See Also: Cooking Club · Main Dishes · Mexico
Barbacoa de Borrego
From Dorothy McNett's recipes at www.dorothymcnett.com. A beautiful soup and main dish served with flour tortillas and garnishes and salsa. If you do not have toasted avocado leaves use a couple of bay leaves.
3 avodaco leaves, toasted
1 russet baking potato, large
2 - 3 medium carrots, sliced
1 small onion or shallot, cut into wedges
4 - 6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 Serrano chili pepper, sliced
1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans
1/4 cup white rice
5 cups water (or vegetable broth if desired)
about 1 - 1 1/2 pounds leg of lamb, or rack of lamb
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup diced onion
1 cup snipped fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 cup Manzanilla olives
warm flour tortillas
salsa as desired
Toast the avocado leaves on a hot griddle pan about 1 minute per side or until they start to crispen and turn a bit brown. Or, using a pair of tongs hold them over a gas flame to toast gently. Set aside. Use a heavy bottomed Dutch oven style pan. Scrub but do not peel the potato and cut into 4 - 6 wedges. Place in pan along with the sliced carrots, onion, garlic and Serrano pepper. Sprinkle with the rice and garbanzo beans. Pour in the water. Traditionally the lamb does not set in the water but is placed on a rack above it and is steamed while the liquids are cooking to make the soup. If you do not have a pan that big that has a rack, arrange the lamb on top of the mix and sprinkle with salt and place the avocado leaves on top of the meat. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook on medium low heat for 1 - 1 1 /2 hours. To serve, tear and cut the meat into bite sized slivers/pieces and arrange on a platter along with the vegetables and rice. Scoop the soup into individual bowls, or place in a gravy boat or pitcher to serve on the side along with the diced onion, snipped cilantro, lime wedges, olives, and salsa. Warm the flour tortillas and serve so that everyone can assemble their own tortilla wrap, etc.
Recipe created 2016-07-25.
