Lamb and Barley Stew with Root Vegetables

I'm not sure why lamb isn't eaten more the United States; I adore it.  But often people will just  blurt out, "I don't like lamb."  In some other parts of the world, lamb is precious, but more common than stateside--as is goat.  It doesn't answer the question about why so many Americans "don't like" lamb; I think they just haven't had much of it and what they have had as been poorly prepared.  I wish they could have some stew...

I rarely had lamb growing up--and, if I did, it was a tiny lamb chop with some potatoes and peas prepared simply to showcase the sweet bite of meat.  Of course there was mint jelly.  This may have had something to do with living with in 25 miles of the Chicago Stockyards, or simply in the mid west where beef was (and is) king. Maybe it was southern-born parents cooking up north.  Maybe it was cash.

Lamb Chops in Curried Red Lentil Soup

I am both blessed and cursed to be forced to cook for just me on a regular basis.  My better half has always traveled, and while for years I cooked for the kids and me, the kids are off cooking for themselves now.  These days, it's often just "the babies" and me for dinner.

"The Babies"

No-Hassle Easter

Cupcakes--Make them and freeze them tonight.  Defrost and frost Saturday or Order plain from the bakery and decorate at home.

no hassle Easter menu  serves 8

Deviled Eggs*
Make-ahead Green Bean Salad with Shallot Cream Dressing**
Pan-Grilled Double Lamb Rib Chops with Tapenade**
Oven-Roasted Rosemary Whole Carrots**
Czech Easter Bread, optional *
Cupcakes with Jelly Bean Frosting (Buy or Make)*

Alyce's Lamb Shanks on Mashed Ginger Rutabaga and Next Day Lamb Stew

I like a pasta bowl for lamb shanks and sides...sit them up in the rutabagas to show them off.

 If you're a bit unsure about lamb shanks... what they are or how to cook them, here's the deal:  they're pretty much like cooking a tiny pot roast on a big old bone.  Whatever treatment you've given beef chuck roast is probably going to work with lamb shanks--which are from way up on the lamb's leg.  Since the meat is tough, it needs to be braised (cooked in liquid) and the braising liquid of choice is often wine, though it needn't be.  A stiff stout would work, as would broth, tomatoes, cider and water...whatever floats your shanks.  Add root vegetables and/or onions, celery, garlic, and you've an entire meal.   Even just onions and wine with a bit of dried rosemary will give you something well worth eating.  Most recipes call for two lamb shanks per person; there isn't a lot of meat on one.  I find that given the vegetables and sauce inevitably cooked with them that one is plenty.

Summer Lamb Chops or "It's Too Darned Hot"

I do, I do, I do, I do love lamb chops.  Any time.  But I really love them in the summer when you can grill them up in a few minutes time while you make a salad, warm some bread, or grill some veggies, too.  For a long time, I've been looking at harissa with lamb chops (Tyler Florence has a recipe for it in TYLER'S ULTIMATE), and, you know how it is:  You go to cook something you've cooked a zillion times (I wish I'd had lamb chops a zillion times.) and you just do it that way for a zillion and one.   Another pass by a harissa recipe and I'd put it aside, sighing theatrically.  This is getting to be like why I don't make croissants.  (Trust me, just buy them.)   Maybe I had no lamb then.  Who knows.  But this time.  This time.  I did it.  I made the harissa and a little cous cous (redundant, isn't it?) with sauteed onions and raisins.  I stirred up a big pan of eggplant, zucchini, red and yellow peppers and onions.  Conjured up a bottle of Australian Shiraz (a mistake, but a good mistake) and off we went.  Sounds like a lot of time?  40 minutes tops.  I could be dreaming, but it wasn't too very long. I didn't time it.  Here's the drill for

Harissa Lamb Chops with CousCous and Sauteed Vegetables  serves 4

1.  Roast 2 red peppers under the broiler or grill them until they're blistered.  No sunscreen needed.  Place them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 10 minutes.  Meantime, in a skillet, toast 1 t ea whole cumin, coriander and caraway seeds.  Keep the heat low and stir occasionally.   When they smell really good, but aren't burnt, grind them in a coffee grinder you've cleaned.  Into the food processor, throw in a couple of cloves of chopped garlic (trust me, it won't get it chopped as finely as you'd like; chop it first), the ground spices, and 1/2 a chopped jalapeno-minus seeds and membranes. This sauce will be medium-hot.  If you want it mild, use 1/4 jalapeno.  If you want it ha-ha-ha-HOT, use the whole jalapeno. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and a big pinch each salt and pepper.  Squeeze in the juice of a whole lemon.  Whirr this mixture up really well by pulsing several times.  When the peppers are "done," peel the blistered skins away, rolling them in a big towel and peeling afterward, and throw them in the food processor.  Pulse until the vegetables are about like apple sauce.   Taste this and decide if you need more salt, more heat, more acid, etc.  Adjust accordingly.  Set this aside while you grill the chops and fix the rest of the dinner. (Easier:  Used jarred peppers and already ground spices.  Easiest: you can buy a jar of harissa.)

Just a note on the heat of harissa.  I do not like terribly hot things; I'm more interested in spices and flavor.  I made my harissa with 1/4 of a jalapeno and, when I tasted it all by itself, it  still seemed pretty hot.  Once I added it to my chop, however, it tasted much milder.  I added Tabasco.  So remember that the sauce dumbs down with the meat.  Sort of like once you take marinara and put it all over a plate of pasta.  You might want to try it out with something else ahead of time.

2.  Set the table and light the grill if you haven't done that yet.  Wait while the grill heats (sing your favorite song)  or grill the  6-8 lamb chops (Oil, salt and pepper them first.) Throw them on a hot fire to sear for one minute on each side.  Remove to spot that's not so hot or turn down flame and cook for another 3 minutes or so on each side for medium- medium rare.   If you want them rare, just cook on a hot fire for 2 minutes on each side.  I think lamb is best medium to medium-rare, but you don't have to trust me.  If you want it bloody, have it bloody.   Remove chops to a medium-sized platter and cover with foil for five minutes before serving.  Have to leave them there  for 15 while you cook the sides?  Not to worry; they'll be great at room temp.   In fact, they're damned good stone cold out of the frig tomorrow if you really get involved in something else.  You could even throw them in a skillet with your eggs. --  Ok, you're eating them tonight, so just partially uncover so they don't cook and steam to bits.) 

One important thing.  If you don't have friends invited to eat these, you won't be able to chew the bones.  So don't invite the new boss.  Invite people you know and love.  The bones are what it's about.

3.  Cous Cous?  Buy a package...And!  Before following the directions on the package, put a tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of a 2qt saucepan and cook up 1/4 c chopped onion and 1/4 black or golden raisins with a little salt and pepper.  Add the water and seasonings (I like the olive oil and garlic variety of cous cous) as the package directs and throw in the couscous when the water boils.  Turn off and let sit  covered for 5 minutes.

4.  Meantime (or earlier if you're that way)  peel and chop an eggplant 1-2" pieces.  Cut up a zucchini and a yellow squash into 1-2" pieces.  Ditto 2 medium sweet peppers, red and yellow or orange (no green.)  Ditto 1 medium purple onion.  Into a large skillet, pour 2-3 T olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Add veggies and season with a liberal shower of salt and pepper.  Cook for about 6 or 7 minutes and add 2 cloves of minced garlic.  Cook another 5-7 minutes until browned, crispy and tender.  Plate with the CousCous and add a lamb chop.  Top with harissa.  Smile.  All of you.

Wine:  Try a light rose on the edge of sweetness...maybe even a big riesling.  Reds just don't mix with the heat of the harissa.  Of course, I had to have my own way with the wine and drank red regardless.  Bad me.
Some folks would go the route of beer.  Some would drink sweet tea.  Makes sense.

Two-Dog Kitchen and Around the Hood or in my Heart, Including

What's in my frig?

We hiked the Crags. Phew.  Temps from 70's that dropped to 54 when the storm arrived.  Nice day, though.   Below:  cheese and cracker lunch by the stream:

Dave picking the cherries.  Not as many as I'd have liked.

A new toy for Dave.

Heather spends the night and helps me cook.  The dogs want to help.

Our once a year rain arrived and we couldn't grill.

So we made it inside.  Where we...

Grilled chicken. Grilled Eggplant. Grilled Tomatoes.

 Made Whole Wheat Linguine.  Tore off  Big peels of Parmesan and Chopped Basil.

Try it. 

-----------------------------

While we cooked:

Not sure what they did, but I'm sure they did it.

Just finished reading  THE MERMAID CHAIR by  Sue Monk Kidd.  What a story...  Guess I missed it when it was published in '05.  This was our book club book for July.  Thanks, ladies, for a great discussion. 

I'm playing:  "Feels Like Home"  by Randy Newman...

A lot of the Iona Worship Book...

I'm listening to:  George Winston playing Vince Guaraldi.

Recipe spots I'm tuned in to lately:   NYTimes on Wednesdays or online (Follow on Twitter)

All of Tyler Florence's books

ad hoc at home

SILVER PALATE (the gift that keeps on giving)

my own brain as the produce comes

Dorie Greenspan's blog

Chocolate and Zucchini blog

David Lebovitz' blog

Ina Garten when I have time to watch

What's on my counter? 

California peaches

Yellow and orange tomatoes

Plums

Lemons

Leftover grilled eggplant from lunch

Shallots

Garlic

Purple onions

New potatoes

3 kinds of vinegar

2 kinds of olive oil

Kosher salt

Sea salt

2 kinds of pepper

2 kinds of honey

Cochetti zin (3/4 of a bottle)

What's in my frig?

Strawberries

Grapes

Blueberries (Just froze 2 gallons for winter)

Watermelon

Parsley-both kinds

Whole carrots

Celery

Baby carrots

Lettuce that needs to be composted, but we can't compost.

We have bears.

Greek salad I made this morning for lunch

Leftover fruit from breakfast already cut

Greek yogurt-a couple of different kinds

Leftover turkey burger w/ colby cheese

Tillamook extra sharp white cheddar cheese

Goat's cheese

Leftover pizza from Mollica's

La Baguette whole wheat and 7grain bread

Boiled eggs

Cold Washington State Riesling

Leftover red wine for cooking

Pomegranate juice

Limes

It was 95 degrees today.  I think dinner can be found out of the mess above, don't you?

Sing a new song; eat leftovers

Alyce

Lamb-Italian Sausage Stew

 

My favorite stew-----It might be yours, too!

The weather has gone from autumn brilliant:



to frozen solid with all of the leaves on. We've had three lynx on our back deck (I got only one horrible pic), as well as these gorgeous bucks


trying to get something to eat through the ice. One wants to know why I'm taking pictures off the ice rink of an upper deck. We spent a couple of lovely days at home working on projects and enjoying cooking time. Ice, ice!

Today's blog is actually not totally from that cooking weekend, though we began it with a Friday night version of this lovely, original stew, layered with some rice topped with chiffonade of basil and a tish black pepper: I even added some carrots to round the stew out.   Another night, we had it with pasta.

I do apologize for the picture, but you get the idea. This is a full-bodied, hearty lamb stew that you could make


1. in the crock-pot,
2. on the stovetop or
3 in the oven if you so choose.


You can eat it just like it is in deep bowls, adding some baguette for dipping. Or, you can freeze a few containers and have them with rice or pasta some other week. Totally up to you.

LAMB/ITALIAN SAUSAGE STEW
--Can sub beef or pork for lamb (but I wish you wouldn't)
6-8 servings

In microwave oven or stove, cook 2 c dry white beans, one large onion, halved (keep skin on), 4 cloves of garlic with papers, 3 sprigs of rosemary and a teaspoon of freshly-ground pepper (no salt) in 2qts water, covered, until nearly tender. (Dry beans cook wonderfully in the micro.) Drain beans, remove vegetables and herbs. Set aside.  (If you choose to use canned beans (drained), add them in for the last hour of cooking in the crock-pot.)

In large skillet, brown 2# lean lamb, cubed and 4 Italian sausage links, cut into chunks.

Here, I cooked the meat in two pans at once (left and right) to hasten the process.

Add 2 c chopped onion, 1 c chopped celery, 2-4 cloves crushed garlic, 1 t each rosemary, thyme. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Cook 5-7 minutes until onion is becoming limp and translucent.

In 6qt. crock-pot, combine drained beans, meat and veggies. Add 2qt. beef stock , 1 32 oz can chopped tomatoes and 1 c red wine.*


Cook on low 6-8 hours. Make sure beans are tender before serving. Taste to adjust seasonings.

Alternately:  Cook on the stove top.  Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and let cook until everything is tender--about an hour and a half.  Don't overcook.

Serve w/ crusty bread and the rest of the bottle of red wine. An inexpensive French Cote du Rhone or even a lighter Italian red would be great. Any red would do in a pinch. We have enjoyed Pinot Noir with this meal. (Of course.)


A note on the meat: I use boneless leg of lamb for this stew and there is plenty left to do some lamb kabobs the next day if you have bought a whole leg.  Alternate onion and lamb on soaked skewers. Brush with olive oil and dust with garlic salt and oregano. Grill until medium rare. Serve with a side of cucumbers and dill in yogurt.

I have also used Lamb top round, which cooks a bit too quickly for this stew.  Stick with the leg or shoulder if you can.

Turkey Italian Sausage can be subbed for the pork sausage. If you use turkey, do not cook it all day in the crockpot. Just brown it and add it right before serving.

*This is a great method for altitude cooking.  If you live at sea level, or near it, you can just cook the beans half-way before adding them.


This is one of my very favorite stews and certainly a favorite recipe. I heard the words lamb and beans one day and this is what transpired.

There must be a special blessing for eating lamb; it's so tasty, homey and still elegant. Think of one and post it? We are always so incredibly grateful for such stomach-warming dishes. Particularly when it snows ice for hours on end. Brr.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Meantime, the weather has broken a tad and I'm in the middle of baking loaf after loaf of pumpkin bread. Pumpkin is a little scarce this year, but I got enough for my bread and for the Thanksgiving pies. Yes, it's coming!

I'm traveling the next few days. I will put up something new if I can, but might have to wait until early next week. Include me in your prayers for travel mercies?

Sing a new song...
Alyce
additional pictures added Feb, 2013