Beans and beans; what a clever take on the theme. Coffee beans and broad beans and the interesting combination of ingredients made it a must try for me. I used good quality white limas ( Rancho Gordo) for this recipe but you could use any good broad bean (Christmas Limas are one of my favorites!).
The lamb was flavorful and meltingly tender and the beans well-seasoned and creamy without being complete mush. Cooking it a day ahead gives all of those ingredients a chance to make friends and then you have the pleasure of an already made dish to serve. The lemon and parsley add a lovely brightness to the deep earthiness of this great cold weather dish!
After making this succulent lamb roast, I find myself wanting to shake my fist and cry, "why didn't anybody tell me that I should be making roasted leg of lamb more often?! Like, every weekend?!" I suppose the price tag will keep me from making this show-stopper as often as I would like, but even so it was worth every penny. Savour's savory purple marinade lightly scents the exterior of the lamb with sweet-salty, wine-soaked flavor that goes beautifully with the unique flavor of the meat. Do make sure to scrape the marinade off before rolling and roasting the lamb, so you don't accidentally break your tooth on a tiny pomegranate pit. And, be very careful not to overcook the lamb (as Savour says herself, that defeats the entire point). Other than those two cautions, we loved everything about this roast!
Rhubarb is a signature spring ingredient with, unfortunately, a limited reputation. Often paired with strawberries and packed into pies, rhubarb also has a sophisticated, savory side. Here the tender stalks of rhubarb are quickly sautéed in sugar and vinegar, as in Italian agrodolce dishes, as small lamb chops cook in the oven. The bright, fresh flavor of the rhubarb offers a perfect pair for the fatty, seared meat. If you are looking for a quick and elegant way to add a bit more to the plate, serve the lamb and rhubarb with a spoonful of steamed couscous.
You can feel August coming in the waning weeks of July in DC. The endless waves of heat have left our collective bodies and brains soppy and languid, unready to turn on ovens, and some days, even chop a shallot. We read recipes from the comfort of bed, planning Thanksgiving, because who really wants to think about tonight’s dinner. Or we lay prone on an Adirondack chair, wondering vaguely why someone hasn’t proffered a gin rickey. Tans deepen, in spite of expensive French sunscreen. Mosquitos hatch, then buzz quietly around ankles. And still the red line fails to come.
The lamb is prepared by slashing it deeply – almost as if cutting it into thick slices. Traditionally flavoured with garlic and rosemary, with lard acting as the vehicle to hold the marinade's flavours to the lamb, now olive oil is commonly used. The final step – the roasting – is best in a woodfired oven for those lucky enough to have them. This is one of the simplest versions of this classic dish – some add fresh sage or bay leaves; others add white wine vinegar in place of or together with the white wine; others don't use them at all. It is always cooked and served with potatoes, which become crisp, golden and moreish as they cook in and soak up the flavour of the lamb and the marinade. They will be some of the tastiest potatoes you have ever had.
Lamb shoulder is often hacked up into chops, so you may need to call around to butchers to find it, but it's worth it, and much richer and sweeter than your average leg of lamb.
This Afghan dish (known as aushak) is destined to become our new favorite comfort food. Much like a meaty ravioli, deconstructed, the filling components are divided and their flavors concentrated -- the wonton wrapper is filled with a sharp, peppery scallion paste, and warmly spiced tomato lamb sauce is strewn across the top. A cooling yogurt sauce tempers the kick and pulls it all together. The most magical part? All of these pieces come together swiftly, especially if you can round up a helper or two for dumpling assembly.
What makes this a cheap feast? When I think of a feast, besides feeding a crowd, I feel like it ought to have some little elements of decadence, some richness that makes it feel ever so above the ordinary. But, if it needs to be cheap, this means you must be clever and judicious with your fancier ingredients, scattering them with elegance rather than ebullience, and stretching them with simpler, complementary, ingredients. I feel like this dish does just that.
We recently made a quadruple batch of this recipe (last year's Baked Pasta runner-up) for a dinner party and were reminded just how much we love it. We promptly decided it deserved a spot in the second food52 cookbook. Here are our original notes: This is shepherd's pie meets moussaka -- a lamb ragout spiced with cinnamon, oregano, sumac and mint is blended with penne and feta and then topped with a cayenne-scented bechamel. After baking in the oven -- we turned up the heat to 450 degrees for the final 10 minutes -- it emerges crisp on the perimeter with a thick toasted bechamel cap. A few tips: remember to salt the pasta water and you should undercook the pasta because it will continue cooking in the later baking stage. And when you add the tomato paste to the lamb, let it toast a bit before adding the water.
There are many recipes on the web, and many varieties on the shelf. I'm partial to the harissa at Whole Foods - full of hot chilis and not too tomato-y, but that's my taste. Only use the very freshest ground lamb. Grind your own if you can. I use a KA meat grinding attachment and sausage stuffer. Some report good results with the food processor.
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Kofta
In a medium bowl combine all ingredients from lamb through pine nuts. Using your hands, mix well until smooth. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes or up to overnight.
When ready to cook, form lamb mixture into 1 ½ - 2-inch balls. Makes about 14-16 balls.
Directions for grilling: Preheat grill to medium heat. If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes prior to using. Place 4 balls on each skewer. Grill for 8-10 minutes, rotating skewers, or until the lamb is evenly browned and cooked through.
Slide meat off skewers. Place 2 balls inside each half pocket; top with a dollop of cucumber yogurt sauce and any garnishes you desire. Eat immediately.
If you don't have a grill, then you can broil, bake, or pan fry the kofta. Broil for 8-10 minutes, rotating skewers, or until the lamb is evenly browned and cooked through. Bake on 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, flipping once, or until the lamb is evenly browned and cooked through. To pan fry, place 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook kofta 7-10 minutes, flipping, until the lamb is evenly browned and cooked through.
I'm not usually a big fan of red meat, but braised lamb shanks are an exception. Cook a lamb shank for long enough, and the meat becomes soft, almost cushiony, and relaxes away from the bone. This version, adapted from Food Wishes, combines three of my favorite lamb flavor partners: pomegranate, garlic, and rosemary. You can reduce the braising liquid right down to a sticky glaze, or leave it a little saucier and spoon it over rice or couscous.
These burgers are simple yet spot on. Naomi calls for ground lamb, which makes for a sumptuous burger requiring nothing more than a bit of salt and pepper. The tang of the cilantro yogurt sauce cuts the richness, keeping the lamb from tasting gamey. We shaved the garlic using a Microplane grater, which dispersed its bite evenly throughout the yogurt and provided a more intense garlic flavor - if you decide to do the same, keep in mind you will only need one clove of garlic. We also added a large pinch of salt to the yogurt and served the burgers on toasted hamburger buns.
I have two Meyer lemon trees, which produce an abundance of fruit twice a year. I try and incorporate lemons into any number of recipes, and used them in this recipe to add a bit of zing to a leg of lamb. This marinade can also be used on lamb chops, chicken, or even salmon.
here are two wines that pair magnificently with this dish.
Not surprisingly, they both come from Provence: Châteauneuf-du-Pape (my favorite is Clos des Pape), and Bandol Rouge (I love those from Domaine Tempier inordinately!) If you are on a budget, a Côte du Rhône will do admirably.
Biftekia is basically the Greek word for burger. After I graduated high school in 1999 my parents took myself and my sisters to Greece and I ate this several times, usually made with ground lamb, these were often served on skewers and served with different condiments. I decided to try my hand at my own version of these, which are similar to meatballs or meatloaf, I used American ground lamb and combined it with a few other seasonings.
In this dish I combine green olives with one of my favorite meats, lamb shanks, and two of my favorite vegetables, celery root and fennel. If you haven't used celery root or fennel before, this dish is a great way to start. Their mellow nuttiness combines perfectly with the tangy olives and the savory lamb. It's an instant trip to the Mediterranean on a cool autumn day, and you don't even have to buy a plane ticket.
This is my version of a recipe we had on the menu at the restaurant I used to work at. I think this is a great summer meal, and tastes best when grilled outside! Allowing the salad to marinate while you cook the chops really lets the flavors of the vegetables shine through. I like my salads to be a touch aggressive with the vinegar, as the fat of the lamb eventually mixes with it, rounding it out, rather than dampening the flavor. Any feta will do here (although a mildly creamy Bulgarian feta is especially nice), but please do buy block feta and crumble it rather than buying the pre-crumbled stuff. It tastes so much better. And serve this with a little grilled pita, and you've got a great one dish meal!
