Ingredients
Lamb Saffron Broth
(serves 4-6)
2 lbs lamb meat with bone (such as shank or shoulder)
1 yellow onion, peel left on and quartered
2 stalks celery, cut in half
1 large ripe tomato, quartered
1 cup dry white wine
4 cloves garlic
Two generous pinches of Villa Jerada saffron threads (or more to taste)
Salt
Garnish
1 carrot, brunoise (fine, uniform dice)
¼ fennel bulb, brunoise
½ stalk celery, brunoise
Pasta
2 eggs
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp Villa Jerada sumac
Pinch of salt
Method
Make the Broth
-pre-heat the oven to 400º
-place lamb, onion, celery and tomato on a roasting pan, sprinkle with salt and roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until the lamb and vegetables begin to caramelize (lamb does not need to be cooked, but the caramelization will add a lot of flavor)
-transfer lamb and vegetables to a stock pot, then deglaze the roasting pan with the white wine and loosen the browned bits with a rubber spatula, then pour the wine into the stock pot
-add 1 ½ qts water and the whole garlic cloves to the stock pot, bring to a boil over high heat then reduce to a simmer, add about 2 tsp salt, cover and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until meat is tender, add additional salt to taste if needed
-while still hot, strain the stock, reserve the lamb meat and discard vegetable solids (or find a different use)
-add saffron threads, allow to infuse for 30 minutes or overnight if possible
-chop lamb meat into small cubes, set aside or refrigerate overnight
Make the Pasta
-in the meantime, make your pasta
-pour flour out onto work surface, preferably wood or marble, make a well in the flour and drop in the eggs, sumac and salt
-with a fork, whisk the eggs and gradually pull in the flour from the borders, equally on all sides, continue this way until the dough becomes stiff enough to work with your hands
-knead the dough and gradually work into a ball adding flour as needed to make a stiff dough
-wrap with plastic and let the dough rest for 30 min before proceeding
-roll out small pieces of dough into long thin ropes
-pinch off pieces of dough the size of mini peas, and curl into mini shells with your thumb on the work surface
-transfer to a tray lined with parchment and allow to dry while you finish the broth (you may also freeze it at this point if making it for a later date, use within 1 week)
Plating
-bring lamb stock to a boil with the brunoise vegetables
-add the pasta (as much or as little as desired), cover and cook until desired tenderness, about 5 minutes
-once the pasta is cooked, add the cubed lamb, heat through and serve immediately, drizzle with Villa Jerada’s Desert Miracle extra virgin olive oil if desired