Roast Leg of Lamb with Tahini Sauce

When I was little, I really didn't like lamb, and consequently I avoided it completely for years. But then about 5 years ago my Mother-in-Law made a Rack of Lamb with a rosemary biscuit-like crust on it, and I loved it! I'll have to make and post that recipe sometime. Since then, I can't get enough, lamb has become one of my "go-to" favorites, especially when we are out in restaurants.

We are planning a trip to New Zealand for this upcoming December, and the part of our trip I am most looking forward too (aside from getting to visit with my Sister-in-Law and her Husband, of course)... is getting to eat lamb, lots and lots of lamb....

This meal, here, combines some of my favorite things - lamb, and Middle Eastern flavours. The next night for dinner, I made pita sandwiches with the left over lamb and tahini sauce with tomato, lettuce and onion. They were fabulous! It was actually pretty funny, I wrapped the sandwiches up using squares of waxed paper. My kids did not eat the lamb the first night, when it was served as in the picture, above (with roasted golden beets, steamed snow peas and Israeli couscous). However, when I made it into the wraps, they gobbled them up.

At one point while we were eating the sandwiches, I said to my husband, Mario, "This is the closest I've ever come to a good homemade shawarma sauce". Claire (looking a little stricken) says, "What do you mean, HOMEMADE, didn't these come from a restaurant?? How come they are wrapped in this paper???" I explained that I just did that myself to help make them easier to eat. Well, their enthusiasm for the meal vanished immediately and we had a job getting them to finish. How could they love something one minute (when they thought it came from a restaurant), and then hate it the moment they realized I made it! I was mortally offended (as I am most nights when they turn their noses up at my cooking!!).

Roast Leg of Lamb with Tahini Sauce
from Eating Well Website

8 medium cloves garlic, divided
2 1/2 tsp salt, divided
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp ground mace
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 4lb boneless leg of lamb, butterflied and trimmed
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. Mince 6 garlic cloves. Place in a small bowl with 1 1/2 tsp salt and mash into a paste using the back of a spoon. Stir in the oil, mace, cardamom, paprika, cinnamon, cumin and cayenne until combined.

2. Lay lamb out flat, with the cut side up. Spread three-quarters of the spice paste over the cut surface. Roll the lamb closed and tie in several places so it is about the shape of a large football. Spread the remaining paste over the outside. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

3. Mince the remaining 2 garlic cloves. Combine with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl with lemon juice, tahini, parsley, yogurt, and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

4. About 20 minutes before you are ready to grill, preheat a gas grill (with all burners lit) to 400°F or build a fire in a charcoal grill and let it burn down to medium heat (about 400°F).

5. Roast Lamb in BBQ over indirect charcoal until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees. (You can use a gas BBQ, by turning off the burners on the side where the lamb is, or roast in the over at 400F). Total cooking time will vary, but will be approximately 1 hour.

6. Transfer lamb to a platter and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with the tahini sauce.

Marinated Grilled Lamb Chops

We love to grill lamb chops, they are so easy and quick. This is a recipe that I just made for the first time, and we really enjoyed it. I served these lamb chops on a bed of store bought tabbouleh salad. On the side we had a Mediterranean style couscous and grilled vegetables. Overall it was a very very nice meal.

I didn't crush the dried rosemary before I marinated the lamb. The kids weren't too impressed with that, they kept picking them out and saying there were "twigs and sticks" in their dinner. Oh well, one time somebody found a bread tab in their dinner, and another time I baked that little corner you cut off the milk bags into a loaf of banana bread... (eating my food can be a risky undertaking). So overall, a couple of twigs isn't so bad.

So, what's the strangest thing that accidentally found it's way into YOUR cooking (or maybe I'm the only one that happens to)...


Marinated Grilled Lamb Chops
adapted from Readers Digest

3 tbsp olive oil
1 tso grated lemon zest
3 tbsp, fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled
1/2 tsp dried thyme, crumbled
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
6 lamb chops
1 lemon cut into wedges


1. Mix together the oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Add chops and marinate for about 4 hours. Mixing occassionally.

2. Preheat the grill, and place chops directly over hot coals. We like ours medium rare, so they cook really fast (2-3 minutes per side is plenty).

Lamb Burgers with Tzatziki

I had my in-laws over for dinner last weekend, and I served lamb burgers with tzatziki. I got the idea from Brooke over at Bear Necessities. These were very good, I especially loved the homemade tzatziki. I had a pile leftover and we ate it the next day as a veggie dip.

I served the lamb burgers with my greek salad and greek potatoes.

I am going to be out of town camping without a computer for a few days this week, I will be cooking up a storm over the campfire and I'm even going to make another attempt to make a successful Camp Fire Bread. I apologize in advance for the lack of posts this week, but if you find you really miss me, and you can't live without me, I do have 126 recipes in my archives, so drop by anyway and read some of my older posts.


Lamb Burgers

2 lbs ground lamb
1 small onion, diced fine
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tsp oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

1. Mix lamb with onion, parsley, oregano, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and mix together. Note: you don't need an egg to bid the lamb as you do with beef, because lamb is higher in fat.

2. Grill over direct coals until the burgers reach desired doneness.

3. Serve the burgers in pita pockets with tomato, lettuce and tzatziki.

Tzatziki

2 cups plain yoghurt
2 cloves garlic
1/2 english cucumber
2 tbsp fresh dill
salt

1. Place the yoghurt in a strainer lined with a piece of cheesecloth. Put the strainer in a larger bowl to catch liquid and place in the fridge for at least 6 hours (or overnight). This will make the yoghurt nice and thick.

2. Peel and very finely chop the cucumber. Mix into yoghurt with miced garlic, shopped dill and salt to taste.

3. This is even better made a day ahead.

Lamb Shoulder Chop Packets

First of all, I'd like to remind everyone to vote for Mario's Father's Day dinner in the sidebar, if you haven't already. I am going to go shopping for the ingredients tomorrow morning. Mario keeps checking back to see if his favorite is winning. He thinks I should have let HIM pick his Father's Day Dinner... but really, how much fun would THAT be!

Last night we had what I like to call a "packet dinner". In two of those BBQ packets there are lamb shoulder chops.... if you want to find out what was in the other packets, you will have to come back tomorrow!


Lamb shoulder chops are a little tougher than some other cuts of lamb, and I think they benefit most from braising. Since I didn't want to have the oven on so long on such a hot day, I decided to try slow cooking them on the BBQ in packets. To do this, I had to tell Mario to go easy on the heat in the BBQ. It was really hard for Mario to practice this sort of restraint. This is a guy who giggles like a 10 year old when he manages to build the campfire 12 feet high and I couldn't even tell you how many times, since I've known him, that he burnt off his arm hair and eyebrows...

I only had time to marinate the lamb for about an hour, but I think if you had more time it would be even better. When I marinate meat, I use my food saver machine and put all the ingredients with the meat in a bag and suction seal it. This accelerates the marinating. I think I might have got a little carried away when I was chucking stuff into the bag, and I hope I remembered everything I put in. In the end, the dinner worked out great. The lamb was juicy and tender and the [insert your guess here] in the other packets was fabulous!

Lamb Shoulder Chop Packets

4 Lamb shoulder chops
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 large red onion, roughly chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Put all ingredients together in a bag or container with a lid and marinate for at least one hour and up to one day.

2. Place the meat onto large rectangles of foil (2 per packet) arrange the vegetables on top of them and pour the remaining marinade over the chops. Seal the packets.

3. Barbeque over indirect heat for about 1 hour (alternate: you can put the packets in a 300°F over for about 1.5 hours)

4. After an hour open the packet and take a look, chances are it will look and smell so good, you will eat it then even if it could use a few more minutes!

Moussaka

Oh.... my.....GOD!! We loved this recipe. I've never made Moussaka before, actually I've never even tasted Moussaka before, but I bought a new cookbook called Mediterranean Food of the Sun and this recipe just jumped out at me. Look for more recipes from this book over the next few months! Since this was a brand new recipe from a brand new book, I am going to submit this post to the Weekend Cookbook Challenge #16, where this month's theme is "Something New".

Never in a million gazillion years would I have expected my kids to eat this. In fact I would have just made them hotdogs, except we've got a pretty firm rule in our house that you eat what you've been served (or don't eat it, but don't expect me to make you something different). To my complete shock, they both gobbled this up. Claire even mopped up every last bit of juice with the homemade pita bread that I made to go alongside.

All in all, it wasn't too hard. I think it was about the same amount of work as making lasagna. I will post the recipe the way it was supposed to be made, but I lightened mine a little by: (1) grilling the eggplant under the broiler instead of frying, (2) browning the lamb and onion in just a little cooking spray, and (3) using 25% less fat butter for the roux in the white sauce, which I made with skim milk. Next time I make this, I think I will peel the eggplant before I slice them.

Moussaka

2 lbs eggplant
1/2 cup olive oil
2 large tomatoes
2 large onions, sliced
1 lb ground lamb
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
3 tbsp toasted breadcrumbs

1. Cut eggplants into 1/4" thick slices. Layer the slices in a colander with plenty of salt sprinkled on each layer. Let stand 30 minutes, and rinse off salt. Rinse 2 or 3 times with cold water and dry eggplants with paper towel.

2. Heat some of the oil in a large frying pan and fry eggplant in batches until golden on both sides, adding more oil as needed.

3. Plunge tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, then refresh in cold water. Peel and chop roughly.

4. Heat some oil and brown lamb in large skillet, break up large pieces (drain excess fat) and add onions, cook a few more minutes.

5. Add tomatoes, cinnamon, allspice, tomato paste, parsley, wine, and pepper to the meat and onions. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered for 15 minutes.

6. Spoon alternating layers into a greased 9"x13" baking dish. Start with a layer of eggplant, then half the meat mixture. Then another layer of eggplant, and the second half of the meat mixture. Finish with a layer of eggplant.

7. Make the sauce. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Stir in flour and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and slowly stir in milk. Return to heat and whisk until sauce thickens. Stir in nutmeg and Parmesan.

8. Spread sauce over last layer of eggplant and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake for 45 minutes at 350F. Let sit 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Crusted Rack of Lamb

I adore lamb, but I only started eating it a few years ago. I hated it as a child, and as with most things you hate as a child, you should try it again every few years just to make sure you still hate it. I neglected to do this with lamb and I missed countless opportunities to indulge in what has probably since become my number one favorite meat.

I served the lamb with sautéed vegetables and potato croquettes. I made the potato croquettes with leftover mashed potatoes. I shaped them into little logs, dipped them in egg whites and rolled them in panko. Then baked them at 400F with cooking spray for about 30 minutes (turning often).

The recipe below is for one rack of lamb (which usually has about 8 ribs - the perfect amount for our family), but if you are making more, just multiply the recipe as required. I was actually surprised when both my kids polished off their entire dinner, this was good because I made Maple Syrup Creme Brulée for dessert and it would have been a shame if they didn't get to try some. (I'll post the creme brulée soon).

Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Crusted Rack of Lamb

1 frenched rack of lamb
1 head of garlic (not a clove - a whole head)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs (seasoned with salt and pepper)

1. Preheat oven to 400F, cut about a 1/4 slice off the top of the head of garlic and drizzle with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. Wrap very loosely with foil and bake for 45 minutes. You can do this far in advance (in the morning or the day before).

2. Squeeze the flesh out of the garlic skins and discard the skins. Mash the garlic with a fork and mix in 1 tbsp oil, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and rosemary. Set aside.

3. Place lamb, fat side up on a broiler rack and roast in a 400F oven for 10 minutes.

4. Remove lamb from oven and spread garlic mixture over the fat side of the rack. Press breadcrumbs onto the meat. Return to the oven and continue roasting for about 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometre reads 135 (for medium-rare).

5. If the crumb topping is a little pale, place the lamb under the broiler for about 1 minute (mine didn't need this, but I used convection when I roasted the lamb). Slice between the ribs and serve.