Armenian cooking is influenced by both traditional Ottoman (Turkish) and Persian (Iranian) cuisine. This is a treasured family recipe given to my mother almost 50 years ago by Armenian friends and was, in my childhood, one of my choices every year for my birthday meal, accompanied by rice pilaf.
Ingredients
- 1 leg of lamb (4 to 6 lb/2 to 2.7 kg) or 2 legs suckling lamb (2 to 3 lb/1 to 1.5 kg each)
- 4 oz (125 g) bacon (3 or 4 slices)
- 1 onion, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup (250 mL) minced parsley
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) caraway seeds
- 2 tsp (10 mL) dried marjoram
- 1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme
- 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) black pepper
- 1/3 cup (75 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) lemon juice
Steps
- Trim fat from lamb. Cut bacon into 1/2-inch/1 cm wide strips. Cut slits all over lamb; insert bacon piece in each.
- Mix together onion, garlic, parsley, caraway seeds, marjoram, thyme, salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice. Rub all over lamb. Seal lamb in plastic bag or wrap and marinate, refrigerated, for at least 1 day or up to 5 days. (Bring to room temperature before continuing.)
- Place in roasting pan; roast in 325°F/160°C oven, basting occasionally with pan juices after 45 minutes, until lamb reaches desired doneness, about 1-1/2 hours for medium-rare or internal temperature of 150°F/65°C.
