Stuffed Lamb Shoulder

[A few Shabbatot ago, I had lunch at some Sephardic friends’ home; I asked for the recipe of the delicious Lamb Shoulder we had and Mrs. Alma Ohayon emailed me this one. CS]

Serves 6

Photo by: Alma Ohayon

Ingredients

• 1 shoulder of lamb, weighing about 5 lb 8 o, boned and trimmed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp flour, blended with 1 tbsp water
• 1 cup beef or chicken stock

Stuffing

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 cup lean ground lamb
• 1/2 cup long grain rice
• 1/2 cup water
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 12 no-soak dried apricots, chopped
• 1 egg, slightly beaten

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Prepare the stuffing. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until it begins to soften. Add the garlic and ground lamb and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring to break up the meat. Stir in the rice and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until translucent, stirring frequently.
2. Stir in the water, salt and pepper, and cumin. Cook covered over medium-low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is just tender. Remove the from the heat. Add the remaining stuffing ingredients.
3. Open the meat out flat, skin side down. Spread over the stuffing roll. Roll up tightly and secure with string. Brush with oil. Place on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 50 minutes for medium. Brush with honey 15 minutes before the end. Transfer to a serving plate to rest, tented with foil for 15 minutes.
4. Pour of all except 2 tablespoons of the fat. Set the pan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour mixture, stock and vinegar. Bring to a boil while stirring; simmer for 8 minutes, or until thickened. Serve with the lamb.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Lamb, I Like Lamb!

Before SYR posts the next installment of Recipes We’ve Enjoyed During the Holy Days I just have to share this easy to make but delicious lamb dish, which I found on PetiChef.com

Photo from: petichef.com

Honeyed Welsh Lamb

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the lamb:

• 4-6 pounds leg of lamb
• 4 tablespoons of rosemary infused honey
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the gravy:

• 3 tablespoons rosemary infused honey
• 2 tablespoons cold white wine
• 1 tablespoon corn starch

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400F. Place the lamb in a roasting pan and brush with the honey. Mince one sprig of rosemary and sprinkle it over the lamb along with the minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Place the last two sprigs of rosemary over the lamb. Using tinfoil form a tent over the lamb and place it in the oven. Roast for 15 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350F.

Continue roasting for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, estimating about 20 minutes per pound. When there?s approximately 20 minutes of roasting time left, remove the tinfoil from the lamb allowing the skin to brown and crisp. Depending on desired level of doneness, remove the lamb when it reaches about 10 degrees below desired read out on a meat thermometer as the cut will continue to cook as it rests. A temperature of 160F and pink juice indicates the lamb is medium rare.

Remove the lamb from the oven and transfer it from the roasting pan to a plate. Cover it with foil and keep it warm while it rests. Next place the roasting pan on the range. Mix 2 tablespoons of cold white wine with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Add the mix to the roasting pan along with 3 T of the honey. Stir together and heat over a low temperature until the liquid reduces by about two-thirds.

Serve the lamb with the gravy, roast potatoes and roast pears.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 150 minutes

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Lamb Soup

I like lamb, it is one of my favorite meats. Whether in a soup or in any other form, if a dish has lamb in it I just have to try it. Whether it’s those superb  Slow Roasted Lamb Chops at Mike’s Bistro or the Lamb Soup at Yummy Grill, SYR and I – hardcore carnivores both – are in total agreement that lamb is in a class of its own, we love it!

Recently, while going over some old papers I found cooking notes by my long departed mother in them the following recipe:

Yields 4

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 ounces lean tender lamb
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 5 cups chicken soup
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 inch piece lemongrass, sliced into very thin rounds
• 1/4 teaspoon chili paste (I make my own from a recipe I found online, here)
• 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 4 scallions, finely sliced
• 1 3/4 ounces bean sprouts snapped in half
• 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoonolive oil.

 Directions

1. Trim away all the fat from the lamb and slice it thinly. Cut slices into bite sized pieces. Put the meat in a layer on a plate and sprinkle with the garlic and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Cover it and let marinate for one hour.
2. In a saucepan bring the chicken stock, ginger, lemongrass, remaining soy sauce and the chili paste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. When ready to serve the soup, drop the tomatoes, scallions, bean sprouts and cilantro leaves into the stock.
4. Heat oil in a skillet, add the lamb and marinade. Strir fry the meat until is no longer red and divide among the 4 bowls.
5. Add the hot soup to each bowl and serve immediately.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy. I did!

CS

Live from Nargila! – Part 2

This past Wednesday, The Kosher Scene Radio Show did a live broadcast from Nargila Grill (1599 York Avenue – between E. 84 and E. 85th Street – New York 10028; Tel: 212.535.3700).

From left to right: Esti Berkowitz (Primetime Parenting), Alessandra Rovati (Dinner in Venice), Marlene Mamiye (The Kosher Hostess), Yours Truly, at the controls (The Kosher Scene), Kim Amzallag (Mishpacha/Kosher Inspired Magazine); Suzannah Raff (The Kosher Shopaholic), not pictured - as she spoke to us on the phone - Amy Channa (The Gluten Free Maven) PHOTO BY: Irving Schild

Nargila Grill is a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean type restaurant, the decor authentic Middle Eastern, with softly piped in music to match.

Getting ready to order. PHOTO BY: Irving Schild

After the show we all enjoyed an incredibly delicious meal consisting of assorted Mediterranean salads, beef, lamb, and chicken kabobs. Each type of meat was done in a variety of styles and came on multiple skewers, each more succulent than the other!)

We are going back next Wednesday, to do another live show and to enjoy the owner’s mother’s Bukharian cooking. She comes in once a month to prepare some real delicacies. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Why don’t you join us at: Nargila Grill (1599 York Avenue – between E. 84 and E. 85th Street – New York 10028; Tel: 212.535.3700), next Wednesday evening? We’d love to meet you and we know you’ll love the food! We’ll leave the light on for ya. May we have the pleasure of seeing you there?

CS

Yummy Grill

It may be small and unpretentious, but don’t let that fool you. This hidden jewel, Yummy Grill (543 Kings Highway – off East 4th; Brooklyn, NY; Tel: 718.375.7557), serves up delicious food featuring Cavcasian and Israeli cuisines.

A partial view...

Chef/Owner Eli Hizkiyahu graduated, as Chef, from Israel’s famed Tadmore Hotel School in Herzliya. He arrived on the American shores about 19 years ago and made a successful career using food as his canvass. From fashioning Tfillin out of watermelons, to birds about to take off in flight – out of fruits and vegetables, he’s done it all as he travelled the length and breadth of the US plying his trade of food decoration at numerous catered and private affairs. About 9 months ago, Chef Eli and his wife opened up their current venue.

My companion RN and I stopped by for lunch, recently. She started out with a Lamb Soup…

Lamb Soup

It was nicely presented, spicy and very savory; in fact, it could have served as a complete meal by itself. It contained a few lamb bones, slivers of lamb and rice. Excellent! She described it as perfect comfort food for a winter day.

I started with an Avocado Salad. I have never been a fan of avocado, but the taste of this one was exceptional. Colorful, nicely but subtly spiced, it contributed to change my mind about avocado.

We then shared a platter of Baby Lamb Chops…

Baby Lamb Chops

They were tender, juicy and had a very attractive aroma; came with a side dish of mixed Grilled Vegetables, consisting mostly of mushrooms, onions and peppers grilled to perfection.

We followed with a plate of Baby Chicken Kebab…

Baby Chicken Kebab

Tender, juicy delicious, it also came with those superb Grilled Vegetables (we just couldn’t enough of them!). All was served us in whimsically shaped but practical china, a delight to the eye. I washed it down with an Israeli malt. RN finished her meal with a delightful Tea w/Nana (mint leaves), while I had a coffee.

Ample portions, superb flavors, and very reasonable prices… isn’t it time to visit Yummy Grill?

CS