Lamb Recipes
Thanks to everyone who has come to the one of our food tastings at Honest Weight Food Coop, our fabulous lamb distributor. It was great to meet you andhere are the recipes that we used for in-store tasting.
Lamb Meatballs with Mint Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground lamb
- 1 Tsp lemon rind
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 small onion, minced
- 1/4 cup minced parsley leaves
- 1 tsp minced rosemary leaves
- 1 tsp minced oregano leaves
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Mint Pesto
How to put it together
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Form walnut sized meatballs from the mixture. You can do this several hours ahead of time if you want, but if you do be sure to cover the meat completely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
- Place the meatballs in a baking pan and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. (Ground lamb should be cooked to about 107 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Meanwhile make the pesto as below. We like less oil and more vinegar for a bright and tart flavor.
- Serve the meatballs hot from the oven with pesto or on a pita bread.
Mint Pesto
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Pinch kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil
Putting it together
Combine all of the ingredients except for the oil in the blender. Pulse until well pureed. With the blender running on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Moroccan Lemon and Cardamom Meatballs
Serves four
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1/2 medium red onion, very finely minced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- A 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely minced
- 1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
- 1 large egg, well beaten
- A handful of fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
- A handful of fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- A handfull of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- Zest of two lemons
- 1/2 cup pine nuts (wlanuts are a great substitute if pine nuts aren't available)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp freshly toasted and ground cardamom
For the sauce:
- 2/3 cup tahini
- juice of 1 lemon
- 3/4 tsp salt
- water
Instructions
Set oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Place the lamb, onion, garlic, ginger, bread crumbs, beaten egg, fresh herbs, lemon zest, pine nuts, feta cheese, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt and pepper into a large bowl. Mix everything together using your fingertips. You want to get all the ingredients evenly distributed without compacting the meat.
Fork walnut sized meatballs from the mixture. You can do this several hours ahead of time if you want but if you do be sure o cover the meat completely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
Place the meatballs in a baking pan and bake for about 30 to 40 m9nutes or until cooked through. (Ground lamb should be cooked to about 170 degrees Fahrenheit.)
Meanwhile make the sauce by mixing the tahini and demon juice and then adding enough water to make a thin sauce. Salt it to taste.
Serve the meatballs hot from the oven, nestled in the sauce. Garnish with more pine nuts, herbs and a sprinkling of sumac or paprika.
Below is a recipe for farmhouse lamb stew.
Farmhouse Lamb Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb lamb stew meat
- One large yellow or red onion
- Four medium to large potatoes
- Three carrots
- Two ribs of celery
- One 16 ounce can of crushed tomatos
- Juice of half a lemon
- Two tablespoons of olive oil
- Two cloves of garlic
- Half a cup of flour (to dredge the lamb)
- One teaspoon of salt
- Two to four tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
- One teaspoon of rosemary
- One teaspoon of mint
- One teaspoon of oregano
- Half a teaspoon of mustard seeds
- Half a teaspoon of pepper
How to put it together
- Course chop onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. In a large stock pot, saute them in the olive oil using low to medium heat for five to eight minutes.
- Cut the lamb cubes into bite sized pieces and coat with flour (dredge). Add the lamb to the sauteed vegetables. Cook for eight to ten minutes to brown.
- Add herbs, spices, and one point five quarts of water to the pot.
- Peel and dice the potatos and add them to the pot. Bring the pot to boil, reduce heat and simmer for one point five hours.
- Add 16 ounce can of crushed tomatos and the juice of half a lemon. Bring the stew back to the boil and simmer for another five to ten minutes. If the sauce needs to be thickened further, add one quarter cup of flour to one half a cup of cold water, stir well and gradually add into the stew while simmering.
- Ladle stew into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh parsley just before serving.