Lamb Shanks w/ Einkorn & Potatoes | #EinkornExperiment

It's hard to believe that we're already midway through March, but today is the 15th, and that means it's time for another update on the Einkorn Experiment! Since I talked about einkorn flour three months in a row, I wanted to switch things up and share my latest experience with the whole einkorn wheat berries this month.

Lamb and Butternut Squash Stew {12 Weeks of Winter Squash}

Is there anything more comforting in the middle of winter than a big bowl of stew? I'm thinking, not a whole lot. From the heady aroma escaping through the cracks of the oven door, to each hearty stick-to-your-bones spoonful, stew is the embodiment of comfort food.

This particular stew came about when I found two carefully wrapped packages in my freezer that I'd sort of let slip my mind. A month and half or so ago, I found a nice little (and I do mean little) lamb shoulder at the market. I can't remember what I thought I was going to make with it, but I took it home and separated the meat from the bone. Chunks of deep red lamb meat went into one freezer bag, and the bone went into another.

I remember them sitting in the fridge for a couple of days, and then I must have gotten busy or decided not to make whatever it was I had in mind, because I transferred them to the freezer.  They were pushed to the back of both the freezer and mind mind in short order.

Pumpkin Hummus w/ Spiced Lamb

Everybody has a few dishes that they make that are miles above the same dish when made by someone else.  Don't they?  For example, I am basically in the kitchen at any given hour; cooking, baking, testing, experimenting, eating, or just thinking about food in some form or another.  It's what I do.  But that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy eating somebody else's cooking every now and again.

However, there are two or three dishes that I make better than anyone else.  For me.  For my tastebuds.  And I know that just because I think something is the best, it doesn't mean that you will think it's the best.   But sometimes, you've just got to toot your own horn.  That's okay.  It's healthy to appreciate your talents.

One of my talents is making hummus.  I make a seriously mean hummus.  It was actually my fourth-ever blog post, which means that I've been churning out good hummus for at least the past five years.  So yes, I like hummus in general.  I'll eat hummus if you make it.  And I'll like it.  I'll eat store-bought hummus.  I'll like that, too.  But I get silly with a batch of "my" hummus.  I scoop it up with warm pitas like it's going out of style.  I slather it on toasted bagels.  I eat it on veggie sandwiches.  I dip major amounts of roasted broccoli in it.  I eat it from a spoon.

Potato, Chickpea, & Radish Greens Curry w/ Lamb Sausage

Lamb sausage = tasty.  Hearty veg-laden green curry = magnificent.  Both combined = meh.

I thought this was going to be a brilliant combo.  Turns out I was incorrect. Ha!  I mean, it wasn't inedible or anything, but in my head, I pictures such dazzling results.  I imaged a meal that I'd be raving about for the rest of the day.  I'm not exactly sure "why"...but so goes life.  We decided to forge a little lamb sausage this month over at forging fromage and that is how these little sausage meatballs came to be.  I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my lamb sausage after I'd made it.  Links would have been ideal, but I didn't order any casings, so that was out of the question.  So, I thought perhaps patties placed atop the radish salad suggested in our forging fromage challenge.  But I'm not too fond of just radish greens raw and alone.  I suppose I could have combined it with other lettuces and green, but... I do however love any type of green once cooked.  And then I thought green curry and couldn't get it out of my head...so I thought...why not!?

Well, I thought the combo of the potatoes with the chickpeas and radish greens tasted brilliant, but the sausage didn't end up "fitting".  I will definitely eat this curry again, but next time I will bulk-up on all of the veggies.  Really, I'd eat the sausage again, as well...just in a different application.

Lamb Sausage

adapted from Live to Cook by Michael Symon

yield: 1 lb.

1 garlic clove, minced

 2 Tbs. shallot, minced

 olive oil

¾ lb. lamb shoulder

¼ lb. pork fatback

1 tsp. smoked paprika

 scant tsp. cayenne

½ tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. hatch chile powder

 ½ Tbs. kosher salt

 ¼ tsp. sugar

Sweat garlic & shallots in a little bit of olive oil in a pan over medium heat until translucent, ~2 minutes.  Cool completely.  Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.  Grind in a meat grinder, or pulse in batches in a food processor.  Chill for ~30 minutes.  Stuff into casings, or form into patties, etc.  Keeps, refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Potato, Chickpea, & Radish Greens Curry w/ Lamb Sausage

from the kitchen of girlichef

serves ~4-6

1 lb. lamb sausage, formed into ~32 mini-meatballs
(or make it a meatless curry and bulk up the veggies!)

1 sm. onion, sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

1 jalapeño, sliced thinly

2 heaping Tbs. green curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen brand)

2 small potatoes, diced small (peel if you wish)

1 c. cooked chickpeas

3 c. water (or use ½ coconut milk)
2-3 big handfuls radish greens (sub other greens, if you wish)

salt, to taste

radishes, sliced thin to garnish

cilantro, to garnish

yogurt, to garnish

Heat a little glug of olive oil in a large, deep-sided pan over medium-high heat.  Add meatballs and sauté until browned all the way around (at which time, they should also be cooked through), ~7-8 minutes.  Turn heat down to medium and add onion, garlic, & jalapeños.  Sauté another couple of minutes, stirring, until softened.

Stir in the curry paste, then add potatoes, chickpeas, and water (& coconut milk, if using).  Raise heat and bring to a boil.  Partially cover, reduce heat to a simmer and let bubble gently for 5 minutes.  Stir in radish greens, partially cover again and continue to bubble gently for another 10 minutes or so.  The sauce should have thickened at this point.  Remove from heat and taste then adjust seasoning with salt, if necessary.

Serve with radish slices, cilantro, and yogurt to garnish.

Lamb Chops with Roasted Cauliflower, Sweet Potatoes, Radicchio and a Balsamic-Rosemary Reduction

Is it wrong that I CANNOT hear the words Lamb Chop without breaking into song.  Without breaking into children's-programming-song!?  It must be that little part in me that refuses to grow up.  Nah...it's probably just the part in me that loves to nurture her inner-child.  Yeah, that sounds better.  I don't know if it was this childhood remembrance of adorable singing sock puppets or what, but when I actually tried to look back to an (eating) lamb chop experience, I couldn't recall one!  I mean, I use ground lamb quite often...and I love a good lamb shank, but I honestly don't think I've ever even eaten a lamb chop.  Huh!  So, I went to hunt some down.  At the grocery store.  Lamb hardly need hunting.  Okay, so now to choose between lamb loin chops and lamb blade chops (they didn't have rib chops which I was originally searching for).  I chose the less-expensive chop...the blade.  Next time I'll choose the more expensive one...the loin, all adorable-looking, like a mini T-bone.  Anyhoo.  This cut was okay, but not my favorite.  I think with a better cut, this could become a meal that I would crave.  I love what roasting does to cauliflower and radicchio...and sweet potato is one of my bff's, so that's a no-brainer.  The reduction is sweet and rich and so complex.  Basically, when I licked it from the spoon...all those glands in my cheek would start to quiver and shake.  So.  Good.  It may not be pretty, but it's a helluva meal.

Lamb Chops with Roasted Cauliflower, Sweet Potatoes, Radicchio and a Balsamic-Rosemary Reduction

serves 4

Lamb Chops

4 Lamb Chops (any type, use your favorite!)
olive oil
2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Roasted Veggies

1 head cauliflower, cut into ~1" florets

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" chunks

2 small heads radicchio, quartered

olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

~2 Tbs. fresh rosemary, chopped

Balsamic-Rosemary Reduction

2 tsp. olive oil

~2 Tbs. red onion, minced

1½ tsp. garlic, minced

½ c. Balsamic Vinegar

2 sprigs rosemary

1 c. chicken stock

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbs. butter, at room temp.

Preheat oven to 450° F.  Toss the cauliflower and sweet potato with a couple glugs of olive oil and season with some salt, pepper, and half of the rosemary.  Lay out on a sheet tray and roast for ~15 minutes.  Remove from oven and give it a good stir.  Lay the radicchio wedges on the tray, or a separate one if no room, cut side up.  Drizzle with some olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and remaining rosemary.  Put back in oven for ~10-15 minutes, or until all the veggies are just soft and have golden edges.

While the veggies are roasting, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat on the stove.  Rub a light coating of olive oil on each chop and then season with salt, pepper, and rosemary.  Lay the lamb chops into the HOT grill pan and grill for ~4 minutes per side, or until medium-rare.

For the reduction, Heat the olive oil in a small pan and add red onion.  Sweat for ~2 minutes.  Add the garlic, cook another minute.  Pour in Balsamic and let it begin to bubble.  Drop  in the sprigs of rosemary and add the chicken stock.  Bring to a simmer and reduce by half.  This won't take very long.  It should look thick and syrupy.  Remove from heat and stir in butter.  This will give it an irresistible glossy, shine.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove rosemary sprigs before using.

Divide the veggies among warm plates (slice the radicchio first, if you wish.  It's pretty bitter in big bites...but it's toned down by the sweetness of the cauliflower and sweet potato).  Add one lamb chop and drizzle everything with the Balsamic-Rosemary Reduction.

 This is my entry into Ott,A's Iron Chef Challenge for February: Lamb Chops which is sponsored by the American Lamb Board.

*Balsamic Reduction was adapted from this recipe by Emeril.

not-so-rapid Lamb Ragú

Has anybody seen the episode of Nigella Express where Nigella makes a bowl of ultimate comfort in the form of a rapid lamb ragú?  She comes home and in true Nigella-style, throws her bag on the counter, pulls out a pan, and throws a few things in before she even takes off her coat.  One of the steps she takes to make this rapid is using a jar of sweet onion confit.  Well, as much as I liked the sound of that...I was at a loss as to where I could procure such a thing.  I figured slowly caramelizing onions would be just as fabulous.  If not more so.  Also, she uses pancetta...of which I hadn't the cash to buy right then.  I used trusty bacon instead, but reserved it to add back in the end, because I don't like to lose that glorious texture and have to bite into floppy bits.  Also, adding the garlic in...and then pulling it back out when I pull the bacon out to reserve it?  Holy shnikeys.  That leaves slivers of garlic glory!  So, garlicky bacon bits sprinkled over a comforting ragú of lamb and lentils that have sweet onions laced between them!!!  Yeah.  I totally made like Nigella and piled my bowl high whilst batting my bedroom eyes and sashaying off into a world of secret bliss.

not-so-rapid Lamb Ragú

adapted liberally from Nigella Express (Rapid Ragú)

serves 4...or 2 if you're starving...because it's extremely hard to stop eating this!

pat of butter

1 tsp. sugar

3 medium onions, sliced thin

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled & smashed

½ lb. bacon, cut in ¼" strips

1 lb. ground lamb

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

½ c. water

1/3 c. white wine

1/3 c. lentils, either split or par-boiled ~20 mins.

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

extra-wide egg noodles

Here's the not-so-rapid part...caramelizing the onions.  Place the butter in a large sauté pan over low heat.  Add onions and sprinkle with sugar.  Stir occasionally and cook down until the onions are a deep golden color, smell sweet as candy, and have reduced to ~ ½ cup in volume.  This should take about 1 hour.  Set aside and start with the much-more-rapid part.

Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan and add garlic.  After 30 seconds, add the bacon.  Cook until bacon is just finished.  Remove it with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve.  

Pour off all but 1 Tbs. of the fat in the pan and add the lamb.  Once the lamb has browned, add the tomatoes, water, wine, lentils, and reserved caramelized onions.  Bring to a boil.  Partially cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for ~20 minutes, stirring from time to time.  Once lentils have cooked all the way through, it's done.

While the ragú is simmering, cook your egg noodles according to package directions.  

Serve a steaming heap of the ragú over the warm egg noodles and sprinkle liberally with the reserved bacon and the cheese.


I found myself wishing I'd doubled...or even tripled this recipe.  It is a pot full of pure comfort.  And don't we all need a little comfort in our lives?  Yes.  We do.

*I am sending this over to Pia at Cook Healthy who is hosting Presto Pasta Nights #201 this week!

Lamb mini-Meatball Pita

We're pretty much past the point where we "hide" ingredients from the kids.  I mean, they're pretty open-minded when it comes to food (like they have another choice)...but they are still kids.  Up until recently I'd never really had a source for lamb.  But since I stumbled across one, I can't get enough!  Lamb is really a delicious meat. I've always loved gyros...and lamb shanks...but they were always an every "once in a while" thing I'd order when I was out.  I rarely eat out.  My point being that I made mini meatballs the other night from lamb.  And didn't tell the kids that it was lamb they were eating.  Kids...my kids...are bound to conjure up sweet images in their heads of petting zoos and nursery rhymes...so I figured I'd just wait until they were done eating.  Then I just decided not to mention it at all.  Unless they asked.  They all LOVED the meatballs.  And it turns out that Sweet Thang is an complete lamb aficionado. Albeit, unbeknownst to him. Whoda thunk it? I almost hate pulling the wool over his eyes.  {Ba dum bum} Almost.  Oh sure...the fact that the kids adore lamb at least in mini-meatball form...will be thrown in their face revealed sooner or later, but until that  day comes, I say...Who's up for a mini meatball sammich!?

 Aromatic Lamb Meatballs

from Nigella Lawson

makes: ~80 mini meatballs

1 lb. ground lamb
¼ c. finely chopped scallions
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. semolina
1 egg 

coconut oil, for frying

Put the lamb into a bowl and add the scallions. Sprinkle over the spices, salt, and semolina, and then beat the egg adding to the bowl. Work everything together thoroughly with your hands, and then cover with plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap and scoop out a scant teaspoon of the mixture. Roll in your hands to form the meatball and place on the lined baking sheet. Have a bowl of cold water beside you to dampen your hands with; this helps them not get too sticky for rolling the meatballs.

When you are ready to cook them, heat about ½" of oil in a frying pan. Line another baking sheet with paper towels, and when the oil is hot, fry the meatballs in batches (without overcrowding the pan). Cook them for about a minute a side, or until golden brown all over.

They were excellent stuffed into a grilled whole wheat pita with sliced red onion, baby spinach, cucumber, tomato, feta and then drizzled with Tzatziki sauce!  Um yes...I'm totally craving one now.  Right.  Now.

I made a killer Tzatziki to drizzle over the mini meatballs and veggies...and I even did it last minute!  Normally, you would drain some yogurt overnight in order to get rid of most of the liquid it contains, but since I spaced it until last minute, I simply used a thick greek yogurt un-strained...the resulting sauce was a bit more drizzleable...but no less addicting. If any whey has formed on top of the yogurt, simply pour it off before scooping what you need from the carton. If you want it quicker and plan ahead, then simple strain the yogurt overnight in a cheesecloth lined colander set over a bowl in the fridge.

Quick Tzatziki Sauce

makes~1½ c.

~1½ c. plain Greek yogurt

1 fat clove garlic, finely minced

~1/3 English Cucumber, grated

2 big pinches sea salt

~1 Tbs. dried dill weed

drizzle olive oil

drizzle red wine vinegar

freshly ground black pepper

Stir everything together and adjust seasoning to taste.

Once the meatballs are made, this makes a quick, flavor-packed meal that you can throw together at any time.  Just be sure to bury the wrapping that clearly states 'ground lamb' under the other things in the trash bin...lest your secret be revealed.