Suggestions for cooking with lamb - quick and easy?!
Suggestions for cooking with lamb - quick and easy?
I have never been successful at cooking with lamb, and would like to find out what recipes have worked for you folks out there. Lamb is so delicious in restaurants, but I can never get it right at home. Maybe I am not buying the right cut, or maybe I am not marinating it correctly. Please let me know what QUICK AND EASY (I have to keep a 2 year old entertained while I cook) recipes you've had luck with. Thanks!
Answers: The key to making a delicious lamb dish? Simple simple simple! Most middle eastern dishes, where lamb is a staple, keep it simple. Plain old salt and pepper. Rack, chops, etc, are great for grilling - just put salt pepper, and maybe a little oregano. Shish kebab:- salt and pepper the lamb pieces and grill them separately (keeping skewers of tomatoes, green peppers and red onions separate) because the juice from the veggies will toughen the meat when you cook them together.
Luleh Kebab (Armenian hamburgers):
1 lb ground lamb
salt, pepper
1/2 red onion, chopped
small bunch Italian parsley, chopped
Mix all ingredients together, and form oblong oval shaped burgers.
You can grill these, or roast them in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes. Kids loves these, much tastier than burgers.
Next, try experimenting with dishes you would normally use ground beef with - by subsituting 1/2 with ground lamb - in your meatloaf or casserole dishes.
When doing lamb shanks - again, liberal with salt and pepper, then you must brown in butter over high heat, before lowering the heat and adding all ingredients according to whatever shank recipe you're using, and cook for a long time.
Another traditional Armenian lamb stew recipe which can use either ground lamb or lamb stew meat (usually the meat cut off the legt that is used for shish kebab):
salt and pepper your meat and brown in butter over high heat.
layer the meat in a deep casserole dish and add in order:
fresh green beans, sliced onions, chopped eggplant, sliced yellow and/or green zucchini, okra and cover with 28 oz can chopped tomatoes. Add a few more chooped tomatoes to the top.
Salt and pepper each level of veggies. Add 1 - 1/2 cups water and bring to boil on stove top, then put in oven and cook at 350-400 degrees for at least 2 hours.
You can freeze extra leftovers.
happy meals! Lamb shankbraised . It takes about four hours but out it in the pot and leave it . get the recipie by yahoo search. It just falls off the bone. Easy marinated lamb
40 min 20 min prep
1 leg of lamb
1 bottle blush wine vinaigrette salad dressing
dry red wine
olive oil
1. Bone and clean all membrane and fat from lamb.
2. This will yeild 2 or 3 large chunks and 2-3 small ones depending on how clean you get the lamb,how large your leg is and if you bought the whole leg or just a section.
3. (Save the bone and trimmings for stock, it makes a really awsome sauce).
4. Marinate in dressing for at-least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
5. The straight dressing tends to be a bit sweet for some folks, so cut it with dry red wine and olive oil if desired.
6. Grill or broil lamb on skewers until desired degree of doneness is reached.
7. You can add some blanched onion, mushroom and tomato to the skewers if desired.
8. Serve with rice and sumac.
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Easy Lamb Curry
time to make 40 min 10 min prep
125 ml beef stock
1 large brown onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
600 g boneless lamb loin
2 tablespoons mild curry paste
1 (400 g) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
salt & freshly ground black pepper
cooked basmati rice, to serve
fresh coriander sprigs, to garnish
1 (200 g) container skim natural yoghurt, to serve
1. Place the stock, onion and garlic in a medium non-stick saucepan. Cover and bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 6 minutes or until the onion is soft.
2. Meanwhile, cut the lamb into 3cm pieces and combine with curry paste.
3. Transfer the onion mixture to a bowl. Heat the pan over medium-high heat and add a third of the lamb. Cook, tossing occasionally, for 1 minute or until the lamb is just sealed all over.
4. Transfer the lamb to a plate and repeat with the remaining lamb in 2 more batches.
5. Return the onion mixture to the pan and stir in the tomatoes. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat.
6. Reduce heat to low and cook, partially covered, stirring often, for 6 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly.
7. Stir in lamb and cook, uncovered, stirring often, for a further 2 minutes or until lamb is cooked to medium rare. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
8. Place the rice in serving bowls. Spoon the curry over the rice and top with the coriander. Serve immediately with the yoghurt.
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LAMB CHOP
Asian Grilled Lamb Chops
Grind all the ingredients together
with a mortar and pestle or in
a spice grinder. Store any unused
spice mixture in an airtight
container for future use
3 tablespoon Black Peppercorns,
3 tablespoon Cumin Seed,
2 tablespoon Turmeric,
1 tablespoon Ground Cardamom,
1/2 teaspoon Celery Salt,
1 tablespoon Ground Coriander.
Rub this spice all over lamb chops two hours or more prior to grilling. Also use on tuna, swordfish, bluefish, bass and Shish Kebab meats.
Use about 1 teaspoon of this mixed spice for every 2-3 lamb chops. Store remainder of spice in an airtight container for other usage.
Place seasoned chops on a wire rack stacked on a metal baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Add 1/2 cup water to pan
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LAMB CHOP
Full Course Dinner with
Candy Sweet Potato.
4 small lamb chops
Ingredients for Marinade;
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup extra virgin oil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon white sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground colander
1/8 teaspoon cumin powder
1/8 teaspoon ginger powder
1/8 teaspoon dill weed
1/8 teaspoon curry powder
Marinade chops for 1 hour or longer in refrigerator.
Remove from refrigerator and lets chops come to room temperature (Save 3 tablespoon of the marinade mixture.)
Brush only the topside of chops with 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard mixed with 3 tablespoon of the saved marinade. Broil until medium rare but not over medium done. Salt chops before serving. Note:See cooking chart below.
Serves 2
Sweet Potato with Candy Topping;
Select 2 sweet potatoes and scrub wash skins well, wrap each sweet potato in a paper towel, heat in a microwave oven for about 6 minutes or until done. Remove from paper towel and cut them in half lengthwise.
In a small microwave bowl or cup, heat 2 tablespoon butter with 1/3 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoon light corn syrup, 1 teaspoon honey, 1/3 teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Heat at 60% power for 3 minutes. Stir and reheat again at same 60% power for 1 minute.
Arrange potatoes with skin side down on a microwaveable dish, spoon the hot glaze, spreading it evenly over potato tops then heat for 1 minute at 50% power. Let cool a little for candy topping to harden before serving.
Serves 2
Add a prepared salad of your liking and fresh, crusty sliced bread. heres a tip to get that gamey flavor off...
for example.. shish kabobs
before spicing them,
let them sit in plain yogurt for a half hour to an hour. Unless you are using ground lamb, the faster and higher the heat you cook it, the more dry and tough it will be.
Bake in oven as in a roast with some raw bacon draped over it before you cook in oven. Lamb is tender and you need to treat it as tender. 325F for oven temperature. It would be best to get a meat thermometer to test for doneness. Temperature ranges for each meat is different and will be on the packaging.
