List of Ingredients
- boned lamb shoulder
- sugar
- 3 OZ. of sliced pancetta or bacon
- Lemon thyme
- Fresh mint leaves
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Butter
- Tomato paste
- White wine
- Salt
- Pepper
- Extravirgin olive oil
Method
Boil the sugar with 1 1/4 cup water to form a syrup. Peel 1 lemon (keeping only the yellow rind and discarding the white part) and cut the rind into thin slices. Put the slices in a small saucepan of cold water and bring to a boil, then drain them. Repeat this process another three times with fresh water each time. Then add the lemon rinds to the syrup and return it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Drain the rinds and set aside. Cut the lamb shoulder almost to the end so that the piece opens up like a book with two equal halves. Leave it with the fattier part down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover it with the slices of pancetta and scatter it with leaves of lemon thyme, the lemon rind pieces and the mint leaves. Roll up the meat and tie it with kitchen twine like a roast.
Fry it over low heat in a saucepan with a pat of butter, 2 tablespoons oil and 1 garlic clove, turning constantly for 10-15 minutes or until golden on all surfaces. Deglaze the pan with 2 1/2 cups wine, add 1 teaspoon tomato paste and mix. Transfer everything into a baking dish and bake at 350°F for 2 hours 15 minutes.