Italian Grill - Mario Batali [55]
½ teaspoon curry powder
1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Mint Pesto (recipe follows)
USING A THIN SHARP KNIFE, cut 6 deep slits in the lamb and insert a garlic clove into each hole. Put the lamb in a baking dish or large shallow bowl.
Combine the lemon juice, vinegars, olive oil, parsley, paprika, curry powder, and pepper in a small bowl, mixing well. Pour the marinade over the lamb and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, turning the lamb in the marinade every hour.
Forty-five minutes to an hour before you are ready to grill, remove the lamb from the refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature.
Prepare a gas or charcoal grill for spit-roasting over indirect medium heat (or according to the instructions for your grill). Set up the drip pan under the center of the spit.
Remove the lamb from the marinade and pat dry; pour the marinade into a small bowl. Place the lamb on the spit and secure it with the clamps. Attach the spit to the rotisserie mechanism, cover the grill, and cook the lamb, basting it with the reserved marinade every 30 minutes, for 1 ¾ to 2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 130° to 140°F. Transfer the lamb to a carving board and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
Cut the lamb into thin slices and serve with the pesto.
When this is cooking in your backyard, be prepared for the entire neighborhood to come running over like starving hounds. The smoky fragrance from the grill is exactly what I find at grill restaurants in Toscana on Sundays all summer long. Make sure the butcher trims all the excess fat from the leg of lamb when he or she prepares it for you.
MINT PESTO
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP
3 garlic cloves
2 cups lightly packed fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons pine nuts
100 mg a scorbic acid (vitamin C), crushed
Generous pinch of kosher salt
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino romano
WITH THE motor running, drop the the garlic into a food processor to chop it. Add the mint, pine nuts, ascorbic acid, and salt and pulse until the mint is coarsely chopped, then process until the mint and pine nuts are finely chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in the oil. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the Parmigiano and pecorino. (The pesto can be stored in a tightly sealed jar, topped with a thin layer of extra-virgin olive oil, for several weeks in the refrigerator.)
Note: The ascorbic acid keeps the pesto from darkening.
SPIT-ROASTED
FRESH HAM
ALLA PORCHETTA
SERVES 10, WITH LEFTOVERS FOR SANDWICHES
BRINE
1½ gallons water
5½ cups kosher salt
6 cups packed brown sugar
¼ cup fennel seeds
¾ cup crushed black peppercorns
One 6- to 8-pound bone-in leg of pork (shank end)
1 cup fresh sage leaves
12 garlic cloves
¼ cup fennel pollen or ground toasted fennel seeds
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
GLAZE
1 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Colman’s dry mustard
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
COMBINE 3 QUARTS OF THE WATER, the salt, and the brown sugar in a large pot and heat over high heat, stirring, until the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from the heat and pour into a large pot or other container large enough to hold the pork and the brine. Add the fennel seeds and peppercorns, and let cool completely.
Using a very sharp serrated knife or another sharp knife, score a series of parallel lines 1 inch apart in the skin of the ham, making them about ¼ inch deep. Then score another series of parallel lines diagonally across the first cuts to make a diamond crosshatch pattern. (Scoring the skin will make it crispy and delicious on the surface and succulent within.)
Add the remaining 3 quarts cold water to the salt and sugar mixture. Submerge the ham in the brine (weight it if necessary to keep it submerged) and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Remove the ham from the brine,