Showing posts sorted by relevance for query lamb. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query lamb. Sort by date Show all posts
I have to confess . . . I didn't eat a lot of lamb before I moved over here to the UK. My sole experience of eating lamb had been when I was a teen. My mother purchased some lamb chops at the local IGA and cooked them for us. Sadly, they smelled like she was burning a woolen mitten when they were cooking, and none of us would eat them.
Since my arrival over here though, I have come to realize that good lamb doesn't smell like burning mittens, and that it tastes luxiously rich and delicious when cooked properly. I love it so much so that Todd and I had lamb for our wedding celebration dinner, and I cook it fairly often.
Most often I cook my lamb cutlets only slightly, so that they are still meltingly pink and succulent on the insides . . . a brief searing heat on both sides of no more than 2 minutes, simply seasoned with some sea salt and cracked black pepper. Not everyone's choice I know, but I do so love it that way myself . . . with a bit of mint sauce on the side . . . and some lightly steamed baby new potatoes and fresh veg. My idea of heaven . . .
Once in a while though, it's nice to break free from the norm and try something completely new and different. When I received these lovely lamb cutlets last week from the nice folks at Abel & Cole I knew just the recipe I wanted to use for them . . . my adaption of one from Sophie Grigson's cookery book, "Country Kitchen." Abel & Cole organic lamb is very special, raised from slow growing traditional breeds, and grazed on lush green grass and wild herbs. Special lamb deserves top treatment, and I knew any recipe of Sophie's would be pretty wonderful.
If you like roasted root vegetables, roasted so that they are sweetly caramelized on the outsides and meltingly tender on the insides . . . combined with eastern spice . . . and topped off with lucious lamb cutlets, then this recipe is for you.
It's fabulous. So fabulous that, although it was supposed to serve four . . . in this house, it only served two . . . *smack*
*Spiced Lamb Chops with Roasted Roots*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
This is a very tasty, and mildly spiced dish of lamb and vegetables, all cooked together in one roasting pan. It looks like a lot of ingredients, but they go together very simply and with everything being banged together into one roasting tin, there's not a lot to clean up afterwards!
2 heaped TBS of tamarind paste
7 fluid ounces of boiling water
4 TBS sunflower oil
12 small new potatoes
6 carrots
3 large parsnips
3 red onions, peeled and quartered
6 cloves of garlic, whole and unpeeled
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black onion seeds (called kalonji or nigella seeds as well)
4 meaty lamb cutlets or chops
coarse sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
Pre-heat the oven to 220*C/425*F. Place the tamarind paste in a bowl along with the hot water and sunflower oil, whisking it together well. Whisk in the tumeric, cumin seeds and Kalongi. Mix together well. Peel the carrots in cut them half lengthwise. Peel the parsnips and quarter them. Remove the tough inner core. Peel the new potatoes if desired. Place all the vegetables in a large roasting tin along with the onion quarters and garlic cloves. Pour the tamarind mixture over top and disperse amongst the vegetables using your hands. Cover tightly with tinfoil and then bang the pan into the oven and roast them, covered, for half an hour. Remove from the oven and discard the foil. Give the vegetables a good stir and then bury the lamb cutlets down into them, making sure they are coated in the juices. Return to the oven and roast, uncovered, for an additional 40 to 50 minutes, until the chops are cooked and the vegetables are all very tender and gorgeously caramelized on the edges. (Check once in a while and add a bit more water if need be.) When done, serve immediately with some crusty bread.
My Todd is very fond of a curry, so every now and then I make one for him. I have a few Indian cookery books that I like to use if I am making one from scratch. Yes, I confess, often I will just use a good jarred sauce (Lloyd Grossman makes lovely sauces) but the other day I decided to make him a Lamb Curry from scratch and Lamb Rogan Josh is one of his favourites.
Curry's are not all that difficult to make. They are like stews really, but with completely different spices and aromatics than what you normally use in a stew.
This one uses cubed lamb. Neck fillet if you can get it, or leg of lamb. I find it most annoying that in the shops you can normally only get New Zealand lamb when we raise beautiful lamb right on our own doorsteps. I adore British/Welsh lamb. It is beautiful. For this curry I used New Zealand leg of lamb, cubed.
To begin you will need to make a curry paste. This is as simple as bunging a few ingredients into a blender/food processor and blitzing them until smooth . . . coriander stems (cilantro), red chili, cumin and coriander seeds, paprika, turmeric and tomato puree. Its very simple.
To start the curry off whole spices (cinnamon sticks, cardamom, bay leaf and cloves) are fried in a bit of oil until quite fragrant, which
only takes a few minutes. Then you add the onion and the lamb, quickly browning it off, and then adding some garlic and grated fresh ginger root.
Next, you stir in the curry paste that you have made, making sure that the lamb is well coated in it and then a quantity of water is added. The lamb is then simmered until the juices reduce and thicken and the lamb becomes very tender . . . this takes about 45 minutes or so.
Finally you stir in some thick yogurt which makes the sauce somewhat creamy. Oh, but it is quite delicious. Its not as mild as most of the curries I make, but its not blast your head off hot either. Todd really likes it.
I like to serve it with Pilau Rice and poppadoms. Have you discovered poppadoms? They are like Indian potato chips, or thin crisp tortillas, except they are made from ground lentils and fried until very crisp. I buy them ready made and heat them in the oven. You can buy them plain or with flavours added, the most common being garlic and coriander. That is that crisp bread you see on the side there. Oh but they are some good!
*Lamb Rogan Josh*
Serves 4
A
moderately spiced curry from Kashmir in the North of India. This is an
area which is famous for its aromatic and sumptuous curries!
For the Lamb:
1 TBS peanut oil
1 (2 inch) cinnamon stick
5 whole cardamom pods slightly bruised
3 dried bay leaves
4 whole cloves
1 onion, peeled and chopped
600g lamb neck fillet, trimmed and cubed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger-root, peeled and grated
100g fat free natural yogurt (scant half cup)
For the curry paste:
1 bunch fresh coriander, leaves and stems separated
1 red chili, seeded and finely chopped
2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely ground
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
2 TBS tomato puree (tomato paste)
400ml water (14 fluid ounces)
First make the paste. Put the coriander stalks, tomato puree, red
chili, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, paprika, turmeric and
garam masala into a small food processor. Blitz to smooth.
A curry is a funny thing . . . you crave them, you make one and then you are happy not to have another one for a month or so until you start craving one again. Over here they are quite traditional fare on Saturday nights or for eating after a pub crawl. My pub crawling days are long since over, but every now and then I do enjoy a good curry for our tea. This one makes a change from Chicken curry, and is moderately spiced. Its very good. Adapted from a recipe found on BBC Good Food. Bon Appetit!
In the summer months when we want something that little bit heartier for our dinner, the slow cooker becomes my best friend. If I don't want to be heating up the kitchen, the slow cooker is the way to go! I have three slow cookers. One in a large size for making dishes large enough to feed over 4 people, and two smaller ones which are perfectly sized for two people, a round one and an oval one, because a small round one doesn't always cut the mustard when it comes to slow cooking. A small oval one is perfect for small roasts, hams, etc.
Slow cooking lends itself perfectly to creating delicious dishes like this Lamb Tagine I am showing you here today. A Tagine is traditionally a Moroccan dish. I love the flavours of Moroccan food.
Moroccan cuisine is a delicious mix of Arabic, Andalusian, Mediterranean and Berber cuisine with a dash of European and Subsaharian influence thrown in for good measure. Think what we traditionally see as warm baking spices . . . cinnamon, ginger, mace, nutmeg and cloves . . . with some heat through in from cayenne and black pepper . . . and lemon. They love to use preserved lemons . . . leafy things like coriander . . . rose petals. And this is by no means a complete list, but merely a hint of the deliciousness involved.
They also love using tomatoes, dried apricots, dates, prunes . . . I love savoury dishes with dried fruit involved, and this one is just wonderful using both apricots and prunes . . . and zest of oranges . . .
The sauce is fragrant and delicious . . . sweet and savoury at the same time, with a tiny bit of heat, but not overpoweringly so . . .
The sauce/gravy is thickened with ground almonds or what you might know in American as almond meal, which lends a slight nuttiness into the mix . . . and then there is the sweetness of that oh so tender lamb . . .
Lamb was not something I had ever eaten a lot of before I moved over here to the UK. My only experience with it had been my mother cooking lamb chops once for us when I was a teenager. They smelled like burning wool when she was cooking them, and none of us would eat them. The thought of eating burning wool was not very appealing.
I can only think now that they were not very good lamb chops . . . because I have never had lamb over here that smelled like burning wool, or tasted like it for that matter. I truly love the taste . . . young tender lamb has a delicate almost sweet taste. Older lamb can taste a bit gamey, but its not bad either.
*Lamb Tagine*
Serves 2
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground sweet paprika
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp runny clear honey
I hope you will take advantage of your slow cooker this summer and make this delicious Moroccan stew! I think you will love it! Bon Appetit, or as they say in Morocco, بالصحة و العافية! Now that's what I would call a tongue twister, lol Serving it with peas and rice is so, so . . . well, English. In Morocco you would probably have it with couscous!
Next week, October 9th til the 15th is National Curry Week here in the UK! I was challenged by Tasty Easy Lamb to come up with an Indian Tapas kind of a dish, something quick and easy but also delicious! You know how much I love a challenge. As soon as I was asked, the wheels in my food-loving brain started turning. This is what I came up with!
Lamb is such a diverse meat and its really fun to take it beyond the traditional "roasted and served with mint box" that we tend to pigeon-hole it in. It wasn't really something that I had eaten much of prior to moving over here to the UK, but something which I have fallen totally in love with over the past seventeen odd years.
Curry was also something which I had a limited experience with. I had spent a number of years on an armed forces base in Western Canada, which happened to be the British Army Training Unit in Canada. I was introduced to Curry there by some friends we made which happened to be British and fell in love.
How amazing that I would get to combine these two great loves
in one unique challenge!
Meet Curried Lamb Tacos! I know that Tacos are traditionally a Mexican thing, but bear with me here . . . this is truly fusion cuisine! Indian flavours, with British Lamb . . . put together with a tex mex twist!
Quick, easy and delicious! I used leg of lamb steaks, well trimmed and thinly sliced and then chopped. The meat is lean and fabulous. This gets marinated for about 15 minutes in a fusion of Indian curry spices with splash of hot green pepper sauce (which I have just discovered and love, LOVE) . . . I chose to use a Madras Curry Powder because I wanted some heat . . . but if you are not fond of heat you can use a milder one.
You soften some onion in a skiller and then add the meat and brown it all over. A bit of Indian beer gets poured on top and then the whole mixture is simmered until totally tender while you put together the cucumber raita topping and heat the folded flat breads. This takes literally minutes, no longer than fifteen.
Fill your warm flatbreads with some shredded lettuce and sliced cucumber and then pile on that delicious lamb curry mixture, a nice bit of cooling raitia and a dollop of good mango chutney and Sanjay is your Uncle! They are ready to be scarfed down and enjoyed with some more cold Indian beer! These are sooooo delicious! I have found a new love . . . and it is Curried Lamb Tacos!
*Curried Lamb Tacos*
Serves 4 - 6
1 TBS dried coriander flakes
1 TBS Madras curry powder (if you don't like heat, you can
I semi freeze my lamb steaks prior to cutting. Trim off any fat or sinew and cut them into very thin strips crosswise and then, cut the strips into small bits. Put the meat into a bowl. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander flakes, curry powder, chili powder, salt, black pepper and green pepper sauce. Let sit for about 15 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the seasoned lamb. Cook and stir over medium heat until browned. Pour in the beer. Bring to the boil, then cover tightly and simmer on low for about 15 minutes, or until the lamb is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated.
While the lamb is cooking make the raita. Peel, deseed and grate the
cucumber. Peel and grate the ginger. Stir the grated cucumber, ginger,
coriander, salt and cumin into the yogurt along with the chopped
coriander or mint. Set aside.
Heat your flatbreads or tortilla boats according to the package directions.
Place the heated breads/boats onto a serving platter. Place some shredded lettuce in each and top with the cooked lamb mixture. Garnish with a dollop of raita and some mango chutney and serve immediately.
I also tested some of these in those soft flour tortilla boats that you can buy in the shops now and they were equally as delicious!
Happy Curry Week and भोजन का आनंद लें बोन अप्पेतित! Namaste!
I was sent a really nice piece of kitchen kit a few months back from the people at Eddingtons.
The PL8 Gourmet Slicer. I've been really putting it through it's paces over the weeks and wanted to tell you all about it today. Since I've been using it for all sorts, I've kind of thrown together a meal for your viewing pleasure . . . some really delicious marinated lamb chops with a potato side dish, a deliciously fruity slaw and a tasty dessert, most of which (with the exception of the lamb) I have been able to use this handy piece of kitchen kit for! In other words . . . a really "Grate" meal, every pun intended!
Living here in Chester we are situated right on the border with Wales. In fact right now they are harvesting their leeks on the farms which surround the housing area where we live and the air smells just gorgeous. The Welsh are known for their leeks, but they are also known for a lot of other deliciousness as well! Today I want to tell you about a fabulous online Shop which delivers Welsh Food right to your door called the Bodnant Welsh Food Centre. I was asked if I would like to try some of their products and I was quite happy to do so!
I was going to make a shepherd's pie with the leftovers from the roasted lamb the other day but instead I decided to make a hash, but not just any kind of hash . . . a Lamb Samosa Hash! Lamb is a common filling used to make Samosa's and so I thought why not make a hash which incorporates the flavours which go into a Samosa and all I can say is . . . GREAT CALL on my part, because it was fabulous!
If you are looking for a delicious way to cook some lovely spring lamb cutlets look no further!
I found this delicious looking recipe in a book of mine called Secrets from a Country Kitchen by Lucy Young. The original recipe called for studding two 7 chop rack of lamb with garlic and roasting them for about 25 minutes in a hot oven. I didn't have a rack of lamb.
I did have some lamb cutlets though, and so I decided to rub them with some olive oil, crushed garlic, salt and pepper and leave them to marinate for half an hour. I then took out my lovely new grill griddle pan and seared them on both sides, just until they were pink in the middle.
The real treat in this recipe is the sauce. It might sound a bit odd, but trust me when I say it's delicious! The original recipe called for two anchovy filets to be simmered with the garlic, but I didn't have any and so I added a tsp of Worcestershire sauce instead and it worked quite well! It was a real treat served with some steamed basamati rice and haricots vert on the side!
This was quick and easy to do and would make a lovely dinner party meal. Lucy suggests also trying the sauce with a saddle of lamb. Sounds like a winner to me!
*Garlic Lamb Cutlets with a Mint and Sun Blushed Tomato Sauce*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
Garlicky grilled lamb cutlets, cooked till just pink inside, with a creamy mint and sun blushed tomato sauce spooned over top. Delicious!
8 meaty lamb cutlets
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
For the Sauce:
10 fluid ounces of double cream (1 1/4 cups)
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
5 fluid ounces of white wine (5/8 cup)
1 heaped tsp of mint sauce
(from a jar, the stuff with vinegar in it)
2 TBS chopped fresh mint leaves
2 ounces sun blushed tomatoes, snipped in half with kitchen scissors (1/4 cup altogether)
fine seasalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Rub the garlic cloves into the lamb cutlets along with some sea salt and olive oil. Let sit for half an hour, while you make the sauce.
Heat the cream over medium heat along with the 2 cloves of garlic until it comes to the boil. Reduce to a slow simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes over very low heat. At the end of that time, press it through a seive with the back of a spoon into a clean pot. (the garlic should be soft by then) Whisk iin the white wine and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to the boil. Cook whisking frequently over high heat until reduced somewhat. Stir in the mint sauce, chopped fresh mint, the sun blush tomatoes and season to taste with some salt and black pepper to taste. Keep warm while you grill the lamb.
Heat your grill pan. Sear the lamb cutlets on both sides for several minutes per side, or until they are done to your desire. We like them pink, which takes 2 to 3 minutes per side, but you may like them more well done. Place the cooked cutlets onto a heated platter and spoon some of the hot sauce over top. Garnish with some fresh mint sprigs and pass the remaining sauce at the table. Steamed rice and a green vegetable go very well with this.
Be sure to stop by tomorrow! I have a delicious dessert to share with you that you are just going to love!
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