Lamb Frikase (Fricassee) with Avgolemono
2-3 lbs lamb necks or lamb shoulder cut into chunks
necks provide less meat, but very tender and flavorful
2 heads romaine lettuce broken into large pieces
2 large or 5 small green onions, roughly chopped
1 bunch chopped fennel (optional)
1 chopped yellow onion
olive oil
water
salt & pepper
Avgolemono:
3 eggs separated
Juice of 3 lemons
Instructions:
Easy 1-pot meal, total time 1:30
In a large heavy pot, put a few tbsp olive oil and heat. Place the lamb pieces in the pot and brown the meat. Flip the meat to brown evenly on both sides and add the chopped yellow onion.
Once the onion has softened, add enough water to cover the lamb and season with salt and pepper. Cook covered for 45-60 minutes under medium heat. Check every once in a while to ensure there is enough water.
Add all the greens and incorporate well. Resume boil, reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until the greens have all softened (another 20-30 minutes).
When the frikase was cooked and only a small amount of liquid remains in the pot, turn off the heat. If you need to reduce the liquid, let cook uncovered for a few minutes.
For the Avgolemono, in a bowl, whisk together the egg whites with 1tbsp cold water until you achieve a frothy consistency. Whisk in the yolks and lemon juice.
Slowly add a ladle worth of the hot frikase liquid into the avgolemono while mixing. This will prevent the eggs from curdling. Slowly pour the avgolemono in the pot with the meat and gently shake the pot to distribute. Allow to sit for a few minutes covered before serving