way to use lettuce, try our Wilted Lettuce Salad.
Lamb Lettuce Cup
Description
A fun way to eat your vegetables!
Ingredients
For the lamb:
- 3 lb Elysian Fields lamb shoulder
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2–3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cups mirepoix (portion: ½ onion, ¼ carrot, ¼ celery)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup Pinot noir
- 2 qt lamb stock (sub with chicken or light beef stock)
For the curry aioli:
- ½ cup Duke’s mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp yellow curry powder + add more to taste
- ½ lime, juiced
Instructions
To prepare the lamb:
- Season the lamb shoulder with salt, pepper, and minced rosemary.
- Take a roasting pan and add about 2-3 tablespoons olive oil. Heat on medium-high heat until the oil starts to lightly smoke. Add the lamb shoulder and sear on all sides until golden brown. Pull the lamb out and reserve.
- In the same pot you just cooked the lamb in, add the onions and carrots in the roasting pot. Cook until soft. Add the tomato paste and stir for around 1-2 minutes until fully melted and coating the mirepoix. Deglaze with the Pinot noir and cook until the flame goes out.
- Add the celery and stir for 15 seconds. Place the lamb back in the roasting pan and cover with the stock. Heat it until just below simmering. Lay a piece of waxed parchment paper on top of the lamb and cover with foil.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 3 hours. Check with a fork to make sure the meat is falling apart. If not, let it go another 15-20 minutes. Place the entire roasting pan in the refrigerator in the liquid (or it will dry out) and let cool overnight.
- The next day, heat it until lightly simmering. Strain the stock through a colander and reserve the liquid. Pull the lamb pieces apart and reserve. Reduce the lamb stock in a saucepot until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the lamb pieces back in and hold.
To prepare the lettuce:
- Pull apart into lettuce wrap-sized pieces.
To prepare the pomegranate:
- Cut in half and smack the rounded edge with the side of your knife.
- The pomegranate seeds will fall out. Collect them in a bowl with any pomegranate juice you can squeeze out.
To prepare the yam:
- Peel and dice the yam.
- Roast at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until soft enough to eat but hard enough to maintain its shape.
For the Curry Aioli:
Take a sheet tray and line it with waxed parchment paper.
In a skillet, melt the butter. Add the almonds, sugar, syrup and stir until combined. Keep stirring over medium heat until a caramel color is achieved. Pour the batter on the wax paper and cool overnight at room temperature. The next daybreak the brittle into small edible-sized pieces.
To assemble:
- With the picked lamb and reduced stock, keep warm on a stove.
- Take your lettuce cup and add the hot braised lamb with au jus and put about 2 tablespoons’ worth of lamb in your cup. Add 4 pomegranate seeds, 1 tablespoon of Curry Aioli and a pinky-sized piece of brittle crumbled on top. Serve and enjoy.
Recipe by Chris Bonfili and Cory Hughes
Styling by Ana Kelly
Photography by Laura Petrilla
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