Daily Unadventures in Cooking » Lamb

Greek Crockpot Lamb Pita Recipe

katerina — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:08:07 +0000

Crockpot cooking sometimes makes me feel like a clichéd suburban housewife but it does produce wonderful food when you take advantage of what it does well – long slow, moist cooking. This recipe for slow cooker lamb gyros does exactly that. A leg of lamb simmers away all day with onions, tomatoes and oregano and becomes tender enough to pull apart and stuff into pitas.

If you go to Greece, you will find that gyros sometimes come with a french fry or two – feel free to add whatever toppings you want. For us that was fresh vegetables and herbs, hot sauce and a big dollop of tzatziki. If you make french fries invite me over okay?

Roasted Leg of Lamb with Tomato, Olives and Mint

katerina — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:04:49 +0000

A roast leg of lamb is perfectly suited to a cozy Sunday dinner with family. The smell of the caramelizing tomatoes and olives will waft through your house and help welcome guests to your home. Try serving this family style so everyone can help themselvse to slices of the roast lamb and spoonfuls of sauce. You can pair it with risotto or mashed potatoes but a cauliflower puree is nice and light and pairs with lamb beautifully.

Coconut and Tamarind Braised Lamb Shanks Recipe

katerina — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:40:22 +0000

Consider this recipe an Indian curried lamb shank with a twist. The spicing includes the familiar turmeric, cumin, coriander, and heat you would expect in an Indian curry but the coconut milk and lack of ginger give it an almost Thai flavour.

Do you ever cook for people with dietary restrictions? This recipe was developed to feed an allergy prone friend; it has no dairy, soy, corn, wheat, eggs, ginger, tomatoes or potatoes and is served on allergy friendly quinoa. After struggling over ideas I have a new respect for all those people with dietary restrictions and developing allergy-friendly recipes.

Warm and Spicy Lamb Chops with Apricot Sauce

katerina — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:57:33 +0000

The gamier the meat the more likely it is to stand up to a rich, fruit based sauce. Duck is flavoured with orange sauces. Venison is stewed with cherries. Although lamb isn’t nearly as intense of a flavour as it once was, it is such a beautiful and robust meat, that it is contrasted nicely with this sweet Middle Eastern red wine and apricot sauce.

This is an easy pan sauce which comes together while the lamb rests. When you add the butter make sure it is cold and that you have reduced the sauce enough, that is how you get a beautiful, shiny, and not broken, pan sauce.

Moroccan Spiced Lamb with Apricot Sauce

4 lamb chops
1 tablespoon cumin
1 big pinch cinnamon
1 big pinch smoked paprika
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of minced shallot
1/4 cup red wine
1 tablespoons apricot jam
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon cold butter

Combine cumin, cinnamon and paprika, rub on lamb and allow to sit for at least an hour or overnight. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper. Heat a small skillet to medium hot and add oil. Brown lamb well on both sides and flip regularly until cooked to medium. Remove to a rack and let rest while you make the sauce.

Drain off excess oil from the pan, you don’t need anymore than a teaspoon at most. Add shallot and stir for 1 minute, until it has softened. Add the red wine and let reduce until almost dry. Swirl the pan regularly so that shallots don’t burn. Add jam and whisk in chicken stock slowly. Allow to reduce until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, remove from heat and whisk in butter. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired, Serve immediately with warm chops on top.

Lamb Shanks with Red Wine Recipe

katerina — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:27:15 +0000

Lamb shanks are one of the first cuts of meat I learned how to cook. Years ago, I caught an episode of The Naked Chef where Jamie Oliver made lamb shanks. I was lying on the couch at two in the afternoon, as all good college students do, my school books were within reach but closed on the coffee table. Barely conscious I flipped through the channels, stopping when I hit Jamie. Having recently seen him on Oprah I was intrigued to see what he would make. Still half awake, and partially hoping this would lull me to sleep, I tuned in to see what he was making.

This guy has a ton of energy. So much in fact, that I got pulled into what he was making — lamb shanks. Never having made lamb of any kind before, but amazed by how easy he made it look, I resolved myself to make lamb shanks.

Then I rolled over and took a nap.

A year later when I was gifted a copy of the The Return of the Naked Chef I recognized his Spiced Lamb Shank recipe immediately and set about making it. Many years later I make lamb shanks frequently, they are one of my favorite comfort foods.

Lamb shanks really couldn’t be simpler or more rewarding to make. They like it low and slow, and I find braising them in wine always works. Ideally when you get the shank, have your butcher trim it for you. If you get it home and it is covered in fat or silver skin, you will want to take it off. Removing the silver skin isn’t that hard but it takes patience, and I recommend a sharp knife and steady hand. Once your shanks have been trimmed, brown them well in some fat. I usually rub them with seasonings and a bit of flour first as well. The flour helps thicken the sauce and adds a nice crust to the shanks. Then add your aromatics and braising liquid. Cover and cook slowly. When you braise the lamb don’t cover it with liquid, you want it half submerged. Also, don’t let the liquid boil, a low oven is ideal, then you can forget about it for a few hours.

This isn’t a Jamie Oliver recipe, it’s mine. But I have learned some things over the years — among them is that with simple flavours it is hard to go wrong with a lamb shank braised in red wine.

Lamb Shanks with Red Wine
(serves 2)

1/4 cup flour
~1/4 teaspoon salt
~1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 lamb shanks, silver skin and excess skin trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon herbes de provence

Preheat oven to 300F. Heat a heavy oven proof pot or casserole to medium. On a plate toss together flour, salt and pepper. Dredge the shanks in the flour mixture all over and shake off excess.

Put oil in the pot and add lamb shanks. Patiently allow to brown on all sides, turning as necessary. Remove from pot and pour off excess oil. Add red wine and stock and bring to a simmer, gently scraping any brown bits for the bottom. Add shanks back to the pot along with remaining ingredients. Put a lid on it and place in the oven.

Bake for 2-3 hours or until tender. Turn the lamb every 45 minutes. Remove lamb shanks and cover to keep warm. Spoon excess fat off of sauce. If you want a thicker sauce put it back in the oven, uncovered to reduce. If you want a more uniform sauce, put in the blender briefly. Take this opportunity to taste it and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper

Serve shanks with a hearty carb like mashed potatoes, risotto or buttered noodles. The sauce can be poured right on the shanks or served on the side.

Lamb Chop Recipe with Rustic Puttanesca Sauce

katerina — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:21:07 +0000

Pasta Puttanesca is a favorite comfort food in our house, so when I saw a recipe in Ad Hoc at Home I was inspired to try the same flavours with lamb chops for an easy Easter dinner.

As far as lamb chop recipes go, I have only ever made lamb chops once before but they are so easy to cook and make a great quick dinner. The artichokes, tomatoes and olives stand up beautifully to the richness of the lamb and using the same pan allows the lamb juices to flavour the sauce. I didn’t follow the original recipe at all, so don’t expect Kellar’s attention to detail or perfect technique.

Lamb Chop Recipe with Rustic Puttanesca Sauce
(serves 2-4)
Inspired by Ad Hoc at Home

1 tablespoon canola oil
4 lamb chops
salt and pepper
1 can of artichokes, drained
1/4 cup kalamata olives
2 tablespoons capers
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon oregano leaves
salt and pepper

Remove lamb from refrigerator half an hour before cooking and preheat oven to 375F. Heat an oven-proof skillet to medium and add canola oil. Season lamb on both sides with salt and pepper. Add lamb and brown on both sides. About 3 minutes a side. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook until medium rare. Remove lamb to a plate and gently tent with foil allow to rest 10 minutes.

Pour off excess oil to leave no more than a teaspoon, return to medium heat. Chop artichokes in quarters and add to hot pan. Pit olives and add as well as capers, tomatoes and oregano. Cook for 3-5 minutes tossing every minute.

Once lamb has rested, pour any extra juices into veggies and serve alongside the lamb.

Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks Recipe

katerina — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:52:00 +0000

My slow cooker experiments continue – and without disastrous results thankfully. When I bought my crockpot I had fantasies of eating long braising dishes on weeknights – namely our favorite, the lamb shank. It took me almost 6 months but I finally did it and it was worth it. This recipe was thrown together inspired by my original favorite lamb shank recipe. I call this recipe the Slow Cooker Italian Lamb Shank because of the wine, anchovies, tomatoes and rosemary. Serve it over risotto, or mashed potatoes – or if you are lazy and tired after work like me – on a bed of buttered noodles.

Italian Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks
(serves 4)

3 slices bacon, diced
4T flour
1T olive oil
1T rosemary, crushed
2 dried thai chilies, crushed
salt and pepper
4 lamb shanks, trimmed
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2T balsamic vinegar
2T anchovy paste
1 glass white wine
1 large can crushed tomatoes
2T tomato paste

1. In a large skillet cook bacon on medium low heat until crisp. Remove to slow cooker. Combine flour, rosemary, chiles, two good pinches of salt and grindings of pepper. Dust each lamb shank in the mixture.
2. Add olive oil to the pan and brown shanks on each side over medium heat. Remove and place in one layer in slow cooker.
3. Add onion, celery and carrot and cook for 3 minutes to soften. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add balsamic and white wine and let it cook to reduce halfways, and remaining ingredients, stir to combine and pour over shanks.
4. Set slow cooker on high for 3-4 hours or low for 8 hours.
5. Can be made a day ahead, separate sauce from shanks when storing and spoon the fat off the sauce if necessary.

Grilled Lamb Chops with Rosemary and Garlic Recipe

katerina — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 14:51:00 +0000

I love lamb, and make lamb stew and lamb shanks frequently but am new to cooking the lamb chop. However I was impressed by how easy they were to grill. Lamb is so beautiful when paired with rosemary and garlic. The sweet flavour of the meat can really stand up to the strong pungent flavour and smell of rosemary.

Grilled Lamb Chops with Rosemary and Garlic
(serves 4)

4 lamb chops, trimmed
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic
2T olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper

Remove the leaves from the rosemary and roughly chop. Mince the garlic and combine with the rosemary and olive oil. Generously salt and pepper the chops and toss in the oil mix. Cover and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.

Preheat a grill to medium and grill over direct heat for approximately 2-4 minutes per side or until it reaches 145F internally for medium rare. (Don’t forget to turn the meat to get those nice grill marks.) Let the meat rest for 3 minutes before serving.

Rosemary Grilled Leg of Lamb Recipe

katerina — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 17:39:00 +0000

My little rosemary bush, which I planted back in April, is finally looking healthy enough for me to start harvesting from it. About time too, it has taken all my constraint to avoid cutting it before it got settled. Thank goodness for the healthy parsley, oregano, and sage which I have been using to satiate my cravings in the meantime. So when I saw this reasonably sized bone in leg of lamb at the store, I snatched it up. Of course… I hadn’t ever tried to make a whole leg of lamb before, let alone grill one, but a bit of research and a full propane tank made quick work of the lamb.

For more great herb recipes check out this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Melissa from Cooking Diva.

Grilled Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

1 bone-in leg of lamb roast
2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4T olive oil
1/2t freshly ground pepper
1t salt

With a very sharp knife make 1/2″ deep slits in the meat about an inch apart. In alternating slits put the garlic slivers and rosemary needles. Combine the salt and pepper with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and any remaining rosemary. Using your fingers massage this all over the lamb.
Preheat a grill to medium heat. Turn off one burner and put the lamb on the off burner and close the lid. Baste every half hour with the remaining olive oil and turn. Depending on the size of your roast start testing for doneness after about an hour. I like a medium rare meat so I was looking for about 135-145F internal temperature. But it should be 125F for rare and 160F for medium. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before carving, lightly tented with foil.

Try putting the leftovers into a sandwich with grilled zucchini and feta.

You May Also Be Interested In:
Lamb Shanks with Rosemary and White Wine
Focaccia Bagels
Grilled Lamb Chops with Rosemary and Garlic

Tags: Lamb, Meat, Roast, Recipe

Lamb Shanks with White Wine and Tomatoes Recipe

katerina — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 00:36:00 +0000

Lamb Shanks may seem like a recipe that is too challenging to make it at home, but don’t be fooled braising lamb shanks is not hard. This particular recipe is adapted from an Italian Jamie Oliver recipe which was the first lamb shank recipe I ever made. It is simple to cook so I know you can make it too.

The key with cooking lamb shanks is having the time to let them stew. It takes a bit of prep, and a lot of time in the oven, but otherwise they are simple to make and extremely delicious. Serve this recipe on top of risotto or mashed potatoes.

Lamb Shanks with White Wine and Tomatoes
(serves 4)
Adapted from The Naked Chef

4 lamb shanks, trimmed into 1′ pieces
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon coriander seed
3 dried thai chiles
2 tablespoons dried rosemary, or fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon flour
2-4 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 large carrot, quartered, and finely sliced
2 celery stalks, finely sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup dry white wine
6 anchovies, or 1T anchovy paste
2 14 oz cans plum tomatoes, with juice
handful fresh basil or parsley, roughly chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a mortar and pestle crush the chiles and coriander, if you are using dried rosemary crush it too. Chop the rosemary if you are using fresh rosemary. On a plate spread the spice mixture. Add to it the flour and add a really healthy amount of salt and pepper. Stir it around and mix everything together. Dust the lamb shanks in the mixture and rub and pat it right in.
2. In a large dutch oven over medium heat heat 2T of the oil. Brown the shanks on each side and remove and set aside. If more oil is needed add the remaining 2T and heat. Add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring until soft about 8 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook for 3 minutes. Add the white wine and simmer for 2 more minutes. Add the anchovies (or anchovy paste) and stir to combine. Then add the tomatoes and tomato juice. Add the lamb and bring up to a boil.
3. Transfer to the oven and simmer, covered for an hour and a half. Remove lid and cook for another half hour.
4. If you have too much liquid, remove the shanks and cover to keep warm, meanwhile boil down the sauce until a little thicker. Season to taste, you will likely want about 1/2t of salt.

Serve over risotto or mashed potatoes. Garnish with parsley or basil.