French Onion Soup
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Lamb Broth Recipe with Rosemary and Garlic
Lamb broth is perhaps something you have never tasted but a lamb flavored broth is really tasty and you can use it to make gravies, casseroles and stews, as well as for a French onion soup base. Lamb broth can be used as it is or combined with vegetable broth. It is a great ingredient to use in Greek recipes and also tasty in a lot of French recipes, not just French onion soup.
You just need the bones and scraps from two legs of lamb, to make lamb broth, so if roast lamb is on the menu for Sunday dinner, save the parts you would otherwise discard, to make this delicious lamb shank broth. It might take a while to collect enough bones but store the bones you do have in the freezer and make the lamb broth recipe when you have enough of them.
In the following recipe, the classic broth vegetables of onion, carrot, and celery are combined with garlic, rosemary and a bay leaf for flavor. Leave this broth simmering over a low heat for three or four hours and your kitchen will smell wonderful. As with all other broths, lamb shank broth freezes well so do not worry if you only use a small amount of it in your French onion soup recipe.
How to Make Lamb Shank Broth
Ingredients -
Bones and scraps from 2 legs of lamb
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 bay leaf
4 cloves garlic, smashed
½ teaspoon rosemary
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Put the bones, onions and carrots in a roasting pan and brown them for half an hour, stirring them twice. Drain the fat away and put the vegetables and bones in a big pot.
Add some water to the bones in the roasting pan and simmer it on the stove, scraping at the burnt on bits with a wooden spoon.
Pour this mixture into the pot.
Add enough cold water to cover the contents of the pot and bring the lamb broth to a simmer.
Skim off the froth on top. Add the celery, garlic, rosemary, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.
Cover the pot loosely and let the lamb shank broth simmer gently for about 4 hours.
Do not let the broth boil because that will make it bitter and cloudy.
Add more water to cover the bones, if you need to. Strain the broth through a cheesecloth lined sieve and skim the fat off the top.
It is not essential to skim the fat off but skimming it helps to prevent the broth from going cloudy.
(Makes 10 Cups)
Why a Lamb Broth Recipe is So Special
Beef broth and chicken broth are popular additions to many recipes. Beef broth is richly flavored and chicken broth is really versatile. A lamb broth recipe, however, is rather less common. A lot of people would claim that lamb is their favorite meat because it has such a delicious flavor, so why is lamb broth not more popular in recipes like French onion soup?
Actually, a lamb broth recipe has such a distinctive flavor that it is kept for special recipes. Lamb is a meat, which is really enhanced with the addition of certain herbs, and you enhance its flavor up by adding mint or rosemary. If you love the flavor of lamb, try making French onion soup with lamb broth and fresh rosemary. You will love it because it is so different from the classic French onion soup recipe using beef broth.
Lamb Broth in Other Recipes
Lamb is a popular meat in Turkish and Greek cuisine, so if you are making a rice or couscous dish, why not cook the grain in lamb broth instead of water? The flavor will be amazing. You can also add shredded lamb and vegetables to lamb broth to make a delicious soup. A lamb broth recipe is unique because it is not widely used, so whenever you serve a recipe made with lamb broth, you can be sure it will make a favorable impression. If you like to eat lamb, keep the bones in a freezer bag until you have enough to make a tasty lamb broth recipe, and then you can choose between using broth to cook grains or using it for a special French onion soup recipe.