How to Make Lamb Fricassee the Greek Way (Arnaki Frikase)
Lamb Fricassee (pronounced ar-NEE free-kah-SEH in Greek), stewed lamb with lettuce, is especially popular during the Greek Orthodox Easter celebration. If you prefer, you can use pork, beef or chicken instead since they make an equally delicious dish, although the traditional recipes use lamb. The recipe below is one of the most common in Greece.
2 lb, 6.5oz of boneless lamb, cubed
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
1 bunch of fresh dill, minced
4 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
1 tbsp of salt
1 tsp of black pepper
2 cups of water (approximately)
Egg and lemon sauce
2 eggs
1 lemon, squeezed
1/2 tbsp of flour
Important preparation steps: Make sure that you wash the lamb, scallions and lettuce thoroughly, before you chop them.
Traditional Greek Arnaki Frikase
Put the olive oil and the pieces of lamb in a deep pot, and cook on med-high heat until they are browned on all sides. Then add the chopped scallions, salt and pepper, and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring constantly. Add water (enough to cover the meat), as well as the lettuce and dill, and simmer on low heat for approximately an hour and a half, until the lamb is tender. Add more salt if necessary (to taste). Once it's cooked, turn the stove off and let it rest until it's just warm.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and the flour (see tip below), until it thickens into a sauce. Then add the egg yolks and the lemon juice slowly, stirring constantly. With a table spoon, take a little bit of the broth from the pot and add it to the egg and lemon mixture while stirring. Lastly, add this mixture to the pot with the rest of the food, and mix everything together. Enjoy!
Greek cooking tip:
When beating the egg whites and flour together, beat them in only one direction. For example, if you start beating them clockwise, don't switch to a counter-clockwise motion, otherwise the resulting mixture will be lumpy instead of smooth and silky.
Photo Credit: http://bit.ly/1uROyng