Lamb – Grow. Cook. Eat.

September 15, 2010

When it Rains, It Pours (Recipe: Moussaka)

My friend Matthew called again the other day in a panic – he had two more boxes from his farm-share, CSA subscription that were now languishing in his refrigerator. He had been sharing the subscription with two other friends, but both were out of town and he was baffled by the bounty.

He brought over his vegetables. Amid the overflowing diversity, I found a 10 pound bag of tomatoes a wee past prime. I began trimming the bad parts from the tomatoes, eyeing the tomatoes on the counter from my garden that also needed attention. Just then, my neighbor showed up outside my window. She brought over a basket of her tomatoes – a thank you for the tomatoes I had shared with her earlier in the season when she had none.

I put a large pot on the stove and started a big batch of tomato sauce. I sautéed garlic in olive oil and then added the tomatoes. I didn’t bother to peel or seed them. Some I didn’t even cut. As they softened from the heat, I crushed them. They cooked down for about 20 minutes, and then I pureed them.

With the base of tomato sauce, and an abundance of eggplant from my garden and the farm-share, I decided to make moussaka.

From the garden: garlic, tomatoes, mint, eggplant
From the CSA box: tomatoes, eggplant

Moussaka
Moussaka is a layered casserole dish with origins in Greece. It reminds me of lasagna with fried eggplant slices instead of pasta.

Eggplant
3 medium sized eggplant
1 tbs. salt
½ cup flour
½ cup olive oil
½ cup grated asiago cheese

Sauce
1 tbs. olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 pound lamb
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. dried greek oregano
2 cups tomato sauce
Salt and pepper
2 tbs. fresh mint

Besamel Sauce
2 cups milk
2 tbs. butter, room temperature
¼ cup flour
3 eggs
½ tsp. salt

1. Cut the eggplant into ½ inch slices. Sprinkle them with salt and let sit for 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, start the sauce…. Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onions and garlic and cook until they start to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the lamb, salt and pepper. With a spoon, break up the lamb. Add the cinnamon, oregano and tomatoes. Continue cooking until the sauce is thick, about 20 minutes. Set aside and stir in the mint.

3. Make the besamel sauce… In a pot, heat 1 ½ cups of milk. In a bowl, whisk eggs with remaining milk. Knead together the flour and butter. Slowly pour in hot milk into egg/milk mixture while whisking vigorously. Return to pot over medium heat. Stir in flour/butter mix and continue cooking until it thickens. Season with salt and remove from heat.

4. Fry eggplant… Brush off excess salt and moisture. Dust slices with flour. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, fry the eggplant slices until golden brown on both sides. It may be necessary to cook in several batches. Drain on a paper towel.

5. Assemble the moussaka: in a 9” x 9” pyrex dish, layer half of the eggplant slices on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the cheese on top. Pour sauce on top and spread evenly in the pan. Layer the remaining eggplant on top. Sprinkle another third of the cheese on top of the eggplant. Pour the besamel sauce on top and sprinkle remaining cheese on top of that.

6. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.

December 4, 2009

Breaking Out Summer (Recipe: Eggplant Portobello Torta)

When winter seems interminable, usually around the beginning of February, I break into my stash of jarred tomatoes. The red jewels of the summer garden were canned at their peak of flavor. And when I need a dose of sunshine, the bright, sweet acidity exudes summer warmth.

In typical years, I can about 2 dozen jars. After I give a few out as gifts, I ration myself – one or two jars a month. I try to hold off as long as I can before I start digging in so that during the coldest days, I know I’ll have an antidote to dreary New England winters.

This year, I had a canning-palooza, with a record 72 jars! I’ve become a little reckless. Yes, I know, winter doesn’t officially start until December 21st. But last night, I opened the first two jars.

I pureed a can of smoked tomatoes with a can of tomato sauce for a simple, yet flavorful sauce to grilled leg of lamb. A “Portobello” napoleon rounded out the plate.

Roast Leg of Lamb with Eggplant Portobello Torta and Smoked Tomato Coulis
Serves 4
4 portobellos, caps only
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
1 eggplant
1/4 cup flour
1 egg mixed with ¼ cup water
1 cup bread crumbs
1 can smoked tomatoes
Canola/olive oil mix for cooking

Marinade
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ bunch fresh sage, chopped
½ bunch fresh thyme, chopped
½ bunch scallions, green and white parts, chopped.
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Make the marinade: Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add herbs and spices, and cook about 2 minutes more, until they are fragrant. Let marinade cool. Add lamb, and marinate overnight.
2. Put mushrooms in a single layer on a baking sheet, fins up.
3. Sprinkle with garlic, shallots, vinegar, oil, and thyme.
4. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Roast in 400F oven for 15 minutes, or until tender.

6. Cut the eggplant on a bias into at least 4 slices. Season eggplant with a generous sprinkling of salt. Let sit for 20 minutes. Rub off excess salt off and pat dry.
7. Bread the eggplant: use three dishes, one for flour, one for the egg, and one for the bread crumbs. Coat with flour, then dip in the egg mixture and finally coat with bread crumbs.
8. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil to coat the bottom of the pan, by ¼ inch. Fry eggplant for 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crispy. Let the eggplant drain on a paper towel.
9. Puree tomatoes. Warm in a sauce pan over medium heat. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as desired.
10. Preheat oven to 425F.
11. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Sear lamb on all sides until brown
12. Roast lamb for 15 minutes, or until cooked to desired doneness.
13. Make a “sandwich” with the eggplant, cheese and Roasted Portobellos.
14. Bake at 400F until the cheese is melted.
15. Meanwhile, slice lamb.
16. Garnish with sandwich, tomato coulis and broccoli.

October 26, 2009

Lamb Kibbe

Last week, I was cramming lots of food into the freezer – bags of kale, ice cube trays of herbs, jalapenos – trying to preserve what’s left from my summer garden. As I tried to make room, I unearthed quite a bit from last year’s haul, including a few cryovac bags of lamb.

Food doesn’t necessarily rot in the freezer but it does go bad. Water evaporates causing freezer burn – that off, dried out texture on the outer edge of meat. It won’t harm you to eat, but the meat will be a little dry. The ice crystals that form as a “protective layer” on ice cream? That’s also water evaporation. Food also tends to absorb flavors from the freezer. No matter how vigilant you are about changing the box of baking soda (and let’s be honest, who is?), food will begin to lose its flavor after several months. Sealing food in air-tight bags helps. I’ve eaten food, properly stored, up to two years later that’s been fine.

But I didn’t want to chance saving my prized lamb for another year. I decided to make Kibbe… a Middle Eastern dish of spiced ground lamb mixed with bulgur. I recently had this dish at Rami’s in Brookline (home of amazing shwarma) and it was delicious!

I served the kibbe with a green salad dressed with Kripalu dressing. The sesame seed paste is reminiscent of the tarator sauce so common in Middle Eastern cuisine.

Stuffed Kibbe
1 cup fine bulgur
1 pound ground lamb
¼ tsp. ground allspice
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch cayenne
2 tsp. salt
Black pepper

Stuffing
1 tbs. olive oil
¼ pound ground lamb
½ small onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons pinenuts
Two pinches of allspice
½ teaspoon salt
Black pepper

Oil for Frying

1. Put the bulgur in a bowl and cover it completely with at least two cups of water. Let sit for 15 minutes, or until bulgur is tender.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and onions. Cook for 4minutes or until onions soften and lightly brown. Add pinenuts and cook for 2 minutes, or until they toast lightly. Add the lamb and stir, breaking up the lamb, cooking until it is cooked through. Season with allspice. Let cool in the refrigerator.

3. Drain the bulgur and squeeze out any excess water. Mix the bulgur with the remaining ingredients. Divide the mix into 12 balls.

4. Flatten out each ball, and fill with about 1 tbs. of the filling. Fold the raw meat around the filling and form it into a football shape.

5. Heat about 1 inch of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Fry the kibbe until brown all sides, about 7 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.

July 22, 2009

Spicy Chick Peas

I have a few friends who make their food preferences very clear. Truthfully, I like that… with all the options of things to cook for dinner, I appreciate the focus this gives me. I know Dina likes Smoked Chicken salad, and Matthew likes lamb.

Last week, we planned a picnic at Tanglewood, and I knew what to bring: Smoked Chicken Salad for Dina, and Tandoori Lamb for Matthew. Sure, I had just made it a few times already in the past month, but why not make the guy happy.

I often serve the lamb with raita or mint chutney. But with the first jalapeno in the garden, I decided to make another recipe from Singapore Food, Spicy Chickpeas.

Spicy Chickpeas
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ghee or oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
1 green chili chopped
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon coriander
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups cooked chickpeas
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 sprig cilantro for garnish

1. Heat a large skillet with oil. Add onions, garlic, ginger and jalapeno, and cook for 10 minutes or until onions soften. Add spices and cook until aromatic, about 2 minutes.

2. Add chickpeas and ½ cup of water. Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove cover and continue cooking until liquid is absorbed.

3. Stir in tomatoes, and cook just until they lose their raw edge.

4. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

July 20, 2009

The Quest for Authentic (Recipe: Tandoori Chicken)

When I travel abroad, I like to buy cookbooks that feature the local cuisine. Usually, they're unavailable in the US. And especially with the books purchased in Asia, they have not been tailored to the “western kitchen.” True or not, I think the recipes will be more authentic to the region. And I feel confident enough in both my cooking skills and ability to find the unusual ingredients in the Boston markets that I am unfettered by these recipes.

Thanks to the magic of the internet, Wendy Hutton's books are now available in the US. Her recipe for tandoori chicken is exceptional in flavor and tastes as good as anything I’ve eaten in a restaurant. I use this recipe for both lamb and chicken.

Mine little resembles in appearance the restaurant version since I don’t use food coloring and leave on the marinade when I cook it. I love the flavor of the marinade roasted in the butter and chicken juices, and could easily make a meal of those drippings slathered on naan. Since I don’t have a tandoori oven at home (and who does??), I cook it in a cast iron skillet on the charcoal grill outside. I was less pleased with her naan recipe and use the one from Stonyfield Farms that comes courtesy of Peter Franklin.

Tandoori Chicken
with no adaption from Singapore Food by Wendy Hutton

1 chicken, about 2 lbs.
1 tbs. melted butter or ghee

Marinade 1
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. white pepper
pinch cloves
1 tsp. crushed garlic
1 ½ tbs. lemon juice

Marinade 2
4 tbs. plain yogurt
1 heaping tbs. cilantro, pounded
1 heaping tbs. mint, pounded
1 tbs. cumin
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. crushed fresh ginger
1 tsp. white vinegar
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1/3 tsp. cardamom
few drops of red food coloring (opt.)

1. Remove feet, head and skin from the chicken and make deep cuts in the thighs and breasts. Combine all ingredients for marinade 1 and rub well into the chicken. Leave in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

2. Combine ingredients for marinade 2 and rub evenly all over the chicken, making sure some of the marinade penetrates the slits. Leave in refrigerator for at least 6 hours.

3. Brush grill with ghee or butter and cook chicken over hot coals, brushing from time to time.

Yogurt Flatbread (Naan)
1 cup warm water
1 packet dry, active yeast
1 cup Stonyfield plain yogurt
2 teaspoons salt
5-6 cups all purpose flour
4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1. In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer (i.e. Kitchen Aid), combine the water, yogurt and butter, and yeast. Mix well and let sit for 5 minutes.
2. Mix together the salt and flour, and gradually add to the liquids. If the dough becomes too stiff to mix, add a bit of warm water, 1 tbs. at a time. Knead by hand for 5-6 minutes, until dough is smooth and shiny.
3. Place the dough in a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for +/- 20 minutes.
4. Portion dough into 2 ounce pieces, and roll very thin (tortilla like thickness) with a rolling pin. Layer rolled-out pieces on flour dusted parchment or waxed paper until ready to cook.
5. The Naan may be cooked in a skillet (cast iron is best…heat to medium high heat, ungreased) or even on a barbecue grill. Cook about 2 minutes per side, or until desired level of doneness. Dough will bubble and rise a bit as it cooks. This is normal.
6. Serve warm.

February 5, 2009

Adina Kebabi

Meatballs are a great way to utilize the lesser cuts of meat. And by lesser, I mean tougher. Grinding the meat breaks down the muscle tissues, yielding a product that's tender and cooks quickly. What makes these cuts tough also makes them more flavorful. The meat we typically eat are the muscles — legs, tenderloin, racks and flank. The more use the muscles get, like the legs, the tougher the meat. But this means more blood flows through them, so the meat is also more flavorful.

Just about every culture has its version of meatballs — Swedish, Italian, Chinese. Each culture imprints its own style with the different seasoning. The Turkish version, Adina Kebabi, gets its kick from mint, chilies and cinnamon. Typically it's served with a parsley-sumac salad which offers a refreshing contrast to the highly seasoned meat.

Adina Kebabi

1 lb. ground lamb
1 onion, finely chopped
½ cup chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbs. mint
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

1. Gently mix all ingredients together. Form into a sausage shape around a skewer.
2. Grill (or saute) over medium high flame, until golden brown and cooked through. Serve with Salad, Roasted Tomatoes and Roasted Onions.

Salad
1 red onion, finely sliced
¼ cup flat parsley leaves
1 ½ tsp. sumac

1. Mix everything together.

I'm submitting this recipe to Southern Grace's Cinnamon Celebration

October 23, 2008

Lambapalooza!!

I had been talking about this for months – the half lamb I was getting as payment for work I had done for Brett. The lamb had been raised by his friends Donna and Cameron down the road. I had been to their farm last summer. It sits on the tip of the Potomac River, just before it meets up with the Chesapeake Bay. They raise about 20 lamb at a time and they are bottle fed twice a day. They lead an idyllic life. The evening I visited their farm, Cameron prepared a dish from his native Iran: lamb kebabs marinated with rose water, yogurt, saffron and a few other spices. The flavor and aroma were intoxicating.

Last week I picked up the lamb – which Brett had kindly slaughtered, aged and butchered for me. Normally, I would have helped with that chore, but my work schedule prevented me from making a timely visit. Nonetheless, I picked up my share and returned home with a trunk-full of meat and other assorted fresh produce from Brett’s farm.

In honor of this momentous occasion, I invited a dozen friends for Lambapalooza. Even with such a large crowd, we only consumed about ¼ of my share.

Barbecued Lamb with Sweet Potato Biscuits

I braised the lamb shanks with red wine, mirepoix and chicken stock. When the meat was falling off the bone tender, I shredded it and tossed it with my smoked tomato ketchup (which doubles as barbecue sauce). I made sweet potato biscuits and sandwich the lamb and arugula in the middle.

Sweet Potato Soup with Roasted Corn and Chipotle – Lamb Sausage

Sauté sweet potatoes with garlic, onions, carrots and celery in butter. When the onions start to soften, deglaze with white wine and water (or chicken stock). Simmer until the vegetables are soft. Puree and season with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and cream. Serve hot, topped with roasted corn (cut off the cob) and diced pieces of chipotle lamb sausage.

Minted Lamb with Minted French Lentils and Peachy Mama Jam

Sweat shallots and garlic in olive oil. When they are soft add cumin and coriander. Let cool. Season meat generously with salt and pepper. Rub lamb with onion/garlic/oil mix, lots of mint and a little balsamic vinegar. Serve on a bed of lentils that have been cooked with mirepoix, ginger and curry and seasoned with mint just before serving. Garnish with Peachy Mama Jam just before serving.

Tandoori Lamb with Grilled Naan

My tandoori marinade recipe comes from a cookbook I purchased in Singapore. The first time I prepared this recipe, I was amazed at how the flavor so closely resembled that which I had eaten in restaurants. I have recreated many Asian-style restaurant dishes at home…but this is the first recipe that actually tasted like what I had eaten in restaurants.

Platters of Roasted, Grilled and Sautéed Vegetables

Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Grilled Zucchini, Roasted Beets with Pistachios, Broccoli Raab sautéed with Garlic and chiles, and green beans sautéed with ginger and lime leaves.

…and for dessert – two more masterpieces from Dina

Chocolate Mocha Opera Torte

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Butter Cream

A special thanks to David for taking photos!