Lamb Tongue Tacos

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I have this, um, problem, with buying random "off cuts" of meat, and then figuring out how to cook it. This time it was lambs' tongues.

I braised them with bay leaf, garlic, onion and peppercorns until tender. Then I peeled them. This was definitely on my top ten list of weird things I've done in the kitchen that I don't want to do again. Then chop, mix with chile sauce, and make a taco.

My favorite? No. But I'm glad I tried it.

Lamb Ragu

With the weather being cold and nasty (well, for southern CA, anyway), I wanted something meaty and hearty. I came across this recipe for Lamb Ragu from the kitchn, and knew it was exactly what I was looking for. I also knew that my slow cooker would be perfect for the job.

I'm still wary of my slow cooker. I don't want to plug it in and and leave it on while nobody's home. I know, I know, thousands of people do it all the time. Maybe I'll get to that point eventually. But since I'm not there yet, I let the ragu cook overnight, then put in in the refrigerator in the morning. Reheated for dinner, it was amazing.

I altered the recipe only slightly, using dried herbs instead of fresh. The lamb was perfectly tender - I didn't need two forks to shred the chunks, just one smoosh and it fell apart. Acid from the tomatoes, sweetness from the carrots - everything blended together nicely. You could serve the ragu over polenta, potatoes, rice, whatever. I served it over this pasta because it reminded me of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (and it was also the perfect shape, almost like a Scoop chip, to hold the ragu).

My slow cooker may win me over yet...

Lamb Kebabs with Spicy Tomato Sauce and Yogurt

I had some ground lamb languishing in my freezer, and came across this recipe for Yogurtlu Kofte Kebabi, or Lamb Kebabs with Spicy Tomato and Yogurt Sauce, over at Amuse Bouche.

I followed the recipe to the letter, except I omitted the pine nuts, because, frankly, I don't care for them.

Lamby meatballs, spicy tomatoey sauce, cool yogurt, lemony sumac, all on top of crispy pita bread that slowly softens under the warm sauce. Absolutely delicious.

Stewed White Beans with Lamb

Almost a year ago, I bookmarked this recipe for Stewed White Beans in the May 2009 issue of Saveur. And now I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to make it.

It takes some time and planning, of course. Soak the beans overnight, then cook for an hour. After that comes the fun part - the recipe called for a lamb blade chop, but I found a package of neck bones, so I used that instead. You brown the heck out of it (yay, fond!), then add in onion, garlic, and an Italian frying pepper. The stores around here have never heard of such a beast, so I used an Anaheim. After the veggies are nice and soft, you add tomato sauce, oregano, Aleppo pepper, and grated tomatoes. Cook that down a bit, then pour in some chicken broth and the drained beans. Let the whole pot simmer to blend the flavors, then remove the lamb, pull off the meat, and return it to the pot.

I think my Aleppo pepper is a little old, because I could barely detect the characteristic smokiness, so I added in some smoked paprika to augment it.

This would be a great dish next to some sauteed greens, broccoli rabe, etc. Or just next to a piece of toast. Or with a fried egg. Oh yeah, a fried egg. Stay tuned...

Lamb Kofta Curry

Back when I had promised to make lahmajun for my friend, I had such a hard time finding ground lamb, that when I did, I bought a bunch. I stuck it in the freezer and promptly forgot about it.

Not too long ago, when I was searching for something else, a package of ground lamb jumped out of the freezer and landed on my foot. So I decided to make this Lamb Kofta Curry that I found over at Gel's Kitchen.

I tweaked the recipe a little, cutting back on the onion in the meatballs slightly, adding some cayenne to the curry, and blitzing the sauce after it was cooked with my immersion blender, since I decided at the last minute that I wanted it smooth, not chunky.

Served with jasmine rice, and boiled-then-sauteed kale with garlic and hot pepper flakes. Not very photogenic. But tasty.

Lahmajun (Lamacun)

What is lahmajun, you ask? Well, the simple answer is...there is no simple answer. If you call it an Armenian pizza, you'd be wrong. Because it's also Turkish. And it's not a pizza.

Basically, lahmajun is a flatbread topped with a ground lamb (or beef) mixture, seasoned with tomatoes and various peppers. If you search the Interwebs, you'll find a few recipes that vary widely from each other. You can find a huge lamb:tomato ratio, or a very small one. You can find the addition of pepper paste, which I haven't been able to figure out. Some recipes pre-cook the lamb mixture, some don't. Some cook at a high temp, some low, etc., etc. It's enough to make a person give up.

But I couldn't give up. You see, I promised a friend of mine (hi Sami!) that I'd attempt to make lahmajun for Thanksgiving. And once that promise was made (although in a slight state of inebriation), nothing short of hospitalization or death was going to keep me from fulfilling it.

So, promise kept. My only hope is that it's at least recognizable to Sami as lahmajun. (Heh, I just realized that instead of doing turkey for Thanksgiving, I'm doing Turkish for Thanksgiving.)

I was pretty happy with the results, except for the dough. I have a feeling I can come up with something with a lot less rise/rest time that will be closer to what I want - crispy, only slightly chewy, but strong enough to stand up to the heavy-ish lamb filling.  So for now, I'm only going to give you the filling recipe, plus instructions on what to do with your dough, however you choose to procure it.

Lahmajun

1 recipe "pizza" dough
1 lb ground lamb (actually, .91 lbs, since stores around here can't seem to sell in even increments)
4 plum tomatoes from a can (preferably San Marzano), minced
1/2 onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1.5 t paprika
1/2 t Aleppo pepper
1/4 t black pepper
handful of chopped parsley
1/2 t salt

Sweat the onion and garlic over medium-low heat. When almost translucent, add the lamb and peppers. Mix and mash over low heat. Add the tomatoes, and mix and mash some more. You don't want to cook the lamb completely, as that will happen in the oven. Make sure to mash pretty good, unless your lamb has been twice-ground (and if you have a butcher that will do that for you, can I move in?). An almost-spreadable consistency is what you're looking for. Mix in the chopped parsley and salt. Taste it (half-cooked lamb won't kill you) and adjust the salt if necessary.

Dump the lamb mixture into a colander over a bowl to drain. All that liquid (water from the tomatoes and fat from the lamb) may do horrendous things to your dough later.

Divide your dough into 4 pieces. Roll each one out really really thin. If you're lucky enough to have a pizza stone, use it. I'm not, so I used an inverted cookie sheet. (Watch those buggers, the thin ones like to warp and jump at high temperatures!) Spread 1/4 of the lamb onto the rolled-out dough. I use the word "spread" loosely. Spread is what I wanted. Smoosh and push around until it's even is what I got.

If you're using the inverted cookie sheet, I found that 5 minutes at 450, followed by 2-3 more minutes directly on the oven rack was sufficient.

Let cool a little, sprinkle with lemon juice, a little chopped parsley, and serve. 

Braised Lamb Neck with Vegetables

Anybody who's been coming here for any length of time probably knows that I love long, slow, braised, stewy dishes. There's oxtails, lamb rogan josh, beef shanks, lamb shanks, and Yucatan pork stew, to name a few.

These dishes should be "one pot", but typically end up using many more than one in my kitchen, because I'm fiddly. I like to separate the veggies from the meat from the broth, refrigerate separately, remove the fat, squish the veggies into the broth through a strainer, etc.

And if I had my way, most of these dishes would be served over buttered noodles or some kind of potato, but given who I live with, it's usually over rice. I'm not complaining, just stating the facts.

Anyhow, today I made what was probably my first original braised lamb dish. I based it on a lot of past recipes, and others that I've seen online and in print, and was extremely happy with the results.

Unfortunately, as with most of my dishes like these, I couldn't get an appetizing-looking picture to save my life. So here's a picture of Little Dog after she had a bite of lamb.

















It all started with lamb neck bones that I found at the local market. They reminded me of oxtails in regards to the meat:bone:other ratio, and they were cheap, so I had to buy them. So without further adieu, here's what I did:

Braised Lamb Neck with Vegetables

2 lbs lamb neck bones
vegetable/canola oil
2 carrots, cut in 2" lengths, thicker pieces cut in half lengthwise
3 ribs celery, cut like the carrots
2 parsnips, cut like the carrots
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2-1 cup red wine
2 cups beef stock
1.5-2 cups chicken stock
1-2 T tomato paste
small handful of dried mushrooms
bay leaves
thyme
black pepper
smoked paprika
1-2 anchovies in oil

Pat the lamb dry with paper towels, and season with salt and pepper. Brown over high heat in the oil on all sides in a large Dutch oven. Remove to a plate. Do in batches if necessary.

Remove most of the oil from the Dutch oven, and saute the onion and garlic briefly. Add the wine to deglaze, scraping the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil and let the alcohol burn off. Add the tomato paste, dried mushrooms, bay leaves, thyme, paprika, black pepper, anchovies, and stocks. Return the lamb to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer, and cook, covered, for about 2 hours. Add the vegetables to the pot, return to a simmer, and continue cooking until the vegetables are done and the lamb is falling off the bones.

Here's where I had a bit of a hiccup. The veggies were done, but the lamb wasn't. So I removed the veggies from the pot with a slotted spoon, and continued cooking the lamb for another hour or so.

When everything's done, and I hope you should be so lucky that the veggies and lamb are done at the same time, remove all the veggies and lamb from the braising liquid, and refrigerate separately. The next day, remove the fat from the top of the liquid, plunk everything back into your Dutch oven, and reheat gently. Salt to taste, although I didn't need any extra , given the initial salting of the lamb, the the salt in the beef stock.

Serve over buttered noodles, mashed potatoes, or, if your family insists, rice. (I made some barley to go with it, cooked in chicken broth & lamb braising liquid, and it was delicious.)

Lamb Rogan Josh

An employee of mine once told me that I cook lamb more than anybody else he knows. Why not cook lamb? It tastes way better than beef, in my opinion. And you've got all the cool cuts - rack, shanks, chops, neck.

I've been craving stewy braisy things lately, which kind of sucks, since it's in the 90s, and doesn't start cooling down until at least 7pm, if at all. But, screw it, I said, and made Lamb Rogan Josh, from Vikram Sunderam, via Food & Wine.

This is probably the first time I've made an Indian dish that I was happy with. Not just "hmm, it's ok", but completely happy with. Tender lamb, tangy spicy sauce. Good over rice. And pasta. And then use the leftover sauce to dip tortilla chips into.

I'd love to show you a picture, but...I'd hate to show you a picture. I don't even want to try to describe what my pictures looked like.

Just trust me. This recipe rocks.

So, no photo of lamb rogan josh, but here's an egg I cooked for the animals.
















Picture me (I'd be interested to know how some of you picture me!), sitting on the floor, surrounded by a yellow tabby,
















a tan chihuahua,
















and a brown lab/chow mix,
















all vulturing for a piece of egg. And I better feed them in the correct sequence (big dog, little dog, cat), otherwise they'll get upset. Just when the kids are almost "all grown up", I realize I have 3 more that never will.

Lamb Shanks with Broccoli Rabe and White Beans

I made my favorite lamb shank recipe yesterday. Actually, it's my only lamb shank recipe, since I refuse to try another one, because this one is just too damn good (although not terribly photogenic, at least when I make it).

















The shanks are browned, and then braised for hours with veggies, wine, broth, spices, and anchovies. Yes, use the anchovies. They disappear after 3 hours of braising. You won't know they're there, but they add a little oomph to the sauce. Trust me.

After everything's deliciously tender, you mash the veggies through a strainer, and combine the mash with the braising liquid. I love the resulting sauce. I've found myself going back to the kitchen repeatedly to dip a piece of bread into the pot. I (almost!) don't even need the lamb.

If your shanks are small, you can serve them on the bone, topped with sauce. Mine were Huge(!), and there's lots of yucky bits on a shank that most people don't appreciate, so I removed the meat and added it back in chunks to the sauce. (Feed the yucky bits to the dogs, they'll love you forever.)

This is one of those dishes that's better the 2nd day. Please don't be alarmed when the sauce solidifies in the refrigerator overnight. It'll melt right back up.

For the white beans, I drained a can, tossed 'em in a dish with some very thinly sliced garlic and a little beef broth, and warmed them in the oven (covered with foil) while the lamb cooked.

















The broccoli rabe was blanched, then sautéed in olive oil with garlic and red pepper flakes, finished with a bit of cider vinegar.
















I'm full. And happy. And so are the puppies.

Seared Lamb Loin Chops

Mary might have had a little lamb with snowy white fleece, but I think I was luckier, in that I had some beautiful thick lamb loin chops. These babies were serious, 1 1/2" thick!
















I could've done something complicated, like marinating, or a sauce with mint or parsley, but I just wanted to taste the lamb. So I coated the chops with olive oil, and seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder.

I heated up my cast iron skillet until it was smoking (be careful, the handle gets hot!), and seared the chops for 5 minutes on each side, for a perfect pinkness in the middle (my camera's wonky, they were pinker than the picture!). For Hubby & Youngest, I cooked them for a minute more on each side, because they like their protein a little more cooked than I do.















After searing, I made a quick sauce from the happy charry bits in the skillet, some beef broth and red wine, reduced it down, and added a bit of butter, because you can never go wrong with butter.

Mmm...lamb chops.

Braised Lamb with Anchovy Sauce and White Beans with Tomato and Garlic

My next challenge recipes come from Recipes: The Cooking of Italy, a spiral-bound Time Life Foods of the World book, published in 1968. This one came from my mom when she was getting rid of no-longer-needed stuff in preparation for a move.

I had an uncharacteristically easy time picking not just one, but 2 recipes from this book. The first to jump out at me was White Beans with Tomatoes and Garlic (Fagioli all'Uccelletto). And then I saw the Braised Lamb with Anchovy Sauce (Abbacchio alla Cacciatora), and knew that the two would go well together.

My original plans were to have a green veggie on the side, maybe sauteed spinach or broccoli rabe, but I flaked, so we were greenless. But nobody seemed to mind. The beans, with a little bit of tomato, so simply seasoned with sage and garlic, were really good - even Youngest went for a second helping.
















And the lamb? Oh, the lamb. Seared on a skillet until brown (Mr. Maillard, I love you), dusted with garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper, and flour, baked at high heat for 10 minutes, then topped off with red wine vinegar and chicken broth. Baked for an hour or so, with a couple chopped anchovies thrown in during the last 5 minutes. Meaty, salty, sticky, umami goodness.
















Hubby, being the good Mexican that he is, grabbed some flatbread (lavash) and made mini lamb tacos. (They were really good topped with a dollop of hummus.)

Verdict? This book stays on the shelf.

Post #86 - Lamb Chops and White Beans with Leeks

No flowery phrases tonight, just the method and a link.

Marinate lamb chops (I used shoulder chops because that's what I had) in olive oil, lemon juice, roughly chopped or smashed garlic, paprika, pepper, oregano and basil overnight. Be generous with the olive oil, even though the chops are fatty.

Next day, let the chops come to room temperature, unless you're hungry, in which case you should let them sit on the counter until the beans are almost done. Heat a skillet over medium-high with a very small amount of vegetable oil. Take the chops out of the marinade (save it!), and sear them about 3-4 minutes on each side. Salt them if you want - I forgot, and didn't even notice. Lower the heat and cook until they're done to your liking. Turn off the heat and remove the chops to paper towels to drain. Pour off any oil in the skillet, but leave the brown bits.

Pour the saved marinade into the still-hot skillet (I had about 3 tablespoons), and let reduce until it looks, honestly, kind of gross. Spread this on top of the chops, and serve with the beans.

For the beans, use this recipe for Creamy White Beans with Leeks courtesy of Jamie Oliver via Serious Eats. Depending on your stove, reduce either the cooking time or the heat level, or you'll burn your leeks/garlic. The parsley isn't necessary, and neither is the créme fraîche. And for God's sake, please use a good white wine.