Narangi Keema

This month the Brain and I celebrated 6 years of togetherness. Well celebrated is a little strong of a word. We noted the passing of time. See we're not shmoopy traditionally romantic people. I can honestly say I've never gazed into the Brain's eyes for any long period of time, despite the fact that he has the most beautiful blue eyes and really long lashes. We don't hold hands very often and if we do it tends to be something of a silly moment. That's just how we are.

(3 weeks after we met)

Don't get me wrong. We are very compatible and live a life full of love and laughter, but we're not traditional. Did I ever tell you we met on the Internet? Indeed. I met his requirement of being a Catholic without any children and he met my requirement of being bald. Yes. I like bald men. A lot.

This is us about 8 months later (when I already knew there was no going back.) Aren't we cute? That's one fine looking bald man...

So yeah, sometimes I like things a little different than the next person. For example, I have always had a certain soft spot for a bald man. I think I get it from my mother who thinks Danny DeVito is a wildly sexy man. I'm not even making that up.

Given some ground lamb and a craving for Indian food most people make Ground Lamb with Peas (or Mutter Kheema). It's delicious. But I had just gone to the library and checked out From Curries to Kebabs, recipes from the Indian Spice Train by Madhur Jaffrey. In this very interesting cookbook is a recipe called Narangi Keema, which is short for Hyderabadi Ground Lamb with Orange. It's a really unusual, really delicious dish. I didn't alter it too much from the original recipe. The only difference is that at the end of the recipe she says to add the garam masala, but doesn't include it in the ingredients list. and the unit of measurement is missing from the coriander leaves. It just says 1. 1 what? 1 bushel? 1 tsp? 1 cup? Yes, it's the standard how to annoy a math geek moment. But anyway, this was really different and tasty way to try a new Indian ground lamb recipe.

Narangi Keema
from From Curries to Kebabs with alterations previously noted.

1 large orange
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt

3 Tbsp peanut oil
2 medium onions, sliced into fine half rings
2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
2 Tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, crushed to a pulp
4 Tbsp plain yogurt
2 pounds ground lamb
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 1/2 tsp salt

3 serrano peppers, sliced into very fine rounds
1 cup lightly packed cilantro, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp garam masala

To prepare the orange, peel off the orange rind, making sure to leave the white pith behind. Cut the rind into very fine, 1 inch long julienne strips. Combine the turmeric and salt with 6 cups of water in a pan and bring to a boil. Pour half into a measuring cup and reserve. Add the rind to the boiling liquid in the pan and boil rapidly for 1 minute. Empty the pan through a sieve set over a sink. Pour the reserved turmeric water back into the pan and bring back to a boil. Put the rind back into the pan and boil again for 1 minute, then strain again through a sieve set over the sink. Rinse the rind under cold running water and set aside.

To prepare the lamb, pour the oil into a large, nonstick, lidded pan set over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, stir in the onions and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until a dark caramel color. Add the cumin and coriander and stir for 30 seconds. Add the ginger and garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in the yogurt 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting for the previous tablespoon to be absorbed before adding another. Put in the lamb, turmeric, and cayenne. Stir and cook for 5 minutes, breaking up all the lumps in the meat. Add the orange juice, rind, and salt. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently for 40 minutes. Add the chilies, cilantro, mint, and garam masala. Stir to combine. Cover and continue to cook for 10 more minutes. Serve.

Lamb Stew with Spinach and Garbanzo Beans

There's a nasty cold/flu that's going around. It flattened me for the weekend. It flattened the Brain for most of last week. That's one of the things about being married. We usually make each other sick. HAHAHAHAHA! (sorry, I couldn't resist.) But really, it happens with roommates or brothers and sisters. It's the nature of the beast. The nice thing is we have someone to take care of us once they've passed the bug on. For example, the Brain was right there with the Sprite and the cold medicine. He turned up the heat and gave me extra blankets. He was very nice.

When the Brain was sick, I made him this Lamb Stew. It's nice and hearty and full of healthy vegetables. The lamb gets so tender in the tomatoes that it almost falls apart. I suppose if you didn't buy an entire lamb at a county fair or lamb is hard to find, you could probably substitute some pork or beef, but I think the lamb adds a nice quality. This is a nice stick to your ribs kind of stew and it's really pretty easy to throw together.

Lamb Stew with Spinach and Garbanzo Beans

inspired by Bon Appetit

1 pound lamb stew meat

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed

1 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup tomato sauce (one small can)

1 can petite diced tomatoes with juice

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach thawed and drained

Sprinkle lamb with salt, and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add lamb and saute until brown, about 10 minutes. Add onion and carrots and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute 1 minute more. Add garbanzo beans, broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer gently until lamb is tender, about 1 hour.

Add spinach to stew. Bring back to a boil and cook for 5 minutes or until spinach is warmed through.

Happy Birthday Super G!

29 years ago today I came downstairs in my pajamas for breakfast only to find my Uncle Tom sitting there in the family room. Mom and Dad were no where to be found. That's because Mom went into labor in the early morning and lo and behold produced my sister Super G. And thus began a great big sister, little sister relationship. Super G is brilliant, like seriously a genius and as a kid I may have convinced her all sorts of horrible things just to mess with her. But now I cherish our relationship. We talk almost every day and we laugh, we cry, we fume, and we bake together. I'm really happy that she came into my life.

And she came over for dinner yesterday. See Her and her husband, the Tummy, had to return her stepson, Medium Dude, to his mother in Michigan. So they stopped here and spent the night. Which provided an excellent opportunity for us to celebrate her birthday.

Special occasions call for lamb chops. Medium Dude, who I've heard is a selective eater, even tried one and liked it. This is my favorite lamb chop recipe. It's from the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook. This cookbook has a surprising number of tasty recipes that just happen to be a little healthier than might otherwise be if they were to be found in some of those other cookbooks. And these Lamb Chops with Yogurt-Mint Sauce are not only healthy, but they're quick too. And I used a cucumber from my garden too.

I did alter this a teensy bit from the original recipe so I am not going to include the points value. Mostly the thing I changed is that the original recipe calls for 4 (5oz) bone in lamb chops, but I prefer the smaller ones. I think they're more tender.

Lamb Chops with Yogurt-Mint Sauce

from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook

8 (3oz) bone in loin lamb chops, about 1 inch thick

3/4 cup plain fat free yogurt

1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped roughly

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

3 scallions sliced

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

Remove the lamb chops from the refrigerator about 1 hour before cooking. Preheat the broiler.

In a blender or food processor, combine the yogurt, cucumber, mint, scallions, and garlic and puree. Season with the crushed red pepper and 1/4 tsp of salt. Let stand at room temperature for at least 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Meanwhile, season the lamb with the remaining 1/4 tsp salt and the black pepper. Place on the broiler rack and broil 3-4 inches from the heat until done to taste, about 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Serve topped with the cucumber mint sauce.

Bulgur and Lamb Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

So my math test is over. I have no clue if I passed or not, but it would have helped if I remembered the area of a circle. The Father's Day full of barbecues are also over. And I can finally get back to posting on a regular basis. Well, working around the little Ford Focus that had to be towed today (thanks to yet another common calamity with it). And Wilma the Knee being ornery. And my new Donut Fryer job that starts at 1am tomorrow.

But enough complaining. Tonight, I bring you a healthy dinner of Bulgur and Lamb Meatballs in Tomato Sauce. The lamb just adds a hint of flavor to the bulgur flavored meatballs. There's also a pinch of cinnamon that reminds me of Lebanese cooking and growing up in Michigan. They really were tasty. They weren't quick or easy, but I felt good eating them and most of the time was spent chilling the meat/bulgur mixture and meatballs. So yeah, I'd make these again.

But now I have to go take a long nap before I can hop out of bed at midnight and say "Time to make the donuts!"

Bulgur and Lamb Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
adapted from Cooking Light

Meatballs:
2 cups water
1 cup uncooked bulgur
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground lamb
2 large egg whites
2 garlic cloves, minced

Sauce:
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup water
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

To prepare meatballs, soak bulgur in 2 cups water for 2 minutes; drain through a fine sieve Combine bulgur and next 7 ingredients (bulgur through 2 minced garlic cloves). Cover and chill 30 minutes. Shape lamb mixture into 18 meatballs; cover and chill 30 minutes.

To prepare sauce, heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 minced garlic clove; cook 3 minutes, stirring often. Add red wine; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes. Stir 1/2 cup water, cinnamon, and diced tomatoes.Add meatballs; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Ma'aloobi

Maybe I was craving some food to remind me of home, or maybe I had an eggplant in the fridge and some ground lamb frozen from last time I was in Michigan, I'm not telling. But when I looked in my A Taste of Lebanon cookbook I found the perfect recipe, Ma'aloobi. It's packed full of vegetables and potatoes and then has a wonderful filling of ground lamb and toasted pine nuts. And it's fun to say too! I did tweak the recipe some to make it a little healthier. I promised the Brain that I wouldn't make any dinner that had over 500 calories per serving. I figured this recipe on 4 servings, but really it could have served 6.

What resulted was a warm and delicious meal to cheer Marissa and Tony on Dancing with the Stars. And the leftovers were a great lunch today. Especially because it's darn cold outside and we might get snow. grrr.

I really wish the fighting in the Middle East would stop because I would love someday to visit. I love the warming spices and the beautiful dishes. Perhaps I'm fortunate that I grew up in the Detroit area and was exposed to a lot of Middle Eastern culture. I think it's a terrific and old culture and it really saddens me that on one end it seems no one can get along and that we seem to be messing up the other end.

Ma'aloobi

adapted from A Taste of Lebanon

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 pound ground lamb

1 medium onion (half finely chopped)

1 tsp salt (divided)

1/2 tsp pepper (divided)

1 large eggplant

2 large potatoes

2 large tomatoes

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 cup water

Toast pine nuts in skillet until nuts are golden brown. Add meat and chopped onion. Saute until meat changes color. Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Set aside.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel eggplant and potatoes. Cut both into 1/2 inch thick slices. Cut tomatoes 1/4 inch thick. Slice remaining onion 1/4 inch thick. Divide the vegetables into 2 groups.

Layer the first group by alternating the four vegetables in a casserole dish. Sprinkle the meat filling evenly over the vegetables. Layer the remaining vegetables over the filling. Add the remaining salt and pepper, and cinnamon. Mix the tomato paste and water together in a small bowl and pour on top. Cover with lid and bake for 1 hour or until the vegetables are tender.

Approximate nutritional information per serving (4 servings): 432.4 calories, 19.8g fat, 50.3g carbohydrates, 9.6g fiber, 17.2g protein, 3.7g sugar, 767.9mg sodium, 41.2mg cholesterol

Bulgur Pilaf with Lamb

Being that there's just the two of us, frequently there are leftovers when we have a roast. It's not like when I was a kid and Mom would buy loads of groceries and the fridge would be empty within a week. Where we went through a side of beef every single year. When 4 gallons of milk was about average consumption. Those were the days of learning to cook for 8 and not ever having leftovers. Unless Mom made her "experiment" of noodles, corn, pork, cheese and cream of celery soup. Oh how I hated "experiment". I don't think it ever officially had a name even. But I digress. Remember how we didn't have corned beef for St. Patrick's Day because we'd be eating if for a week? Well we had a leg of lamb and thus we have leftovers. But what does one do with leftover lamb?

Well after two days of searching I finally found the best recipe for leftover lamb. Well, leftover medium to medium rare lamb. It's Bulgur Pilaf with Lamb and I found it through the magic of Yahoo Food. It was the bright spot in my day.

Did you know today is the first day of spring? It is also my sister in law W's birthday. W is seriously a fun girl and I really like her. Fortunately for W, she lives in South Carolina. She doesn't live up here in the land winter won't let go of. Yes it snowed last night AGAIN. And my ice scraper broke this morning. Oh yeah and we just got the warning across the TV that we're in for a winter storm watch tomorrow night. Where do I live? Alaska? I wish! Alaska is beautiful. I think to date it is my favorite state to have visited. And I've been to every state, but Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii, Colorado and Idaho. I'm sure those are beautiful states too, but Alaska was amazing. Moose and bears and super tall mountains (I actually took a plane up to a glacier on Denali!)

No I don't live anywhere near as exciting as that. I live in flat North Central Ohio. People do come visit here, but only because we're near an amusement park.And yes. It is still winter here. Unfortunately I don't think we're getting out of winter any time soon. Last April, when the Brain and I got married, it snowed during our reception. So I think we're looking at another month of snow. sheesh.

Bulgur Pilaf with Lamb

modified from All Recipes

2 Tbsp butter

3/4 lb leftover lamb cut into small pieces with fat and gristle removed

1 small onion cut into quarters and thinly sliced

2 cup fine bulgur

1 quart home canned tomatoes with juice (or 4 large peeled tomatoes cut up)

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup crumbled feta

Melt butter in saute pan over medium high heat. Add lamb and onion and saute until onion starts to brown. Add the bulgur to the pan and cook for 3 minutes to toast, stirring frequently. Add tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Turn heat down so it barely simmers. Let cook stirring occasionally for 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and bulgur isn't crunchy. If bulgur is still crunchy and liquid is absorbed add another 1/2 cup broth. Once bulgur is not crunchy and liquid is absorbed remove from heat and sprinkle with crumbled feta.

Lamb Chops in Beer

Finally I have cooked something delicious in the slow cooker! Yippee!

You see, I may or may not have sneaked into the Borders last time I was in the next county. It's the only Borders in a 50 mile radius. And I had a coupon. A 25% off coupon. Borders Rewards is a wonderful thing. So while I cannot confirm (because I may spend more than I possible should there) that I was in the Borders, I can tell you that I have this cookbook I really like so far. It's called Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two. And whoa, there's some nice looking recipes in there.

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I have a small food hoarding problem. We're also buying a quarter of a cow in the next couple weeks. So getting some of the food out of the freezer would probably be a good idea. We could buy a deep freeze, but chances are we would probably fill that if we had it. Anyhow, I was poking around in the freezer and came across 4 little lamb chops. Not the Frenched fancy kind, but the more choppy kind.

So here I was with 4 little meaty pieces of lamb and a slow cooker book that didn't belong to my momma. OK, my momma never used a slow cooker and my only childhood memories of a slow cooker were for grandma's baked beans on a buffet and my Hungarian aunt's oh so delicious cabbage rolls. So I pulled out my little 2 quart crock pot. Which I'm guessing may have been a wedding present, because it still had the plastic thing on the plug. I know we got a mammoth one as a wedding present, but I can't use that with a slow cooker book for 2 people. We don't eat THAT much. Well, we could probably try, but that would be gluttony. Interestingly enough gluttony in food isn't considered one of the seven deadly sins anymore.

OK I'm off topic again. Sorry. I had my book, my little slow cooker, my lamb chops and a cold Michelob Light. And I had the perfect recipe. Lamb Chops in Beer. I popped the vegetables and chops in the slow cooker poured a beer on top and off we went to church and then to Walmart. Church in the middle of the early afternoon because after the double whammy of 14 to 18 inches of snow and daylight savings weekend, we simply didn't wake up early enough to dig ourselves out for morning mass.

After we cleaned Walmart out of a sizable chunk of groceries, we came home to a delicious smelling house and some of the best lamb chops I've ever had. And I'm entering this into a fun food blog event called Weekend Cookbook Challenge (WCC) which this month is being hosted by the oh so lovely Lisa at La Mia Cucina. The theme is Crock Pots, Dutch Ovens and Pressure Cookers.

Lamb Chops in Beer

from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two

1 medium sized onion, sliced

2 medium sized carrots, sliced

2 potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic crushed

2 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/8 tsp dried thyme

4 lamb chops

2 Tbsp flour

salt and pepper to taste

cooking spray

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 Michelob Light

1. Combine the onion carrots, potatoes, garlic, parsley, and thyme in the crock. Sprinkle the chops with the flour and season with salt and pepper.

2. In a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray, heat the chops over medium high heat. Sear both sides, about 2 minutes total. Place them in the crock, laying them side by side. Add the tomato and pour the beer over the top. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until the meat is fork-tender.

Mutter Kheema

Also known as Ground Lamb with Peas.

I really like Indian food. Indian food seems to have just the right amount of spice and complexity and heat to make being stuck inside (for various reasons) on a day that the snow is piling up outside. And Indian food is a lot like American food in that each region is vastly different in the spices and flavorings used.

One of my favorite Indian cookbooks, is interestingly enough the Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking cookbook with recipes by Raghavan Iyer. Although Betty Crocker seems an odd choice for an Indian cookbook, but there's all sorts of interesting comments in it, as well as a discussion of the spices and regions of India.

For example, about this recipe, Mr. Iyer says "Mutton, which can be either mature lamb or goat in India, is a delicacy, not only in the North, but also in the south-central city of Hyderbad where many Muslims dwell alongside their Hindu neighbors. The have retained their Moghul influences, as is evidenced by the city's architectural wonders and their spices of choice: cinnamon, cloves and garlic. Along with these seasonings, they have incorporated such quintessential South Indian elements as popping mustard seed and using fresh karhi leaves to create an altogether unique culinary style."

One thing that comes to mind is that you should avoid inhaling a great amount of the vapors from popping the mustard seeds and then when adding the onions, Serrano peppers, and garlic. I still can't smell anything but a scorching burning smell inside my nose. And I think there may be a cloud of mustard gas in my kitchen. Well maybe not mustard gas, but my nose is a running. Other than that this is one tasty dish. I followed Mr. Iyer's subsititutions and used bay leaves instead of the karhi leaves.

And where did I find ground lamb? At that lovely grocery store by my mom's house. There's loads of ground lamb up there.

Ground Lamb with Peas (Mutter Kheema)

from Better Crocker's Indian Home Cooking

6 servings

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp black or yellow mustard seeds

2 three-inch cinnamon sticks

1 cup finely chopped onion

5 medium cloves of garlic finely chopped

2 Serrano peppers finely chopped

3 dried bay leaves (or 10 to 12 fresh kahri leaves)

1 pound ground lamb

1 cup frozen peas

1 medium tomato finely chopped (3/4 cup)
1 tsp salt

1 tsp Garam Masaala

1/2 cup plain yogurt (regular or fat free)

2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat oil and mustard seed in wok or deep 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat. Once seed begins to pop, cover and wait until popping stops.

2. Add cinnamon sticks, onion, garlic, chilies and bay leaves; stir-fry 2 to 4 minutes or until onion is brown.

3. Stir in lamb and peas. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lamb is brown.

4. Stir in remaining ingredients except cilantro. Cook 1 to 2 minutes stirring occasionally, just until tomato and yogurt are warm. Remove bay leaves and discard. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with cinnamon sticks left in, but do not eat them.

1 Serving: Calories 205 (Calories from Fat 115); Fat 13g (Saturated 5g); Cholesterol 50mg; Sodium 460mg; Carbohydrate 9g (Dietary Fiber 2g); Protein15g