Leg of lamb in salmorejo

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 1 leg of lamb
• 1 bulb(s) garlic
• 1 pinch(s) salt, coarse-grained
• 1 pinch of cinnamon
• ½ tsp caraway seeds
• 2 sprigs of marjoram
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 30 ml oil
• ½ tsp saffron, Canarian, whole
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 jar of wine
• 16 olives
• ½ cup raisins
• 2 sprigs of parsley

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest period approx. 1 day; Total time approx. 1 day 30 minutes

Pata de Cordero en Salmorejo de Tenerife

Peel the garlic and crush it in a mortar with salt, cinnamon, caraway, pepper, and saffron. Then add the red wine, vinegar, and oil, and mix everything with the marjoram, thyme, and bay leaf. Soak the leg of lamb in this curing sauce for a day (24 hours) – never use an aluminum tray or pot for curing or preparing it. Then place it in a roasting pan and cook slowly on electric heat (1.5 – 2) for 15 to 20 minutes. Then braise slowly in a preheated oven at 120°C – 140°C. Continue adding liquid until the meat is cooked – depending on the size of the leg, this may take another 1 to 1.5 hours. If desired, you can add a few olives and large raisins to the sauce at the end. Serve with Canarian wrinkled potatoes, bread, and, if possible, a good Canarian wine. If this is unavailable, the Canarians also drink Spanish wine (the Rivera del Duero is one of the best from the mainland). Tip: Reserve some of the curing sauce before cooking to add to the roast later. For your information, so as not to generate excessive inquiries, I’ll mention the following: Canarian saffron is plentiful and extremely inexpensive. Therefore, it is not skimped on in the Canary Islands. The saffron grown in the Canary Islands has an exceptionally aromatic quality. The threads are crushed in a mortar and then passed through a fine sieve. This separates the powder from the chaff. The Canarians first warm the saffron on the warm lid of a pot to release its aroma, and then crush it in the mortar.