Spring lamb

Like eggs which represent new life, lamb is a symbol of Spring,  renewal of the animal kingdom. You can buy a whole leg to roast or a boned and butterflied (opened wide) leg to grill or chops to pan fry or shanks to braise or bake and chunks for stew. So here again this year are a few ways to enjoy lamb this bleak quarantine season and hopefully brighten your table.  As usual none of the recipes are complex. And they don't require any fancy purchases to send you rushing perilously to a store.   
Next post will feature Spring vegetables like asparagus.

Lamb with fresh dates This is the recipe everybody asks me for after they eat it. I never get time to photograph it. Sorry!
Serves 8-10

3 lbs cubed lamb 
5 lg garlic cloves, minced 
2” fresh ginger, peeled and grated 
1 tbsp paprika 
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin 
3 tbsp butter 
1 lg onion, sliced into thin rings (you’ll need about 2 cups) 
Pinch saffron
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cinnamon sticks 
2 tsp dried ginger 
1/8 tsp ground cayenne (1/4 if you like hotter) 
1/2 c chopped fresh dates plus 24 whole Medjool dates (yes, with pits) 
1/2 cup raisins (preferably golden) soaked in hot water with 1 tsp rose water 
Optionally: 1/2 c pomegranate arils 
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Season lamb generously with salt and pepper. 
Combine garlic, fresh ginger, paprika and cumin in a small bowl, then smear it all over the lamb. Let the lamb sit in that on the counter for at least an hour or wrap it and leave it overnight in the fridge. Return to room temperature to continue.

In a Dutch oven or large heavy gauge lidded casserole (think Le Creuset), melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and saffron and generous salt. Sauté until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and continue cooking another minute. Add lamb and sauté until meat and onions are lightly browned.

Heat oven to 400º. To the lamb pot, add cinnamon sticks, dried ginger, chopped dates and enough water to just cover everything. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot tightly with a lid and put in the hot oven. Bake at 400 for 1/2 hr, then reduce heat to 350º. Check liquid and add water if it has fallen below the meat. Continue to bake another hour until the meat is almost falling apart.

Remove from the oven and skim off any obvious surface fat. Add the whole dates, stir, cover the pot and put it on a burner with medium/low heat. Cook 5-8 minutes until dates are plump from the sauce. Remove from heat.
To serve, pour into a large bowl, top with the drained raisins, optional arils and cilantro. The sauce should be very thick.

not my photo

Lamb with chickpeas and chard
This colorful and nutritious Palestinian dish comes from the Gaza Strip where it’s known as Fogaiyya.

It features a typical local flavoring method of frying the garlic in salt at the last minute. Usually it’s served “soupy” in a bowl with medium grain rice. I prefer to use fregola to soak up the juices for a drier dish served on a flat plate. You have choice.

Serves 4 and is easy to double

1½ -3/4 lb boneless lamb stew meat, lean if you can get it 
2 tsp ground allspice 
3-4 tbsp olive oil, 1 reserved for the finale 
1 lg yellow onion, finely chopped 
1 lg cinnamon stick 
4 whole cloves 
5 cardamom pods, cracked to release the seeds 
½ tsp ground nutmeg 
1 lg bay leaf 
2 tsp salt, divided (1 tsp of coarse sea salt if you have it) 
3½ -4 cup water or vegetable broth or combination of the two 
½ cup medium grain or paella rice or fregola or farro 
1 14-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 
1 bunch chard, thick stems removed, washed, leaves chopped Freshly ground black pepper to your taste
6 garlic cloves
½ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed 
Lemon wedges for garnish


Coat the lamb with the allspice.
Cover the bottom of a heavy gauge lidded pot with 2-3 tbsp of olive oil and warm over medium heat. Add onions and sauté 3 minutes to soften. Add the lamb. Sauté until meat is brown, 5-7 minutes. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom seeds, nutmeg and bay leaf. Stir to blend. Add the water/broth (use 4 cups if you plan to use farro), bring to a boil, cover and lower heat. Simmer 90 minutes or until lamb is tender.

Stir in 1 tsp salt, black pepper, chickpeas and the rice or fregola or farro. Raise heat to bring to a boil, then immediately lower to simmer and cook until grain is soft. (Rice will take 10-12 minutes, fregola 12-15 and farro 15-20.) If you need more liquid, add water. Remove bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Add chopped chard leaves, stirring them in as you go. Continue to keep warm on low heat.

Mash or mince the garlic cloves with 1 tsp coarse sea salt. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a small frying pan and brown the salted garlic, 1-2 minutes. Add to the stew and blend.

Remove the stew from the heat. When ready to serve, stir in the lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve garnished with lemon wedges.

Lamb shanks with prunes
Cinnamon spiced lamb slow cooked in saffron and garnished with honey plumped prunes.  Bravo Morocco!
Serves 4
4 lamb shanks, hopefully the same size 
2 tsp ground cumin 
4 tbsp olive oil 
2 tbsp unsalted butter 
1 lg onion, diced 
2 c beef or bone, broth, vegetable broth or water 
lg pinch of saffron or ¼ tsp ground saffron threads 
1 tsp ground ginger 
2 cinnamon sticks 
4 cilantro sprigs (more optionally for garnish) 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste 
½ lemon, peel only, cut lengthwise into wide strips  
1 1/3 c pitted prunes, whole 
3 tbsp honey 
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds


In a large heavy lidded pot/casserole, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Raise heat and add the lamb shanks. Sprinkle the cumin all over them and brown the shanks on all sides, turning with tongs. (Reduce heat to medium if the pot starts to smoke.) Remove the shanks to a plate and put the onion in the pot. On medium heat, sauté to soften it, 3-5 minutes. Add the broth/water, saffron, ginger, cinnamon sticks and cilantro springs. Bring to a boil. Return the shanks to the pot. Season everything with salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste. Cover the pot, reduce heat to simmer and cook 1 hour. Add the lemon peel and continue to simmer, covered, another 30 minutes. Add the prunes and honey. Cover the pan again and cook 30 minutes. The lamb should now be almost falling off the shanks.

Remove the lamb from the pot and place the shanks on a serving platter. Arrange the prunes and sauce over them. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Optionally you can strew chopped cilantro leaves around.

Kleftiko: roasted leg of lamb with potatoes 

You start this traditional Greek dish the night before to get the lamb marinated, then you slow roast all day.

6 garlic cloves 
1 tbsp dried oregano leaves 
1 tbsp rosemary leaves 
3 lemons, zest of one, juice from two 
½ tsp ground cinnamon 
¼ c olive oil 
4½-5 lb leg of lamb 
2¼ lbs waxy potatoes 
 2 lg red onions, peeled and cut half, then half again (wedges) 
5 bay leaves

Optional yogurt sauce below

Crush together the garlic cloves and 1 tsp salt using a pestle and mortar or small chopper. Add the herbs, lemon zest, cinnamon, a few grinds of fresh black pepper and blend. Stir in 2 tbsp of olive oil.

Using a sharp knife, create 2-3” deep holes all over the lamb, and rub in this paste, pushing it down. Wrap the lamb tightly in tin foil or a food bag or plastic container. Before closing it up, pour the lemon juice all over the lamb. Tighten the enclosure, put it in the fridge and let the lamb marinate overnight.

The next day, an hour before you want to cook it, take the lamb out of the fridge. Heat oven to 325º.

Line the base of a large lidded heavy oven proof casserole dish (or line a roasting pan with two layers of parchment paper large enough to fold together over the top of both sides – you’ll probably need two pieces at right angles). Peel potatoes and cut in wedges. Line the bottom of the cooking vessel with the cut potatoes and onion. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt and the last of the olive oil over them. Pour any juice around the lamb into the pan. Place the lamb itself on top. Add 1 c water and seal the lamb in by folding up the parchment or by closing the lid on the casserole (to make sure it is really tight you can slide a piece of moist parchment on top of the pot before putting the lid down). Roast 4 ½-5 hours. The lamb should be very tender.

Remove pan from the oven. Raise the oven temperature to 425º. Unwrap or uncover the lamb (scrunch down the parchment on each side) and baste the lamb with the juices in the bottom. Return to the oven for 20 minutes to brown. Remove the lamb from the pan, wrap in foil and let it rest. Remove bay leaves and discard them.

Stir the onions and potatoes to flip and return the pan to the oven 15 minutes so they brown. Remove and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.


While the potatoes brown, you can make the optional yogurt sauce: 
1 c thick Greek yogurt (plain) 
2 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed 
1 tbsp olive oil 
¼ c chopped fresh mint leaves

Whisk everything together and pour into a gravy or spouted serving bowl. 
To Serve: slice the lamb and lay on a serving platter with the roasted potatoes and onions. Pour the pan juices on top. Serve with yogurt on the side.

Armenian lamb shanks with chickpeas
This is an old favorite comfort food recipe of mine that's not as glamorous to serve as the Moroccan shanks with prunes.  It's just homey.

serves 4
olive oil to coat your pan
4 lamb shanks, trimmed of fat and gristle
4 lg tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 medium red onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cayenne or chili pepper
4 c heated vegetable broth, or water
1 20-oz can chickpeas (2 c), rinsed and drained

Preheat oven to 450o. Coat the bottom or a large roasting pan lightly with olive oil. Cover with lamb shanks and roll them to coat in the oil. Roast 30 minutes, turning halfway so they brown evenly. Remove pan from oven and reduce heat to 400o. Cover the lamb with the tomatoes and onions. Add the garlic, herbs, spices plus salt and pepper to your taste. Pour the hot broth or water around the meat. Cover the pan and return to the oven. Roast 1 1/2 hours.

Uncover, stir and add chickpeas, stirring them into the sauce, and roast another 20-25 minutes. By now the lamb should be close to falling off the shank bone. If not, keep roasting. Serve garnished with chopped flat leaf parsley and flat bread to mop up the yummy sauce.

Hummus with ground lamb

This is the traditional way to eat hummus in the Middle East where it comes from, slathered all over the plate, then topped with very crisply fried lamb with lemon and spices. It's extraordinarily satisfying and filling. Just add flatbread.

If you have time to bother to make the chickpeas from scratch, you will be rewarded with an addictive dish. If you can at least get the skins off canned chickpeas, you'll get a rewarding smooth texture. (You soak them a few minutes then stir them up with your hands and you'll see ghostly skins start to come off.)

for the tahini/hummus
If you are NOT using canned chickpeas,
1 c dried chickpeas
1 sm onion, peeled
1 celery stalk
2 bay leaves
Soak the chickpeas in lots of water overnight. Drain and rinse. Put in a large pot with enough water to be 4" over the top. Add the onion, celery and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover pot and cook 45-60 until chickpeas are soft. Toss out the onion, bay leaves and celery. Drain but keep the cooking water. Cool. Run your hands through the chickpeas and you will start to see skins shed. Pull them out and continue as long as you can. It's tedious but worth the effort in the end.

If you are using CANNED chickpeas,
1 14/15 oz can, drained and rinsed but keep the liquid from the can and try to remove skins if you can
1/4 c good quality tahini
1 lg or 2 sm garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 lg lemon, its juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp Aleppo chili pepper or hot paprika

for the lamb
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 very sm onion, minced
1/4 lb lamb, cut into tiny bits (you can use ground but the bits effect is MUCH better unless you really break it up well into bits)
3 tbsp pine nuts
freshly ground black pepper to your taste
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp hot paprika or Aleppo pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp best quality olive oil
1/4 c chopped flat leaf parsley

Stir the tahini in the jar to blend the oil into the solids. Put 1/4 c into a food processor, blender or mixing bowl. Add the garlic, salt and lemon juice. Blend until the mixture looks whiter. Add 1/2 c chickpea water and blend. Add all but 1/4 c chickpeas and process until smooth. Taste to adjust for salt or lemon juice. Spread evenly on a shallow plate, top with sprinkles of cumin and hot paprika and let it sit at room temperature at least 1 hour.

About 15 minutes before you want to serve this, make the lamb.
Heat butter in a medium skillet. With heat at medium/low and add onion and sauté until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add the lamb, raise heat to medium and stirring brown it as much as you can--5-8 minutes. The crispier the better! Add the pine nuts, salt and spices, stirring to blend. Cook another 2 minutes to brown the nuts.
Distribute the cooked lamb over the top of the hummus. Distribute the remaining chickpeas around and over it. Sprinkle over everything all 1 tbsp best quality olive oil and top the whole dish with the chopped parsley. Serve with pita or flatbread as first course or part of a mezze (small plate) meal or anytime really.