Not that long ago, a reader wrote to inquire about matching wines and lamb dishes. His question engendered (a) a good deal of thought, (b) reflections on a good many lamb dishes on which I have dined in recent years, (c) visits to two restaurants to re-sample two of those dishes; (d) the opening of six bottles of wine, and (e) a great deal of pleasure.

Following are my own choices for matches to five different dishes. Idiosynchratic? Perhaps, but wine-food matching is never a question of firm and fixed rules. Thank heavens for that, for personal taste is always one of life's great pleasures.

After the food-wine matches listed are recipes for each of the dishes, each garnered from one of Israel's better chefs. None will be all that easy to prepare but all are worth every bit of effort that they involve.

The Wine-Food Matches

Leg of Lamb with a Puree of Jerusalem Artichokes
Syrah (ideally a good Australian) or a fine Chateauneuf du Pape (my personal choice with this dish would be for the 1990 Cornas Vielles Vignes of Thierry Allemand)

Leg of Lamb with Fruit Confit and Root Vegetables
Fleurie (Chateau de Deduits of Georges Duboeuf) or Chenas (Domaine des Brureaux)

Lamb in Mint Sauce
Chiroubles (Georges Passot, Bouillard or the Chateau de Javernand of Duboeuf)

Lamb Shoulder in Chestnut and Mushroom Sauce
What the heck, I'd go for the 1990 Beausejour Duffau-Lagarrosse or another similar St-Emilion.

Grilled Lamb with Jerusalem Artichokes
A truly fine Burgundy red - if I could, the 1990 Romanee St. Vivant of Leroy

Leg of Lamb with Puree of Jerusalem Artichokes
Tamar Blay and Ezra Kedem
Chef -Owners of Jerusalem's "Arcadia"

1 leg of lamb about 1 1/2 kilos
1/2 cup olive oil
5 - 6 sprigs thyme, chopped finely
coarse salt
8 cloves garlic, halved
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups lamb stock

For the Jerusalem artichokes:
1/2 kilo Jerusalem artichokes, peeled
salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice to taste
1 tsp. parsley, chopped finely

For the garlic confit:
200 gr. large garlic cloves
1 cup olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
1 tsp. coarsely crushed pepper

Dip a muslin cloth in the olive oil and with this rub the meat thoroughly, coating well. Sprinkle the meat with the chopped thyme, patting with the hands so that the thyme adheres. Cover with a cloth and let stand for 3 hours.

Sprinkle the lamb with coarse salt and pepper. Heat a heavy iron skillet and in this sear the meat on all sides. Remove from the skillet. With a sharp knife cut slits in the meat and into these insert the halved garlic cloves. Coat the meat with the mustard. Transfer the meat to a lightly oiled baking pan and roast in an oven that has been preheated to 180 degrees Celsius for 30 - 40 minutes.

While the meat is in the oven prepare the puree by cooking the Jerusalem artichokes in about 2 liters of water until just beginning to soften. Remove from the water, strain and chop coarsely. Add salt, pepper, olive oil, parsley and lemon juice to taste.

Prepare the garlic confit: Place the garlic cloves in 1/2 liter of cold water, bring to a boil, reduce the flame and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Strain. Transfer the garlic to a clean saucepan and add the olive oil, bay leaves, pepper and thyme and bring to a boil. Cook for about 30 minutes.

Place the lamb stock in a saucepan and cook until thick and reduced to about 1/4 of its original volume.

Just before serving, slice the meat to 1/2 cm. thick slices. To serve, place a generous amount of the artichoke puree in the center individual serving plates. On this distribute the lamb slices and on those 1 Tbsp. or more of the concentrated lamb stock. Scatter a bit of olive oil around and sprinkle over with the garlic confit. (Serves 4).

Leg of Lamb with Fruit Confit and Root Vegetables
Idan Halperin - Caterer

1 leg of lamb, about 1 1/2 kilos, in one piece, trimmed and cleaned
1 cup olive oil
about 12 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into lengthwise halves
5 sprigs of rosemary
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the fruit confit:
1 kilo fruit of choice (apples, dates, plums), peeled, pitted and cut into small cubes
1 kilo sugar
1 flat tsp. of ground hot pepper (or less to taste)

For the root vegetables:
1 1/2 kilos mixed root vegetables (parsley root, celery root, turnip root, Jerusalem
artichokes, onions), all cut into bite sized pieces and mixed together
about 1 1/2 liter chicken stock
salt and freshly ground pepper

Prepare the root vegetables by placing them in a pot with chicken stock and cooking until the vegetables are just tender.

Prepare the fruit confit by combining the fruits and sugar in a heavy bottomed pot. Add just enough water to keep the mixture from becoming dry and cook, covered, over a low flame for 2 hours, adding water only if the pot becomes dry. Add the hot pepper, stir well and cook for another 10 minutes.

Brush the meat with olive oil and then season generously with salt and pepper, transfer to a large, heavy skillet and fry over a high flame, turning regularly, until the meat is browned and sealed. With a sharp knife cut small slits in the meat and into these insert the garlic cloves and the rosemary sprigs. Transfer the meat to an ovenproof casserole dish or baking pan, pour over the fruit confit and the cut root vegetables and bake in an oven that has been preheated to 180 degrees Celsius for one hour. Reduce the oven temperature to 120 degrees Celsius and cake for another hour (when done the meat should be almost falling off the bone). Serve directly from the casserole dish. (Serves 4 - 6).

Lamb in Mint Sauce
Boaz Kwintner
Chef-Owner of Haifa's "Isabella"

1/2 kilo boneless lamb, ground coarsely
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 - 4 shallots, chopped
1 carrot, grated
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup mint leaves, chopped
100 gr. pine nuts
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup veal stock
1/2 kilo, tomatoes, peeled and crushed
about 350 gr. lasagna leaves
1 1/2 - 2 cups tomato sauce, ideally home made

In a large heavy skillet heat the olive oil and in this saute the onion, shallots, carrot, garlic and half the mint for about 15 minutes. Add the lamb and the pine nuts and cook for 20 minutes longer. Add the red wine, veal stock and tomatoes, lower the flame and cook for 1 1/2 hours.

In a large pot filled with salted boiling water cook the lasagna leaves according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta and transfer to a bowl with cold water.

Oil a lasagna pan (or other baking pan), and cover the bottom with a layer of the lasagna noodles.
On the noodles distribute 3/4 of the meat filling and cover this with another layer of lasagna noodles.
On this distribute the remaining filling and over all, spread the tomato sauce. Transfer to an oven that has been preheated to 230 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes. Serve hot. (Serves 4 - 6).

Lamb Shoulder in Chestnut and Mushroom Sauce
Vince Mustar - Caterer

1 whole lamb shoulder
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 bottle dry red wine
3 onions, each impaled with 2 whole cloves
4 carrots, grated
6 bay leaves
1 whole head of garlic, broken into individual cloves, and each clove halved
1 bouquet garni made by tying together three sprigs each of rosemary, thyme and parsley and a
few celery leaves
1/2 kilo chestnuts poached and peeled
1/2 kilo forest mushrooms, whole (can also use a mixture of champignon and portobello mushrooms)
2 Tbsp. honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Season with lamb with salt and pepper. In a large flameproof casserole dish heat the olive oil and in this sear the lamb on all sides. Add the wine, onions, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, bouquet garni and chestnuts.

Roast in an oven that has been preheated to 180 degrees Celsius for about 1 1/2 hours, add the mushrooms and the honey, and continue to cook until the meat is done to taste (about 15 minutes longer). (Serves 6).

Grilled Lamb with Jerusalem Artichokes
Daniel Sissenbach
Chef - Nazereth's "Terra Cotta"

6 lamb steaks, each 250- 300 gr., cut from an aged lamb shoulder
12 Jerusalem artichokes
olive oil as required
juice of 1 lemon
3 heads of garlic, halved lengthwise
3/4 cup white wine
2 Tbsp. honey
12 Kalamata or other large black olives, pickled in brine, pitted
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the herb salad:
1 bunch each of the leaves only of parsley, coriander, mint, arugula, all well rinsed
1 Tbsp. roasted or fried pine nuts
fresh juice of 2 lemons
2 Tbsp. high quality olive oil
bit of sea salt

Remove the meat from the refrigerator 1 hour before preparation and season with salt and pepper.

Rinse and scrape the Jerusalem artichokes, rub them gently with olive oil and wrap in aluminum foil.
Places these under a hot grill or over hot charcoals until completely soft (about 1/2 hour). Unwrap and season with a bit of olive oil, salt and lemon juice.

Arrange the halved garlic heads in a small pan and pour over the white wine and honey. Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 120 degrees Celsius just until the garlic has browned (about 40 minutes), checking from time to time to make sure the garlic does not overcook.

Cook the meat over hot charcoals or by frying in a heavy, very lightly oiled skillet until the meat is cooked to the desired level.

Gently mix together all of the ingredients of the salad and sprinkle gently with olive oil.

Serve by arranging the artichokes on individual plates, on those placing the meat and on that the garlic halves and olives. On the side of the plates the artichokes, on that the meat, on it the garlic and olives and on the side the salad which you season with bit of olive oil . (Serves 6).

© Daniel Rogov