Slow Cooked Lamb with Potatoes – Kuzi de Pesah

I always liked lamb and when looking for a great recipe that uses it, what better place to find it than in a Sephardic cookbook?

From Stella’s Sephardic Kitchen (page 157) by Stella Cohen:

Detail of photo by: Marc Hoberman, on page 156

An easy one-pan lamb and potato dish which is perfect as a family meal and a chilly night. The lamb is gently simmered on the stovetop then briefly browned in the oven. Traditionally this flavorsome dish is served on the Passover dinner, paired with a green spring salad or braised green beans.

3 1/4 lb shoulder of lamb, cut through the bone into even chunks *
5 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 fresh bay leaves
2 small sprigs fresh rosemary
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3-4 cups hot chicken soup
2 1/4 lb waxy potatoes, peeled and quartered lengthways
3 tbsp roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley (use leaves and tender stems)

You will need:
An enameled, cast-iron, shallow oven-to-table casserole

TRIM excess fat from the lamb.

HEAT 4 tbsp olive oil in the casserole over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and cook to batches on all sides until lightly browned. Remove the lamb with long tongs and keep in a heatproof dish.

ADD the onions to the casserole and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. Return the browned meat to the pan. Add the bay leaves, rosemary sprigs, and season with salt and pepper. Pour in enough hot stock to just cover the lamb. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer foe 3-4 hours or until the meat is tender, adding more hot stock as necessary. Skim the fat off the cooking juices in the pan.

MEANWHILE boil the potatoes until just tender and drain.

SCATTER the potatoes over the lamb and sprinkle with half the parsley over the lamb and sprinkle with half the parsley,. Drizzle the remaining olive over the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.

PREHEAT the oven to grill/broil 15 minutes before serving. Place in under the grill for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown. Serve at once with the remaining parsley sprinkled on top.

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STELLA’S HINTS:

• * Ask your butcher to cut the shoulder into roughly 2- 2 1/2 inch chunks.
• Lamb chops can be used instead of shoulder, which will save cooking time.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Oven-Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

The perfect, delicious, side dish for any main – whether on Passover or the rest of the year – it’s incredibly simple to make.

From Geila Hocherman‘s Kosher Revolution,  page 145

Serves 6

Photo by: Antonis Achilleous

Not every delicious dish needs to be complicated. This savory side of crisp, garlicky potatoes almost makes itself. It’s the perfect accompaniment to roast meats, chicken or fish – just about any main item.I like to season these with rosemary , but see other options in the ingredient listing.

• 3 pounds unskinned fingerling potatoes
• 6 garlic cloves, flattened with the side of a knife
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin oil
• Four-3-inch fresh rosemary sprigs, 4 thyme sprigs, or 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a medium roasting pan, combine the potatoes and garlic. Add the salt, oilve oil a nd rosemary, and toss
2. Roast the potatoes until golden , about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to 20 minutes to ensure browning. Serve.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!
CS

Passover Cooking with Susie Fishbein at Pomegranate – Part 2

Susie Fishbein demonstrated two more superb dishes:

Tershi in Pessach Couscous

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups prepared Passover couscous, set aside
• 4 lbs kabocha squash
• 1/4 cup finely chopped Pomegranate pickled lemon (3 – 4 slices)
• Olive oil
• eggplant
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 jalapeño pepper
• 8 cloves fresh garlic

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.
2. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the squash chunks skin-side-down. Drizzle and rub with olive oil. Roast until soft, time will differ based on size of chunks (25-40 minutes). Allow to cool.
3. Cover two gas grates with foil. Place the eggplant right over each grate. Use tongs to turn as each side gets charred. After each eggplant is completely charred, place into a colander over a bowl and allow to cool.
4. Spoon the pumpkin off the skin, discard skin. Mash with a fork and place into a bowl.
5. Remove the charred skin from the eggplant and discard. Mash the flesh on a cutting board, chopping and scraping it with the side of your knife. Add to the pumpkin. Sprinkle smoked paprika, sweet paprika, salt, cayenne, and pickled lemon. In a food processor with the metal “s” blade, pulse the jalapeño and garlic. Add to mixture. Mix well to distribute spices. Spoon over the couscous.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Passover Cooking with Susie Fishbein at Pomegranate – Part 1

Last evening Pomegranate featured cookbook author Susie Fishbein, who demonstrated some delicious Passover recipes. The demo was well attended by an enrapt audience, who got to enjoy some succulent dishes, following the cooking demonstration.

She demoed three dishes: Chimichurri Steak Salad, Tershi in Pessach Couscous and Pulled Barbecue Beef Tacos.

Chimichurri Steak Salad

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 – 2 lbs shoulder London Broil
• 6 cloves fresh garlic
• 1 (1/2 inch) slice red onion
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 oz mache and other salad greens
• 1/2 small kohlrabi, peeled, cut into matchsticks
• 1/4 small fennel, shaved into paper thin slices
• 1 Persian cucumber, w/skin , cut into thin slices
• 2 Shishito peppers, cut into thin slices on the diagonal
• 4 – 5 cherry tomatoes
• 1 slice Pomegranate Pickled Lemon, finely chopped

Dressing

• 2 tbsp Pomegranate Chimichurri Dip
• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil or Zeta brand Basil And Garlic flavored olive oil
• fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
• 1 tbsp water

Directions

1. Pat the meat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a food processor(or mini chop) fitted the metal “s” blade, pulse the garlic and red onion . Add the parsley, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Pulse again. Rub this paste all over one side of the steak. Allow to marinate while you prepare the salad.
3. Place the salad greens onto a platter. Top with the kohlrabi, fennel, cucumber, peppers, and tomatoes. Toss. Sprinkle on the chopped lemon.
4. Heat the oil in a grill pan. Add the steak, Sear for 6-7 minutes. Using tongs, turnover and sear on the other side for 7 minutes. Remove to cutting board. Allow to stand for 10 minutes, thinly slice on the diagonal. Arrange over the salad.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the chimichurri dip, olive oil, and water. Drizzle over the salad. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS