braised lamb shoulder with figs

what you need 

½ cup dried figs

4 fresh figs halved (if available)
½ cup warm water
I boneless lamb shoulder trimmed of excess fat
Salt and ground black pepper
1 small onion diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 pickling onions whole
2 small garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup canned diced tomatoes, with their juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

what to do
Place the figs and water in a bowl and soak for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the water. Cut the figs into half and set aside

Sprinkle the shoulder with salt and pepper to taste. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy-bottomed large pan over medium-high heat and cook until browned on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

Pour off the fat in the pan,
Return the pan to medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add onions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and spices and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the reserved soaking liquid from the figs and simmer until reduced by half, scraping the browned bits from the pan bottom with a wooden spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, honey and reserved figs, then return the shoulder to the pan, add whole onions cover and place in a moderate oven until the shoulder is cooked through and starting to fall apart, approx. 2-2.5hrs. 30 after 2 hours add fresh figs if available and cook for further 30 minutes.

Place the shoulder  on a serving dish, stir the parsley into the braising liquid, adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper, spoon the sauce over the shoulder, and serve 

capretto al forno

Goat should be ideally about 4-6 weeks old, your butcher should be able to chop the goat into pieces.

what you need
plain flour for dusting
salt and pepper
1 milk-fed domestic kid (goat)
1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
15 small whole shallots, peeled
2 bouquet garni (containing fresh rosemary sprigs, thyme and sage, wrapped in muslin)
1 tbsp black peppercorns
2-3 bay leaves
2 glasses Italian white wine, such as vermentino or pinot grigio
500ml water
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, blanched and peeled or 1 tin of Italian peeled whole tomatoes, deseeded

what to do
Pre-heat oven to 180C. Season flour and dust kid pieces. In a large frying pan over a medium heat, heat half the olive oil. When hot, braise kid pieces on all sides until golden, remove from pan with slotted spoon. Discard oil.
In a heavy-based baking dish, over a medium heat, heat remaining olive oil and garlic. Add shallots and gently fry until golden. Add kid pieces, bouquet garni, peppercorns and bay leaves.

Turn up heat to high, add white wine and allow to reduce. Season to taste. Add water, and tomatoes. Place a piece of baking paper the size of the pan surface, tucking the paper into the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and place in the oven.

Bake for 1 hour, until tender. Serve and enjoy