A good lamb marsala recipe is a great variation on the classic Italian recipe: thin cutlets of lamb or goat loin or leg roast pounded thin, fried and served covered in a rich sauce of wine, cream, stock, and wild mushrooms. It’s probably one of the most well-known dishes of Italian American cuisine. I’ve been making different versions of this for about 20 years-read on and I’ll walk you through the process.
Peas cooked with onion and a slice of ham or bacon are the perfect accompaniment to this dish.
The first time I had the dish it was made with chicken and it was great, but, using lamb or goat, especially if you use a tender piece of the loin and go out of the way to source some interesting mushrooms is a different experience entirely.
Our grass fed lamb loins are ideal for making marsala.
You can use many different mushrooms here. Oyster mushrooms, lions mane, and especially shiitakes all have a good flavor, and are widely available, but portobello or crimini mushrooms will be just fine too.
Serving lamb marsala with wild mushroom sauce.
If you don’t know how to pound a cutlet from a piece of lamb or goat leg (or the loin) I did a demonstration of that for our video on Lamb Milanese here.
Thin cutlets of lamb or goat loin or leg, served with a rich sauce of wild chanterelle and lobster mushrooms, marsala wine, stock and cream is a great variation on an Italian American classic.
Serves 4
Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter with the lamb bacon if using. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook on medium heat until the shallot is translucent. Add the stock, bring to a simmer, then add the peas. Toss the peas to coat with the butter and stock, then set aside off the heat.
Lamb and mushrooms
Wash and clean the wild mushrooms, then lay on a towel to rest until needed. If you bought your mushrooms from a store, skip this part.
Cut the lamb roast or loin into 1/2 inch cutlets, cutting them diagonally if needed. You’re looking for 2-3 oz pieces of meat that can be pounded and tenderized. Assume 2 cutlets per person.
Preheat the oven to a warming setting.
Cut one of the shallots into ¼ inch dice (small cubes) or chop fine. Cut the other shallot into thin slices.
Pound the cutlets thin with a mallet. Season the pieces of meat with salt and pepper on one side only, then dredge lightly in flour just before cooking.
Meanwhile, heat a large pan at least 10 inches in diameter with the oil. Brown the cutlets well on one side, then flip them over and cook for a few seconds on the other side. Remove the cutlets to a pan and keep warm in the oven while you make the sauce.
Add the mushrooms and sliced shallot to the pan, along with 2 tablespoons of butter, season with a pinch of salt, stir, cover the pan, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the mushrooms have given up their juice.
When the mushrooms have started to wilt and any liquid is nearly evaporated, turn the pan to high heat, add the marsala to the pan, stir, tilt the pan to the side and allow it to ignite.
Cook for a minute, swirling the pan until the flames die. Cook for another minute more until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the stock to the pan and cook until the liquid is reduced by half.
Add the cream to the pan, stir, taste and adjust the seasoning for salt until it tastes good to you. Reduce the sauce a bit until it’s thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
At the last minute, return the lamb cutlets to the pan just to warm them through, then serve directly from the pan, or transfer to a serving dish.
Serving
Reheat the peas, check the seasoning and adjust as needed, then serve with a slotted spoon alongside the lamb, mushrooms and sauce.
Video
Notes
Many cuts can be used here. The most tender will be lamb loin, but roasts from the leg are great too.