[Kimmie]

Ahum..


YES YES YES!! I DO I DO I DO!!!

There's more in my computer but I just don't have the time. Maybe later...

[Kimmie]

Spiced Lamb Skewers

2 tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. papikra
1½ tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1½ lbs. lamb top round
16 wooden skewers, soaked

Combine cumin, paprika, coriander, pepper, cayenne pepper and cinnamon in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Set aside. Trim excess fat from lamb and slice the meat into thin strips. Then toss lamb with the spice mixture until evenly coated. Carefully skewer each piece of seasoned lamb with a wooden skewer that's been soaked in water overnight. Set aside in refrigerator until ready to cook. Place on pre-heated grill for about 2 minutes, flip and cook for about 1 minute more. Serve hot.

Mint Yogurt Dipping Sauce

2 cups (500 ml) plain yogurt
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
½ lemon, juice only
¼ cup mint, freshly chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly. The dip tastes best if refrigerated for a few hours before serving.

[Athenaeus]

OMG

Why you do this to me...

I will tell you what!! Let\s organise I lamb festival... And cook lamb in 1000 different ways...

[Kimmie]

Uh...I think we're having it right now.

BTW, all the recipes posted above are tried and true. In other words, they ALL work!

[Olive Branch]

Oh my Lord! What a fabulous bunch of recipes! I'll be eating lamb once a week for months.

I don't have a recipe, but here's a story. My mom and I were discussing Easter dinner. She said, "Of course, we'll have leg of lamb." My four year old son said, "But then how will the lamb walk??"

We had a ham.

Love ~ Debbie

[Athenaeus]

Sweet as always Debbie

I will post a strange recipe form our GREEK and ONLY GREEK beloved Macedonia.
The North of Greece is more rich than the south so they have developed a very interesting kitchen.

Lamb with shallots

For 1 kilo of lamb (2p) you need 2 kilos of shallots.

In a casserole place some olive oil and saute the lamd.
Remove the lamb and place the shallots WHOLE without chopping them. Saute until they are soft but crispy.
Add tomato sauce and let them boil for 5 minutes. Then you add the lamb. Sprinkle some salt and pepper.

Enjoy and spit on the cook in order not to give him or her the evil eye

[Kimmie]

(Serves 4)

FETA-LEMON DRESSING
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup good-quality feta cheese
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

LAMB SALAD
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1 bunch fresh spinach, cleaned
1/4 pound mesclun or wild greens mix
2 roasted red bell peppers, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 red onion, julienned
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 ripe tomato, cut into wedges
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

To prepare the dressing, put the vinegar, garlic, shallots, oregano, thyme, zest, and juice in a medium bowl and mix well. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is thickened and emulsified. Add the feta and stir to mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir again. Set aside.

To prepare the salad, heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan until very hot. Add the garlic and onion and lightly sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the lamb and cook just until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the lamb cool slightly. Drain and discard the fat.

Put the spinach and mixed greens in a large bowl and toss with the bell peppers, onion, and cucumber. Add the cooked lamb and about 2 tablespoons of dressing per person and toss well. Place the salad on individual plates and top with the tomato wedges and pine nuts. Serve immediately with additional dressing on the side.

[Kimmie]

MUSTARD SEED VINAIGRETTE
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup mustard seeds
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and black pepper to taste

RACK OF LAMB
2 racks of lamb, about 12 bones total, fat trimmed
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1/2 cup ground hazelnuts
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

For the vinaigrette, place wine and mustard seeds in a small saute pan and cook over high heat until the liquid is gone, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the seeds from the pan and place in a bowl. Add vinegar, garlic, shallots, mustard, and dry mustard and mix well. Slowly whisk in olive oil until well blended. Add rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.

For the lamb, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season the racks of lamb with salt and pepper. In a large, ovenproof saute pan, heat oil until smoking hot. Place racks meat side down and sear well, about 2 minutes on high heat. Turn and sear the other side.
Remove from the heat and, with a brush or the back of a spoon, smear the mustard over the lamb. In a small bowl, combine hazelnuts, bread crumbs, and rosemary. Press the mixture onto the lamb racks, packing it on well. Place back in the pan and roast for 15 to 20 minutes for medium-rare doneness (depending on thickness). The internal temperature should be about 135 degrees on a meat thermometer. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 2 minutes before slicing. Slice and serve 3 bones per person. Drizzle each serving with Mustard Seed Vinaigrette.

Serves four.


Dessert note: Finish with elegant Ginger Pear Galette.

[Kimmie]

MARINADE
3 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoon rice vinegar
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon chopped basil
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

TO ASSEMBLE
2 teaspoons olive oil
8 (3 ounce) lamb chops or 4 (6 ounce) chops
salt to taste

For marinade, place shallots, garlic, ginger, vinegar, lemon, zest, and concentrate. Mix well. Add syrup and olive oil and again mix. Season with herbs and pepper.

Place the lamb chops in the marinade and let sit for about 1-3 hours. Oil and heat the grill. Remove the lamb chops from the marinade. Make sure to let the chops drain a bit before you grill so that the marinade with not cause the grill to flair up. You can brush the chops with the leftover marinade while grilling. For the smaller chops gill about 3-4 minutes on each side for medium rare to medium doneness. Depending on the thickness grill the 6 ounce chops for about the same time.

Serve warm with oven roasted potatoes and grilled vegetables

(Serves 4)

[Kimmie]

4 lamb shanks (about 1 pound each)
1 cup all-purpose flour, for dusting
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound mushrooms (such as shiitake, oyster, or chanterelle)
1/2 cup red wine
2 cups Lamb Stock **
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon chopped fresh savory, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Dredge the lamb shanks in the flour and set them aside.
In a roasting pan on the stove over high heat, heat the olive oil until smoking hot. Add the lamb shanks and brown them well, 4 or 5 minutes per side. Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are tender, 3 or 4 minutes. Add the wine and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes, or until half the wine has evaporated. Add the stock and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Add the rosemary, savory, and salt and pepper to taste.

Cover the roasting pan with a lid or aluminum foil and place it in the oven. Bake until the lamb is tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Serve the Lamb Shanks with the Wild Mushroom sauce and accompanied by rice.

Serves four.

** I purchase my lamb stock from my butcher. I hope it's available to you as well. Otherwise, just make it like this:

LAMB STOCK

5 pounds lamb bones
2 onions, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
8 cups water
1 bay leaf

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a roasting pan, place the bones, onions, carrot, celery, and garlic and roast for about 1 hour, or until the bones turn golden brown. Spread the tomato paste over the mixture and roast for 10 more minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a large stockpot. Add the wine to the roasting pan and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour this liquid into the stockpot. Add the water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 6 to 8 hours, until the stock is full of flavor. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl and use immediately, or allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating.

This stock keeps in the refrigerator for up to one week and can be frozen.

Makes about 4 cups.

[Suzanne]

I WANT TO MAKE EVERY SINGLE RECIPE PEOPLE GAVE HERE!!!!!

My lamb story is about a chef for whom I've worked many times. He is quite the creative artist, with more ideas than he can fit on a menu. Some years ago, he thought it would be great to offer Roast Baby Lamb around Easter time. So he got one from our meat purveyor. Except that he never cooked it. It sat (lay?) in the walkin for a few weeks. Need I say more?

But I still love lamb, and I still love working for him.

[Athenaeus]

Dear Kimmie these are sooo good!!!
Thank you so much!!!


Where do you find those recipes?

[Kimmie]

Some of these recipes I found on the net (and I tried them all)!!

Some of them were some favorites from my Grandmother; that's why I had them on my computer already!

Some from cookbooks!

[Isa]

And to think she only has about a dozen cookbooks with her. Imagine what she will do when she gets all her books back...

[Ruth]

i spent 5 mos in scotland most of it up in shetland. that is on the lattitude of oslo,so i watched them grow in the womb ,be born then slaughtered. and i will say this nothing beats fresh scottish lamb. my favorite cut is noisette(sp?). yes i am spoiled rotten and proud of it. that was all i served over there.however they also make lamb burgers yummy also. and when it is the best i just sear it and finish in the oven with a red wine and rosemary natural jus. mum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!