[Sca-cooks] pounded meat slices

[Phlip]

Ene bichizh ogsen baina shuu...

> > Even thickness makes for even cooking, too, so you might pound a smaller
> > piece of meat thinner and larger if you wanted it as the wrapper for a
> > stuffing. Legs of lamb are often pounded for that purpose.
>
> Now this can also be accomplished by "butterflying" the meat, correct? So
when
> would you use one over the other? And yes, I realize if you start with
fairly
> thin meat, you won't be able to butterfly it, yet you might still want it
> thinner still.

Actually, butterflying and pounding are often used in conjunction with one
another. Animal flesh being what it is, it tends to be shaped for the
convenience of usage of the animal, not for the convenience of the cook ;-)
When it comes off the bone and is flattened, it looks something like this:

/\/\/\/\/\
______

Generally, if you buy it butterflied, the butcher will do the flattening,
just to make an even, tidy piece of meat- they also often do a bit of
trimming for the same purpose. If, however, you are directed to butterfly it
yourself, the instructions often will also tell you to pound it flat to a
greater or lesser extent.

Examples:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/recipes_summer02/butterflied_leg_of_lamb.h
tm

http://www.recipes.co.nz/occasions/butterfliedlamb.html    (slash-boning, as
mentioned here, explains why you might of might not want to flatten the
lamb)

My favorite stuffed leg of lamb recipe starts with boning it out and
butterflying it, then pounding it out flat and fairly thin. Marinate it
overnight in a lemon viaigrette- lemon juise, olive oil, smashed whole
garlic (lots) and rosemary. You then make up a layer of couscous/ w/pine
nuts, cover it with a layer of spinach and feta crumbles, then roll it up
like a jelly roll and tie it. Toss in oven, seam side down, and cook until
done, basting with the rest of the marinade.

> > Lotsa reasons, Stefan- just depends on what you're trying to accomplish
;-)
> Okay, so I guess that is part of why I'm asking. To find out why you might
want to do this.
> And, I don't believe anyone has related any period examples of smashing
the meat to flatten it. Yet.

Actually, I haven't seen any instructions of that nature. I suspect there
might be a couple of reasons- first, that roast meat was often cooked on the
bone, for convenience sake- bones make rather convenient handles ;-) Second,
that just like with the many recipes I found that assumed the butcher had
prepared the lamb so it would lie flat, the flattening process was assumed
to have been done as part of the standard meat prep- sorta like adding salt,
for the appropriate period recipes.

> THLord Stefan li Rous

Personally, I dislike the pre-boned legs of lamb- don't know what it is, but
they seem to wind up a bit flavorless. Besides, if you do it yourself,
you've got all of those lovely bits left over to make stock with.


Phlip

 If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably not a
cat.

Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....