If a lamb shoulder is not available you can use a leg, or chops. The result is not quite the same but there are times when we must cook with not what we want but with what we have.

If the lamb is small you can make do with just the meat, salt and water, but for me I like a rich abundant sauce to baste the meat. My recipe includes wine and garlic and in truth it turns out fantastic.

If you have a clay cooking dish of sufficient size for four pounds of lamb all the better, if not any cooking dish for the oven will work.

Ingredients for six persons

2 shoulder lamb shoulder roasts of 2 pounds each
6 large cloves of garlic.
1 sprig of fresh parsley.
1 ½ cups red wine.
1/2 cup water.
1 pinch of ground black pepper.
Salt.

Method of preparation

1º Peel the garlic and cut into small pieces, put them in a mortar along with the parsley and grind until they are well crushed. Fill the mortar with wine

2º Warm the oven to 400°

3º Salt the lamb and put it in the cooking dish..

4º Baste the lamb with a little red wine.

5º Put the lamb in the oven for about 20 minutes until it begins to turn golden.

6º Lower the oven to 350°º.

7º Baste the lamb with the wine mixture from the mortar.

8º Add to the cooking dish the rest of the wine and the water and a little more salt. It is better to add to little as you can always add more to taste later.

9º Allow it to cook for 20 to 30 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.

While the lamb cooks, at least once open the oven and baste the lamb with the juices form the dish.