Lamb Burgers

 

Lamb Burgers

Lamb burgers are such a delicious, great alternative to traditional beef patties! Mix with fresh herbs, garlic, and seasonings for an incredibly flavorful burger.
Ingredients
1 pound ground lamb
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon dried mint
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Toppings:

4 leaves lettuce
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup garlic sauce, or other favorite sauce
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon dried mint
4 hamburger buns

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the ground lamb, garlic, chopped mint, dried mint, salt and pepper. Do not overwork the mixture; it's okay if the meat has a just-ground look to it rather than a smooth look, to keep the burgers from becoming too dense.

Divide the mixture into four meatballs (about 4 oz. each), again without overworking the meat (these should not be smooth). Gently flatten each ball to about an inch thick, and collect back to the patties any meat that may be falling away from the patties. If making ahead, cover and chill these for up to 2 days (bring to room temp before cooking).

Coat the cooking surface with the oil before heating. Heat a skillet, griddle, or grill to medium high. Cook the patties until they are cooked through to 160°F, flipping them over halfway through cooking (6-8 minutes total, depending on the thickness of the patties). Cook the burgers couple or even one at a time if needed, depending on the size of your cooking surface.

Layer the bottom half of each bun with lettuce, onion, and tomato. Place a patty on each. Top each patty with a dusting of dried and fresh mint. Top with sauce and serve immediately.

Lamb Meatball Soup With Chickpeas

Lamb Meatball Soup With Chickpeas

Tangy and sinus-clearing like sopa de lima, consomé de barbacoa, and Tex-Mex tortilla soup. For an even tastier result without much extra lift, try swapping the cans for freshly cooked chickpeas (approx. ½ lb dried). We love the enhanced texture as well as the aromatic broth you can use instead of the canned stuff.

Ingredients:

Carrots
Red onion
Ground lamb
Chicken stock
Cilantro
Bay leaves
Chickpeas
Tortilla chips
Lime
Directions:
Cut 2 large carrots into ¼-inch pieces.  

Finely chop 1 large red onion. 

In a medium bowl, season 1 pound ground lamb with 

1 teaspoon salt and some pepper.

In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium-high. Add the carrots and all but a handful of the red onion, season with S&P, and cook until softened and browned in spots, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add 4 cups chicken stock, 

2 cups water, 

6 or so cilantro sprigs, and 

4 bay leaves. 

Season with S&P,

bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the broth is flavorful, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, including their liquid.

 Use a tablespoon measuring spoon to plop lamb meatballs into the broth. Simmer, stirring gently and occasionally, until the lamb is cooked through (160°F), 5 to 7 minutes. (Keeps for 4 days in the fridge.)

Finely chop ½ cup cilantro, stems and all. Remove the soup from the heat and discard the bay leaves and cilantro sprigs.   Season to taste with S&P. 

Crumble some salty tortilla chips into serving bowls, 

then spoon the soup on top. 

Add the remaining red onion, 

chopped cilantro, 

and a lot of fresh lime juice.     Serves 4

Mint-Pistachio Pesto Pasta With Lamb Meatballs

Mint-Pistachio Pesto Pasta with Lamb Meatballs

Pesto pasta gets a spring makeover with mint, parsley, green onions and pistachios. It coats al dente rigatoni and juicy lamb meatballs, sweet sugar snap peas and sharp Pecorino Romano cheese. It’s weeknight-easy, yet impressive enough for a dinner party.

Ingredients:

Meatballs

1 lb (455 g) ground lamb

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup (125 mL) finely chopped parsley

1/4 cup (60 mL) grated Pecorino Romano

1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt

Canola oil for greasing pan

Pesto

2 cups (500 mL) packed fresh mint leaves

1 cup (250 mL) roughly chopped parsley

1 cup (250 mL) roughly chopped green onion

1/2 cup (125 mL) roasted pistachios

3/4 cup (175 mL) extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

1 lb (455 g) Italian dried rigatoni or similar tubular-shaped pasta

1 cup (250 mL) sliced sugar snap peas

3/4 cup (175 mL) grated Pecorino Romano

Directions:

For the meatballs, preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C).

In a medium bowl, mix lamb, garlic, parsley, Pecorino Romano and salt until combined. Form heaping 1-tbsp (20-mL) portions into balls. Place on oiled baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes, shaking pan halfway through to turn meatballs. Remove from the oven and set aside.

To make pesto, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add mint, parsley and green onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bright green, about 90 seconds. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water. Cool, drain again and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.

Add blanched herbs, pistachios, olive oil and salt to a blender. Blend until a smooth, even pesto forms, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

In a large pot of lightly salted water, cook pasta according to instructions on package. Reserve 1 cup (250 mL) pasta water then strain pasta in colander.

In another large pot, heat pesto and 1/4 cup (60 mL) pasta water over medium heat. Stir to combine then add pasta and meatballs. Stir to coat in pesto and heat through. If it seems dry, add more pasta water as needed.

Transfer pasta to a serving platter. Garnish with sliced sugar snap peas and Pecorino Romano.   Serves 4 to 6

Quick Lamb Ragu

Quick Lamb Ragu

A simple meat sauce for polenta  

or pasta that's simply delicious.

5*****

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 pound ground lamb
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes (preferably organic)

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil until it shimmers. Add the onion, carrot, celery and sauté. Cook until the vegetables soften, about 3 minutes.

Add the ground lamb and sauté until the meat loses its raw red color. Sprinkle the meat generously with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Add the tomato paste, thyme, and red wine and stir to combine. Simmer until the wine reduces, keeping the heat at medium or medium-low. 

Add the whole tomatoes and cut them up with kitchen scissors, or break them up with the back of a spoon. Stir the sauce to combine and let simmer on low, covered, for 30 minutes. Watch the sauce and if it starts to brown on the edges of the pan or look dry, add 1/8 cup water and stir.

Taste the sauce for salt and adjust if necessary. Serve over penne, polenta, spaghetti squash or orzo.

 

Lebanese Baked Eggplant

Lebanese Baked Eggplant

a recipe from www.maureenabood.com

Ingredients:
2 medium-sized globe eggplant
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1⁄2 cup pine nuts
1 pound ground beef or lamb
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
1 28 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup shredded fresh mozzarella cheese (optional)
Directions:
Cut eggplant in half crosswise, then cut lengthwise in 1⁄2 inch slices. Brush both sides of eggplant slices lightly with olive oil. Arrange on a baking sheet and broil eggplant in batches until deep mahogany brown, turning once to brown both sides.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the pine nuts and cook until golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium sauté pan, melt butter over medium low heat. Add chopped onion and cook over medium heat until translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add the ground beef, breaking up the meat with a spoon. Season with salt, cinnamon, and pepper. Cook until meat is medium-well done, continuing to break up the meat into small pieces with a spoon.

Butter or spray a 9x13x2-inch baking or similar sized gratin dish with oil. Spread about 1⁄2 cup of tomato sauce in bottom of dish. Place eggplant slices over the sauce, covering as much surface area of the bottom of the dish as possible. Spoon 1⁄2 of the meat evenly over the eggplant and pour half of the remaining tomato sauce over the meat. Sprinkle with half of the pine nuts. Repeat, layering eggplant, meat, pine nuts, and tomato sauce. Finish with a layer of eggplant and cover with more tomato sauce. 

Note that this can be done in two layers of eggplant if you prefer (or if you don't have enough eggplant for three layers of it) by making a layer of eggplant and nuts, then meat, then eggplant and nuts on top.
Pour enough water along the sides of the dish to fill the gratin almost to the top (about 1/2-inch from the top). This is an important step or your sauce will be too thick.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 1⁄2 hours. Remove foil and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, if using. Bake for about 1⁄2 hour longer, uncovered, until cheese is bubbling and golden.

Remove from oven and serve immediately with rice, Lebanese pita bread, and a crisp Romaine salad.