Oh geez, I have been so lazy. I’ve made a couple of really nice meals lately and been out to dinner twice and I’ve blogged about none of these things. I need to get my act together here. Let’s kick that off with this week’s French Fridays with Dorie, shall we?

I am a huge fan of lamb but almost every lamb stew I’ve attempted I’ve been disappointed with…until now. I loved this! I’m not sure even why this is the one lamb stew to rule them all, but it was. It just worked for me, you know? I used my sweet curry powder from Penzey’s and also ground cardamom seeds (I ground them in the coffee grinder), so the cardamom was very fresh tasting. I also added a pinch of dried ginger and extra garlic. Oh and a dash of cayenne for a little heat. . . . → Read More: FFwD: Braised Cardamon Curry Lamb]]>

Oh geez, I have been so lazy. I’ve made a couple of really nice meals lately and been out to dinner twice and I’ve blogged about none of these things. I need to get my act together here. Let’s kick that off with this week’s French Fridays with Dorie, shall we?

I am a huge fan of lamb but almost every lamb stew I’ve attempted I’ve been disappointed with…until now. I loved this! I’m not sure even why this is the one lamb stew to rule them all, but it was. It just worked for me, you know? I used my sweet curry powder from Penzey’s and also ground cardamom seeds (I ground them in the coffee grinder), so the cardamom was very fresh tasting. I also added a pinch of dried ginger and extra garlic. Oh and a dash of cayenne for a little heat. Oh, now that I’m thinking about it, I only added one diced apple. Mainly, because it was a fairly big one.

We had this over some cooked bulgur (normally, I would have gone the rice route, but I had bulgur in the fridge). I also served some garlicky yogurt and toasted flat bread on the side.

We’re not supposed to post the recipe for FFwD, but I found it online here, so knock yourself out: Scrumptious Seattle.

Okay, here are links to everyone’s posts and here are my pictures!

Mint ready to be de-leaved and stems tied together.

Onions, spices, plus I added a chopped yellow bell pepper to the mix.

Diced lamb added in. With all the other stuff in the pan, it didn’t sear that well, but it seemed to work out fine in the end.

A fig. Calimyrna to be exact.

Everything added and ready to braise.

Fresh mint leaves on top, about to dish up.

These were truly epic lamb burgers. A few factors that made them so good — the lamb was very local. I got it a couple of weeks ago (frozen!) at the Flying Fish Company, which is conveniently located about five blocks from our house on the weekend. Yeah, I know it’s lamb and not fish but if you stop by there you’ll find they have all manner of delicious and local things in the freezer that you can buy.

The lamb was from Hawley Lamb Ranch in Cottage Grove, OR. They don’t seem to have a website, but wow, was this great lamb! I will definitely be getting more soon!

Another awesome thing about these burgers is the cheese I used. It is leftover roadtrip cheese from Beehive Cheese, just outside of Ogden, UT and was local while we got it. My burger had Barely Buzzed . . . → Read More: Wondering What to Grill Today? How About Herbed Lamb Burgers!]]>

These were truly epic lamb burgers. A few factors that made them so good — the lamb was very local. I got it a couple of weeks ago (frozen!) at the Flying Fish Company, which is conveniently located about five blocks from our house on the weekend. Yeah, I know it’s lamb and not fish but if you stop by there you’ll find they have all manner of delicious and local things in the freezer that you can buy.

The lamb was from Hawley Lamb Ranch in Cottage Grove, OR. They don’t seem to have a website, but wow, was this great lamb! I will definitely be getting more soon!

Another awesome thing about these burgers is the cheese I used. It is leftover roadtrip cheese from Beehive Cheese, just outside of Ogden, UT and was local while we got it. My burger had Barely Buzzed while jwa chose some Habanero for his burger. If you ever find yourself driving around Uintah, UT looking for Beehive Cheese, here’s a helpful tip — turn by the Best Western.

Finally, in a total overachiever move, I made the buns we used here. Hooray!

Herbed Lamb Burgers with Balsamic Mayonnaise
1/2 lb ground lamb
2 tbsp finely diced red onion
1 tbsp chopped parsley leaves
1 tsp chopped rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp salt
A few grinds of ground black
1/4 tsp + 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp mayonnaise
two buns, mustard, spinach, tomato & cheese for garnish

Combine the ground lamb through the black pepper in a bowl. Add 1/4 tsp of balsamic vinegar and mix to combine. Shape into two equal-sized patties.

Heat a grill or a grill pan and when hot, cook for about 4 minutes per side. Add cheese for the last two minutes on the last side, if desired.

Mix the remaining 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar into the mayonnaise, and after warming the buns, divide the mayo between the buns. Spread a little mustard on the other half of each bun. Top with the spinach and tomato.

When the cheese is melted and the lamb burgers are done, put those on top of the spinach. Then, pour yourself a beer, because you’re ready to eat!

Oh my, these were delicious. I know! Cabbage rolls. Crazy! I deviated a bit from the original recipe by baking mine in the oven (just something about pulling a hot and bubbly dish from the oven really appealed to me) and I added cheese (of course). The verdict? jwa had three helpings. Me, a lady-like two.

The rolling below sounds more complicated than it needs to be. Just slap a leaf down on your work area, add some filling and roll. Place in a rectangular baking dish. Do another one. Another one. Another one, etc…If you cook them on the stove top, as the original recipe did, you may want to seal better (like a burrito), but for baking, I just rolled (because that’s how I roll?). The ends were open but all the filling stayed in and it worked fine. Let’s see, I also swapped . . . → Read More: Lamb and Rice Stuffed Cabbage with Tomato Sauce]]>

Oh my, these were delicious. I know! Cabbage rolls. Crazy! I deviated a bit from the original recipe by baking mine in the oven (just something about pulling a hot and bubbly dish from the oven really appealed to me) and I added cheese (of course). The verdict? jwa had three helpings. Me, a lady-like two.

The rolling below sounds more complicated than it needs to be. Just slap a leaf down on your work area, add some filling and roll. Place in a rectangular baking dish. Do another one. Another one. Another one, etc…If you cook them on the stove top, as the original recipe did, you may want to seal better (like a burrito), but for baking, I just rolled (because that’s how I roll?). The ends were open but all the filling stayed in and it worked fine. Let’s see, I also swapped the parsnip for a green bell pepper, as that’s what I had.

When I baked mine, I did not cover with foil and subsequently, my feta got a bit burned. Next time, I will use foil for the first part of cooking and I’ve added that to the directions below. I think that’s about it. Wow, these were delicious!

Lamb and Rice Stuffed Cabbage with Tomato Sauce
Recipe adapted from Mark Bittman, via Food Day in the Oregonian…count on anywhere between 4-8 servings, depending on how hungry you are and if you are having any sides…
1 head Savoy cabbage, separated into leaves (note: I had some leaves leftover)
4 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium carrot, shredded or diced (I used a handful of baby carrots because it was fridge-cleaning night)
1 green bell pepper, diced
3/4 pound ground lamb
3/4 cup short-grain rice (haha, I used sushi rice because that and brown rice was all I had…I was skeptical about brown rice being soft enough in 45-50 minutes oven-time)
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup feta cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or more to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt it. Add the cabbage leaves to the boiling water a few at a time and cook for 30 seconds to one minute, or until they’re just pliable. Carefully remove the leaves from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander; rinse with cold water. Gently squeeze the leaves to remove most of the excess water, leaving them just damp enough so they will stick together when rolled.

Put 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; when hot, add half the chopped onion and half of the minced garlic, along with the carrot and half the the bell pepper, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl along with the lamb and rice. Mix until just combined.

Wipe the pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and turn the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the remaining onion, garlic and bell pepper. Cook until soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, thyme, red pepper and a good sprinkling of salt; cook over medium-low heat while you prepare the cabbage leaves.

Cut the cabbage leaves in half by running a sharp knife along each side of the stem, removing the stem in the process; trim the top and bottom so you’re left with a large rectangle. Lay a leaf on a work surface with the wide edge facing you. Put a few tablespoons of the meat mixture in the middle of the leaf, and roll it up. Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling. Lay all the leaves into a lasagna pan and spread out as you need to for fit. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.

Pour the tomato sauce over the rolls, spreading it evenly and making sure some gets down in between the rolls. Sprinkle the feta on top here!

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.

These are seriously so good! Better than anything with cabbage as one of the main ingredients should be (!!!)…go make some now.

The other day, I did a quick check through my freezer, cleaning things out in preparation for any Thanksgiving leftovers it may soon be asked to store. While searching, I came across a two pound piece of boneless leg of lamb (I had used the other two pound half of to make a lamb tagine a few weeks ago). Hmmmmm…I thought, what could I do with this? I quickly consulted the Internet and found this tasty-looking recipe. Although the original recipe was for a full leg of lamb, I adapted it to work with what I had.

I also added a few things like kalamata olives and also some roasted garlic cloves I saw at the grocery store’s olive bar. I also took away a few things I didn’t have (fennel and mint). The timing of this meal was perfect as we needed a break in the . . . → Read More: Wonderful Things Happen When You Clean Your Freezer]]>

The other day, I did a quick check through my freezer, cleaning things out in preparation for any Thanksgiving leftovers it may soon be asked to store. While searching, I came across a two pound piece of boneless leg of lamb (I had used the other two pound half of to make a lamb tagine a few weeks ago). Hmmmmm…I thought, what could I do with this? I quickly consulted the Internet and found this tasty-looking recipe. Although the original recipe was for a full leg of lamb, I adapted it to work with what I had.

I also added a few things like kalamata olives and also some roasted garlic cloves I saw at the grocery store’s olive bar. I also took away a few things I didn’t have (fennel and mint). The timing of this meal was perfect as we needed a break in the ‘what to do with turkey next?’-fest.

This is easily doubled if you have a full leg of lamb, you’ll just want to increase the cooking time a bit.

Leg of Lamb Stuffed with Greens and Feta
Adapted from the cookbook, The Foods of the Greek Islands: Cooking and Culture at the Crossroads of the Mediterranean, via epicurious.com
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing
4 scallions, chopped (white and most of the green parts)
1 tbsp coarsely chopped garlic, plus 2 garlic cloves, quartered
2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped Spinach leaves
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
Freshly ground black pepper
2lb piece leg of lamb, boneless
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
Salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/3 cup dry white wine, plus more if needed

In a large skillet, heat the oil and sauté the scallions and chopped garlic for 2 minutes. Add the spinach and sauté, stirring, until wilted. Remove from the heat and let cool, and then add the olives and feta. Taste and salt and pepper as needed.

Lay the lamb out on a work area, non-fatty-side up. If there are some super thick parts, try to butterfly them a bit so that it lays pretty flat. Trim any huge pieces of fat off. Turn it over and make 8 small slits randomly in the lamb and insert the garlic quarters (so these will be on the outside. Flip it back over and salt and pepper the lamb surface and then stuff the lamb with the spinach & cheese mixture; the lamb should be well stuffed over-stuffed! Roll up as best as you can and tie with string. Cover and refrigerate 1-3 hours. I refrigerated for about 2 hours, then took it out about 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat the over to 450°F. Brush the lamb with oil and sprinkle with the oregano and salt and pepper. Place the lamb in a pan that just holds it comfortably, preferably clay or Pyrex one. Roast for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the wine to a boil and simmer for a minute. After the initial 12 minutes at 450, remove lamb from oven and add wine to the pan. Reduce heat to 375 and roast 20-40 more minutes more or until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 135°F for medium. When done, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 minutes.

Wow, this was good! It was enough for both of us at dinner and will be lunch Tuesday. Okay and just so I am not totally ignoring Thanksgiving, here is what we ended up with:

A very delightful and festive dinner! I am also happy to report that as of Sunday PM, some leftovers are designated for Monday’s lunch, some have gone into a turkey-corn chowder for dinner tonight and the rest have all been labeled and stored in the freezer!

Memorial Day Weekend. Portland. Sunny. 70+ degrees. No rain. Really, no rain. What to do? Make lamb burgers!

Wow, these were good. Juicy and flavorful. The recipe is very easy to halve and make just two burgers (what I did). I found some kalamata ciabatta rolls at New Seasons which worked perfectly with these burgers.

Middle Eastern Lamb Burgers Adapted from a recipe in Everyday with Rachael Ray 1 1/2 pounds ground lamb 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (you could sub flat-leaf parsley) 1 tbsp ground coriander 1 tbsp ground cumin 1 tsp turmeric 3/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 cup low fat, plain yogurt, mixed with 1 clove crushed garlic and 1/2 a grated English cucumber 4 crusty kalamata olive rolls, split spinach leaves 1/2 cup feta cheese 1 tomato, sliced

In a large bowl, combine the lamb, cilantro, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties.

. . . → Read More: Middle Eastern Lamb Burgers]]>

Memorial Day Weekend. Portland. Sunny. 70+ degrees. No rain. Really, no rain. What to do? Make lamb burgers!

Wow, these were good. Juicy and flavorful. The recipe is very easy to halve and make just two burgers (what I did). I found some kalamata ciabatta rolls at New Seasons which worked perfectly with these burgers.

Middle Eastern Lamb Burgers
Adapted from a recipe in Everyday with Rachael Ray
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (you could sub flat-leaf parsley)
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup low fat, plain yogurt, mixed with 1 clove crushed garlic and 1/2 a grated English cucumber
4 crusty kalamata olive rolls, split
spinach leaves
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 tomato, sliced

In a large bowl, combine the lamb, cilantro, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties.

In a grill pan, set over medium-high heat, toast the rolls, set aside. In the same pan, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil and brush it onto the pan’s surface.

Add the burgers and cook, turning once, for 5 minutes each side for medium-rare.

After the first side cooks, add some feta to each burger top. Slather each roll top with the yogurt and stack some spinach leaves and tomato slices on the other side of the roll.

When the burgers are done, place each on top of the tomato slices, place the top roll in place and nom-nom-nom!

On the side we had a salad with 1 cup cooked lima beans, some halved cherry tomatoes, diced red onion, kalamata olives, fresh oregano leaves and crumbled feta. The dressing was some red wine vinegar, lemon zest, crushed garlic and olive oil. Delicious!