Sautéed Lamb with Eggplant

I always liked cooking in a wok and anyone who’s been following this blog knows we like lamb. Here’s an easy recipe that adds a fresh and unusual flavor to lamb:

Photo from web, by: Max Falkowitz (not exactly this recipe)

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 2 large eggplants thickly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 6 large tomatoes, blanched, skinned and thickly sliced
• 1 lemon sliced to garnish

Ingredients for the sauce

• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped, plus extra to garnish
• 2/3 cup pareve sour cream (I used Tofutti brand Better than Sour Cream)
• black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over high heat until almost smoking. Add the minced lamb and fry until thoroughly browned. Remove from wok and keep warm.
2. Add the remaining oil to the wok and fry the eggplant with the garlic for 10 to 15 minutes until lightly browned on both sides. Add the tomato slices and stir fry for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a serving dish. Top with the ground lamb and garnish with lemon slices and mint.
3. Sauce. Mix together the mint and pareve sour cream, season with black pepper, serve with the lamb and vegetables.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy! I plan to make this for tonight’s dinner.

CS

Chicken Cutlets with Facon

I made this last evening, easy to prepare and a delight to the palate!

Chicken Cutlets and Facon

(based on a recipe from Food & Wine‘s Quick from Scratch Chicken Cookbook)

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb Swiss chard, long stems removed, leaves chopped and washed well
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/4  lb sliced Jack’s Gourmet Facon, cut into 1/4″ strips
• onion, chopped
• 4 chicken cutlets
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp, fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup parve substitute for sour cream *

Directions

1. Put the Swiss chard and the water in a medium pot. In a large nonstick frying pan, cook the facon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Pour off and reserve all but 1 tbsp of the facon fat, which should stay in the pan.
2. Put the pan with the remaining facon fat on a moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, another 30 seconds. Add the mixture to the chard. Bring the water  to a simmer, cover and cook over low heat until the chard is wilted and tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Meranwhile, heat 2 tbsp of the reserved facon fat in the frying pan over moderately low heat. Season the turkey cutlets with 1/4 tsp of the salt and the pepper. Cook until just done, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the cutlets from the pan so as not overcook them.
4. Remove the chard from the heat. Stir in the parve sour cream and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Remove the chard from the pot with a slotted spoon, leaving the sauce. Divide the chard among four plates. Top each pile of chard with a turkey cutlet. Spoon some of the sauce over the top and sprinkle with the facon.
5. Serve with french fries

* Parve Sour Cream

Yield: 2 cups

• 1 package soft tofu
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Salt, to taste

Blend together well and refrigerate for about 4 hours

I washed it down with a Blue Moon White Belgian Style Beer.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy; I certainly did!

CS