Lamb leg steak in red wine sauce

V whipped this up one weeknight - it was a much deserved treat in the middle of the week :)

Served 2 very hungry adults

1.5 lb lamb leg steak, 1-inch thick

salt and pepper to season

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 ancho chilli, crushed

2 tbsp of olive oil

2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 cup of red wine, we used a Syrah

1/2 cup of chicken stock

1tbsp of heavy whipping cream

1 small onion, sliced thin

1. Rub lamb steak with garlic, salt, pepper and crushed ancho chilli on both side. Marinate it, covered for a couple of hours in the refridgerator.
2. Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan and brown the meat for 5 mins on both sides on medium heat. Set aside in a plate and cover it completely with aluminum foil so the meat continues to cook.
3. Remove charred bits, if any, from the pan and add an additional tbsp of olive oil. Cook sliced onion with rosemary until it turns translucent to light brown.
4. Add stock and wine and simmer for 5 mins. Season with salt if necessary. Add cream and stir. Cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Uncover the meat, cut into 2 servings and ladle sauce over it. Serve garnished with fresh rosemary.

Andhra Mutton Curry

Source: Once again, Ms. Punjabi's 50 Great Curries of India

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli pwdr
1/2 tsp cayenne pwdr
1/2 tsp turmeric pwdr
a few sprigs cilantro leaves, chopped
1 lb stewing lamb
1 1/2 large onions, chopped fine
4 green cardamoms
4 cloves
2 tomatoes, chopped fine
10-12 curry leaves
1/2 tsp caraway seeds (i skipped this because I didn't have it)

Whisk the yogurt, turmeric, ginger-garlic pastes, chilli and cayenne pwdrs and the cilantro leaves together to make a thick marinade. Coat the meat with this mixture, and marinate for 1-2 hours.

In a deep pan, add oil and when heated add the cardamoms and cloves. After 1 minute, add the chopped onion and let it brown for 5-7 minutes. When onions are browned, add the meat mixture. Let the meat cook on medium/ low heat for 15 minutes, until the marinade is absorbed. Make sure you are stirring continuously so that the marinade does not burn. I noticed that at the end of 15 mins, the water from the yogurt had evaporated and the gravy had taken on a slightly brownish color. Now, add the tomatoes and cook again for 5 mins till the water is absorbed. Add the curry leaves, caraway seeds and salt. Cook for 2 minutes.

At this point, I transferred the contents of the pan into a slow cooker, added 3 cups water, and let the meat cook for 2-3 hours. Alternatively, you can add 2-3 cups water to the pan on the stove and cook the meat covered on slow heat until it is tender.

This recipe was DELICIOUS and is a MUST TRY! I thought it would turn out too spicy, but the yogurt tempers the chilli powders. ENJOY!

Moroccon-style Lamb soup with dried apricots

Adapted from Splendid Soups by James Peterson

Serves 6

2 lbs of lamb stew meat - you can also use lamb shanks cut crosswise
1/4 cup olive oil
6 garlic cloves - chop 2, leave the rest unpeeled and whole
2 quarts of chicken or veggie broth or water
3 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1-inch fresh ginger, finely chopped
pinch of saffron
1 2-3 inch cinnamon stick
3 cups canned diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup dried figs
3 small bulbs of fennel, sliced crosswise
1/2 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1. In a 4 qt soup pot over high heat, brown the lamb in half the olive oil. Transfer browned meat to a slow cooker with the broth and unpeeled garlic cloves. Cook over high for 3 hours.
2. When you have 30 mins left on the slow cooker: In the 4-quart pot over medium heat, cook onions and chopped garlic in the remaining olive oil until lightly browned, about 5 mins. Add turmeric, ginger and saffron. Cook for 5 more minutes.
3. Add cinnamon, tomatoes, apricots, figs, fennel, salt and pepper to the pot. Ladle out 1 cup of broth from the slow cooker into the pot and simmer gently for 20 mins.
4. Now add the meat from the slow cooker to the pot. Drain the broth - I saved it to use later.
5. Simmer for another 10 mins. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5 mins more.
6. Just before serving add a dash of white wine vinegar and garnish with almonds and cilantro.

Lamb Tagine with Dates, Almonds & Pistachios

I was first introduced to this recipe a few years ago by our friends Dan & Deborah who were gracious to share this recipe. Served with a mixed greens salad and a simple dessert of stroopwafles (available at World Market) & fresh blackberries, it made for a perfect autumnal meal. I won't even get into the cheese platter!

I have since made this dish a few times and it never fails to garner the oohs, aahs and yumms.

Serves four

2-3 Tbsp ghee (or olive oil with a pat of butter)
2 onions, finely chopped
1-2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 1/4 lbs lean lamb (shoulder or leg) cut into bite size pieces
8 oz moist, pitted dates
1 Tbsp dark honey
Salt

Ground pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 pat butter
2-3 Tbsp blanched almonds
2 Tbsp shelled pistachios
Small bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

1. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed casserole or tagine and saute onions till golden brown.
2. Stir in spices. Add meat and toss to coat with spice mixture.
3. Pour in enough water to almost cover meat and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat, cover with a lid, and simmer gently for about 90 minutes.
5. Add dates and stir in honey. Simmer another 30 minutes.
6. Season with salt and lots of black pepper.
7. Heat olive oil with butter in a small pan and stir in nuts. Cooks till they begin to turn golden.
8. Scatter nuts over the top of the lamb and sprinkle with parsley.

Serve with couscous.

Mutton Kheema

This is one of H's mother's authentic Bombay mutton kheema recipes. It was so satisfying and quite easy to prepare! there are a few steps that are important to follow to ensure it turns out perfect...


Ingredients:
1 lb mutton/ lamb mince
1 large potato, cut into small pieces
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp chilli pwdr
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp haldi
2 tbsp yogurt
1 green chilli, chopped fine
salt
olive oil
cilantro, for garnishing

Wash the lamb mince and strain to remove all water. This is important if you want to make dry kheema. Make sure all the water is squeezed out thoroughly. Marinate the mince with all the spices, ginger-garlic paste, and salt. Set aside for 15 minutes.

In a shallow pan, add 1/2 tsp oil. When hot, add the cut potatoes and fry lightly. Then add the green chillies, and saute for 30 seconds. Add the mince and yogurt. Mix well and stir. Cook for 5 minutes, and when water has somewhat evaporated, lower flame and put the lid on. Cook for 20 minutes until potatoes are cooked through. Serve with naan and yogurt.

Slow Cooker Mutton Curry

I started out the day lining up all the ingredients to make S and V's Lamb Stew featured on this blog. Then, had a change of heart and a yearning for a spicy Indian mutton curry. Kittu's recipe came to mind and I adapted it to suit the slow cooker.

Ingredients:
1 lb lamb cubed
1 large onion, chopped fine
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
3" piece ginger, minced
Whole garam masala (2 tejpatta, 1 slit green chilli, 3-4 cardamom pods, 3-4 cloves)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp kasoori methi *
1/4 bunch cilantro leaves
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp turmeric pdr
1/2 tsp chilli pdr
3/4 tsp coriander pdr
3/4 tsp cumin pdr
3/4 tsp garam masala

Clean and cut meat into small cubes. Rub a little turmeric pwdr to the meat and set aside.

In a shallow pan, heat 3-4 tsbs olive oil and add the whole garam masala. Next, add the chopped onions and fry till light pink/ slightly brown. Add ginger, garlic and sugar and fry for 2-3 minutes. When golden, add turmeric, chilli, coriander, cumin and garam masala pwdrs and fry for 2 minutes. Next add the tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes. Finally, add chopped cilantro leaves and cook for additional 3-4 minutes.

Take the slow cooker pan and layer the bottom with the cubed meat. Sprinkle salt on top, and then add the onion mixture to the meat. Add kasoori methi to the meat and stir well. Add 3-4 cups of water for desired consistency (you may need to check water through the cooking process). The kasoori methi* is what gives this dish its unique taste, so definitely make the effort to buy it.

I cooked the meat on the high setting of the slow cooker for 2 hours and then on low for 2 hours. The curry turned out DELICIOUS, and we paired it with rice and yoghurt.

* Kasoori Methi: Kasoori methi are dried fenugreek leaves. They have a slightly bitter bite, and are typically sprinkled over meat, vegetable curries, and lentils before serving. It is also used to flavour dough for roti and nan.

Lamb Stew for Slow Cooker

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs lamb (We used Shanks and Shoulder Chops)
• 1 Shallot
• 4 Cloves of Garlic
• Salt & Peppers (Tellichery...if you are a pepper snob!)
• Crushed Red Dried Chillies
• 1 Large Onion
• 1 Cup of Mini Round Carrots (Sweeter than the usual)
• 1 Cup of Baby Potatoes (Unpeeled....going for the rustic thing)
• 1 Turnip
• 1 Whole Can of Diced Tomatoes
• Herbs for the Bouquet Garni (I only had Rosemary and Thyme, So I also added a few mint leaves (I think this really added something special to the Broth))
• 1/2 Cup of White Wine (Didn't have any red! I wonder if there is some sort of rule about Red wine and Red Meat)
• 1 Cup of Vegetable Broth (According to Taste Really)

I had 4 small Lamb Shanks (Cracked, so the marrow can seep into the stew) and 1 large shoulder chop that needed to be pared down to size. Rub the meat with the Shallots and the Salt & Pepper. Brown the meat. In the meantime, make sure the vegetables have been chopped an appropriate size for the stew i.e. the cubes are about equal in size. Layer the slow cooker with the onions at the bottom and the rest of the vegetables on top. Add the browned meat, the wine, the vegetable broth, the red chili peppers and the Bouquet Garni. Leave it to cook on high for 4 to 6 hours....and you are done.