Sicilian Lamb Spezzatino With Saffron and Mint Recipe (2024)

This was good, but the shoulder chops were quite fatty so I cooked this in two stages, over two days, so I could defat the sauce. In Step 2, I used homemade stock in place of the water, simmered for 10 or 15 minutes, refrigerated, defatted the next day and then finished the simmering. The meat was very tender, the sauce silky and full of flavor. Leftovers (we had lots) were good over bulgur pilav and (later, deboned) over egg noodles.

I found that adding a diced quarter or half of a preserved lemon provided some acidity that helped to cut through the fat, lighten the dish, and make it even more delicious, in a Sicilian-consistent way.

This was delicious for such a simple recipe (just 7 ingredients!). I followed the recipe to a T for the most part, adding a handful of chopped sundried tomatoes (very Sicilian) along with the garlic, saffron, etc. I also cooked it in my Instant Pot pressure cooker for just 17 minutes and while the meat fell off the bone, it was deeply flavorful and maintained great texture.

Made this recipe almost as written and it was very good! Changes: I poured off some fat after browning the chops, used less red onion, added a little hot pepper in lieu of black, and omitted the mint. (I served it with a warm lentil salad, and I used some mint in that.)When the chops were done, I removed them from the liquid, defatted the liquid before reducing, then returned the chops to the pan to coat in the sauce before serving.

I had everything on hand except a suitable white wine. What to do? Used red instead! I may well add a little preserved lemon and a pinch of Aleppo pepper. Tonight I plan to serve it with Arab flatbread, tomorrow with fregola tostada.

I'm sad that my notes keep disappearing on this app! Made this for 2 with just over a pound of meat and 1/2 cup of leftover dry champagne (that turned out to be a still-good-to-drink-treat for the chef!). Used about 1 1/2 cups of water to cover and should have reduced the sauce more, but was gorgeous with a steamed potato and crispy Brussels. Easy, forgiving, and definitely going into the rotation!

The cooking time to make the lamb tender takes way longer then 45 min. The recipe is also quite bland.

Heaven. Rich, hearty yet fresh and light with mint! We loved it. Served it with buttered and well seasoned cauliflower rice then roasted butternut squash on the side. Will definitely make again!!

I used leg of lamb steaks cut into 1”x2” chunks. Used chicken stock. Added sliced carrots, quartered baby gold potatoes and some sliced green Italian olives after 15 min of simmering. Chopped skin from 1/2 preserved lemon and added that w mint at the end. About 50 min simmering total. Served with a delicious Nebbiolo that had great acidity and worked surprisingly well.

This is one of those 5-star recipes that wows out of the gate! You can follow this recipe exactly to get an incredible meal! And then you can review comments and modify it to your personal taste. I used a dry Vinho Verde (yes, they exist), but any decent dry white wine would work (un-oaked Chardonnay). And I always love Times recipe that call for white wine with red meat - delicate deliciousness.

I cooked this per the recipe, except I used chicken stock instead of water. I was really good. The sauce is amazing-loved the mint-and I do like the idea of adding preserved lemon and/or sundried tomatoes. However, as noted below, the chops are quite fatty. I don't understand why anyone would use shoulder chops in this dish, when even David notes that it's a stew. Next time, I will use leg of lamb cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch cubes, and lightly flour and then brown them before making the stew

Lovely, quick week-night recipe. I didn’t have wine so used half cup prosecco vinegar. Added a few small tomatoes in honor of summer.

Delicious! Used 3lbs lamb stew meat and beef stock instead of water (needed about 3 cups). Chilled and removed fat before reheating and adding the fresh mint. Served over rice. Lovely Easter meal.

This turned out wonderfully. Such simple spices but so full of flavor!

I had some fresh mint I'd bought for shelling peas and I'm always looking for ways to use saffron I bought in Turkey, so I thought I'd try this. So glad I did! Wow, really delicious. A few tweaks -- I used a pound of lamb stew meat and halved everything else, dusted the lamb with flour to help thicken the sauce and I used chicken stock instead of water. Served it with crusty bread and that was dinner for two. Highly recommended.

We made our version of this recipe with lamb shanks, substituted water for beef stock, used diced canned tomatoes versus tomato paste. We pressure cooked the lamb shanks (45 minutes) and then added to stew once braise was finished. Topped off each plated meal with a squeeze of lemon and it was delicious. Great recipe with plenty of leftovers for another meal.

Good - but I expected more from a saffron dish. I modified it for an instapot.

This was so tasty! I realized too late I had run out of tomato paste so used some skinned fresh tomatoes and it was still so flavourful and satisfying.