Spring Lamb

Lamb is the traditional dish of several religious Spring festivities and farm raised lamb has become popular in local markets. To acknowledge this season and those efforts, here are some worldly ways with Spring lamb.

Sicilian Lamb with Mint and Saffron
Here's a way with lamb chops, from the shoulder which are cheaper than rib chops.
serves  6-8

4 lbs lamb shoulder chops, 2" thick
salt and pepper to your taste
1/4 c olive oil
2 lg red onions, finely diced
5 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
pinch of saffron
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 c beef or veg broth
2 c water
1 c dry white wine
1 c chopped fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped (at least 1 bunch)

Seasons chops with salt and pepper. In a deep wide skillet heat olive oil over med/high heat.   Add lamb and lightly brown on both sides. Remove from pan. Lower heat to medium and add onions to the pan. Season with salt. Sauté, stirring, until soft and translucent, 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic, saffron and tomato paste. Add the lamb chops, with broth and water, hopefully enough to cover the lamb. Bring to a boil, then cover the pan with a lid, reduce heat to low and simmer 45 min until lamb is very tender.

Remove lid and raise heat to med to get an active simmer. Reduce juices by half so the sauce thickens. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste.  Stir in the chopped mint and serve immediately.

Kleftiko

not my photo

Lamb is the meat of Greece, every which way. This is roast leg and it's as meat and potatoes as Greek food gets. Further down I've posted an alternative, an old favorite: pieces of lamb with orzo.

You start this the night before to get the lamb marinated.

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 (In Europe favored type is yellow flesh Desiree)

2 lg red onions, peeled and cut half, then half again (wedges)

5 bay leaves

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. 

Uighur Polow

not my photo

I'm posting this in honor of the Uighur people of Xinjiang who the Chinese are hellbent on erasing from the face of the Earth. Maybe we can't do much for the 1 million suffering in concentration camps or the rest of them under 24 hr surveillance, but we can at least remember them and keep their culture alive. Polow is pilaf and as is typical of the Caucuses region, it's cooked in a special way: the meat boils away on the bottom and rice is laid on top essentially to steam. They are not mixed during cooking.

serves 6-8
1/3 c vegetable oil
 1 lg white onion, sliced
3 lbs boneless leg of lamb, cut into 4 or 5 large pieces (fat not trimmed)
2 1/2 lbs large carrots, cut crosswise on the diagonal, then into 1/2-inch matchsticks
4 c boiling water or beef broth
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp salt
5 1/2 c medium-grain white rice
1 tbsp cumin seed
Optional: pomegranate arils for garnish


Heat the oil in a large, wide, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, stir in the onion. Cook about 6 minutes, stirring a few times, or until some of it begins to get crisped on the edges. Add the meat and sear on all sides, turning the pieces as needed, 8 - 10 minutes. Add the carrots and stir to coat. Pour in 2 c boiling water/broth and add the turmeric. With a spatula dislodge any browned bits on the bottom. Give the mixture a good stir. Once it’s boiling, add salt. Make sure the meat is submerged. Cook uncovered 30 minutes. The liquid in the pot should be at a steady, low boil.

Meanwhile, place the rice in a large mixing bowl. Cover with cool water and rinse, drain and repeat two more times. Fill with water again, covering the rice by 1/2 inch or so. Let sit for 20 minutes.

Add remaining 2 c boiling water/broth to the lamb pot. Spread large spoonfuls of the rice carefully over the surface of the what’s in the pot, spreading it evenly for complete coverage; you don’t want the rice to mix into the bubbling liquid at all. (The rice is going to steam atop the meat and vegetables below.) Cook 5 minutes, then scatter the cumin seed evenly over the rice. Reduce the heat to med/low; cover tightly and cook, undisturbed, for 30 minutes until the rice is tender.

Uncover; gently stir enough to find all the pieces of meat and transfer them to a cutting board. Stir to incorporate the rice and vegetables. The grains of rice should not be sticking together. Cut the meat into 3/4-inch pieces, discarding any fat, if desired.
To serve, divide the meat atop generous portions of the polow. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, if using.

Traditionally this is served with a salad of sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers and sliced red onion.

Persian lamb in bulghur with chickpeas

not my photo

The Iranians (aka Persians) are apt to eat a hugely complicated Nowruz feast of smoked fish yet lamb is their most common main dish meat. I've already posted other lamb recipes including one of my favorites, Armenian/Persian lamb shanks with chickpeas. This is a variation on that theme.

This can be made ahead and reheated.
serves at least 4

6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp corn, canola, safflower or any veg oil
3 med onions, diced
2 lbs lamb shanks, trimmed
2 c beef broth or water
1 1/2 c large bulghur, rinsed
2 c (15 oz can) cooked chickpeas
1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
To Serve: thick yogurt, chopped cilantro and tomato wedges

In a medium nonstick saucepan, melt butter. Add oil. Add onion and sauté over med/low heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add lamb shanks. Roll them in the butter and brown them on all sides.
Add broth/water, bring to a boil. cover and reduce heat to med/low again. Cook 90 minutes or until meat is almost falling off the bone.  Remove the lamb to a cutting board. Remove the bones, trim off excess fat and cut the meat into bite-sized chunks.

Measure the liquid remaining in the saucepan and add enough water to have 2 3/4 cups liquid in the pan. Add bulghur, chickpeas, spices, salt and pepper, then the lamb. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce heat to low, over and cook about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, keep covered and let it steam/rest 10 minutes.

Serve in a large bowl garnished with cilantro and lemon wedges and serve with a dollop of yogurt on top.

Moroccan roasted lamb
I've previously posted one of my all time most popular recipes: lamb with fresh dates, Moroccan tagine with stew lamb. Here's something very different, a Moroccan-spiced version of roast lamb, this the shoulder whereas the Greek above is the leg.
serves 8-10

two 5- to 6-pound bone-in lamb-shoulder roasts
Salt
6 oz unsalted butter, softened 

2 tsp cumin seeds, lightly toasted and finely ground
2 tsp coriander seeds, lightly toasted and finely ground
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground chili powder (Aleppo works well, chipotle will add smoky)
6 garlic cloves, smashed to a paste with a little salt

Trim lamb of extraneous fat, but leave a thin layer of fat covering the meat (or ask your butcher to do this). Use a sharp paring knife to cut slits all over the lamb. Lightly salt meat on both sides and place in a large roasting pan. Mix together butter, cumin, coriander, paprika, chili powder and garlic. Smear butter mixture over surface of meat. Allow meat to come to room temperature. Heat oven to 450º.

Roast lamb, uncovered, 30 minutes, until it shows signs of beginning to brown. Reduce heat to 350º. Continue roasting 3 - 4 hours, basting generously every 15 minutes or so with buttery pan juices, until meat is soft and tender enough to pull away easily from bones and skin is crisp. If surface seems to be browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil and reduce heat slightly. In this case, remove foil, baste lamb and allow skin to crisp before removing from oven.

Transfer lamb to a large platter or cutting board. Sprinkle lightly with cumin and sea salt. Carve meat from bones and chop into rough pieces. Serve hot with harissa (Moroccan hot sauce) and warm chickpeas or mashed potatoes.

Lamb with Orzo

not my photo

This is a basic and always popular Greek classic: lamb with pasta in tomato sauce. Perfect for kids and one of the easiest recipes to make. It's Greek name is arni (lamb) gouvetsi (pronounced youvetski). I've had it with shanks and cubes of lamb so you can do it your way. Orzo is the pasta that look like rice.

serves 6
2 lbs boneless lamb, cubed OR 3-4 shanks
1 lb orzo pasta
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 lg onion, sliced
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
8 oz tomato sauce
1/2 c white wine
Salt and pepper
To serve: 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 450º. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Put 2 tbsp butter, the lamb, onion, garlic, oregano and rosemary into a heavy lidded oven casserole. Brown the meat on all sides, 10-15 minutes,
Add 1 cup water. Reduce heat to 350º, cover casserole and banke 45 minutes or until meat is tender. (The shanks may need at least an hour.) Remove the lamb from the casserole. Add  3 c water, tomato sauce, 4 tbsp butter, salt and pepper and  return to the oven to bring the sauce to a boil.

On the stove, bring a large pot of water to a boil, heavily salt it and add the orzo. Cook 5 minutes only. Drain thoroughly and add the orzo to the boiling tomato sauce, stirring to blend. Bake 15 minutes at 350º. Add the lamb back--if using shanks rip the meat off the bones and discard the bones--stir to blend it in and bake 5 minutes to heat through. Serve with grated parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.