Try This

I used to not be a fan of magazines- I never really bought or subscribed to them. It now seems that all of a sudden my magazine collection has gotten seriously out of control. I think that between Raj and I we subscribe to six, err, no seven magazines. Some of which are weekly. If we are not careful, all too soon we are going to be like one of those old couples who are watching Jeopardy! buried in our recliners underneath our stacks of 23 year old magazines. I can just see it happening.

Luckily I am conscious of our tendencies, so I am always sure that, unless the magazine is super special (like my Gourmets or Dominos) that as soon as the new addition comes, the old goes in the recycling. Before tossing, I always go through and pull out whatever I find interesting or inspiring (usually good recipes or something I want to buy). I was reminded today, as I was reflipping through an old Sunset magazine, of an awesome recipe for braised lamb.

I don't know why I forgot about it. First of all, it was super easy. I tweaked the recipe a little, so that it was basically a throw into the oven at a low temp, go to work, and dinner was ready and perfect when I came home eight hours later. Second, we were all like, "Wow! This is amazing!" and we really enjoyed it. Third, we had leftovers all week to do great things with like make greek yogurt and lamb sandwiches. Seriously, I'm not sure why I haven't made it once a week since.

I'm giving you my own version, since I think the prep and cleanup is easier this way. If you want the original, it's here.

Coffee Braised Spoon Lamb (adapted from Sunset magazine)

• 6 garlic cloves, divided
• 1 bone-in leg of lamb (about 4 lbs.), trimmed of outside fat
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 4 large carrots, cut into chunks (or half a bag of baby carrots that are getting not-s0-crisp)
  
• 2 shallots, peeled
• 1 tomato, quartered
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 cups freshly brewed strong coffee, divided
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Preheat oven to 250°. Mince 2 garlic cloves and rub onto lamb, spreading evenly. Heat a dutch oven or oven safe covered pan on stove to medium-high heat. Braise lamb on all sides in olive oil, making sure that each side is a nice, deep brown.

2. Transfer lamb to a plate. In pan over high heat, add wine, and boil until it has reduced by half. Stir in 2 cups coffee. Add all other ingredients, including the lamb. Cover pan and put in oven.

4. Cook until lamb is tender and pulling away from the bone, about 5-8 hours.

5. Transfer lamb to a platter and cover with foil. Reheat remaining 1 cup coffee and pour with liquid and vegetables from pan into a blender, working in batches if needed. Pulse until smooth. Pour sauce through a strainer set over a bowl, using the back of a spoon or ladle to push it through if needed. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour half of sauce over lamb and serve the rest in a bowl. Sprinkle lamb with parsley.