Sundays with Marlena Spieler-Lamb with Artichokes

Not called for in this recipe, but the ingredients are. I like to make a paste out of the garlic, lemon, and rosemary. I add that into the slits along with the sliced garlic and rosemary.
I got this lovely boneless leg of lamb at Taylor's Market ...fabulous butcher shop in Sacramento!
I added the artichokes after the lamb had been roasting for a bit.
I also added carrots, fingerling potatoes, and asparagus to the dish. The potatoes were cooked underneath the lovely artichokes.
A perfect medium rare....that is the way I prefer my lamb anyway.

Ingredients: Easily serves 6 - 8.

1 leg of lamb 4.5 lbs
7 peeled garlic cloves...3 should be sliced lengthwise in order to put into the slits you make. The other 4 I mashed up into the paste.
5 chopped shallots
One handful of fresh rosemary..stalks removed. Chop half of it.
2 1/2 cups dry red wine like maybe Cabernet.
4 TBS olive oil
6 globe artichokes cut in half lengthwise (put in water with lemon juice to stop oxidation)
juice of one lemon (two if you don't have preserved lemons)
2 preserved lemon quarters, washed and chopped into small pieces
1 cup of beef stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Use a sharp knife and cut slits about 1/2 inch deep all over the leg of lamb..about 2 inches apart or so. Into each, put a sliced garlic clove, some of the paste, and a few rosemary sprigs. (see photo) You can marinate the lamb ahead of time..and I think it is a good idea! Be sure to take lamb out of fridge and let sit for at least 30 minutes before roasting. Note: If the lamb did not have the sciatic nerve removed (part of the Kosher process) use shoulder of lamb instead.

Paste: with a mortar and pestle, crush up the remaining garlic,a chopped rosemary, a bit of olive oil, a pinch of kosher salt and the juice of one lemon. You could put it all in a bowl and crush it up with a fork. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Put the lamb in a non-metal dish, salt and pepper it, drizzle the olive oil over and pour half of the wine over it. Stick a meat thermometer into the lamb so you can take it out of the oven when temp reaches 130. It will continue to cook after you take it out of the oven to a med rare. If you prefer medium, take it out at 140 degrees.

3. Prepare your artichokes now by washing them and peeling off the bottom two or three rows near the stem. Have a large bowl of acidic water ready to plop them into after you cut each in half. Use a small spoon to scoop out the "choke" or feathery looking stuff before adding to water.

4. Put lamb in oven and roast at 450 for 15 minutes and then decrease heat to 325 degrees. Take roast out when lamb reaches your desired temp. This will take about two hours..depending on your oven. Leave the meat thermometer in roast until it is done resting...after you take it out. Let it rest about 13 minutes or so.

5. About 30 minutes before the lamb is done, put the artichokes around the lamb, drizzle with a bit of olive oil.. and let them roast along with the lamb. This would be the time to add your potatoes if you want to use them..and the carrots too. What the heck! Salt and pepper veggies and 1/2 of the beef broth is to be added now.

6. While lamb is resting, transfer pan juices to sauce pan and spoon off any fat...and pour the remaining wine and shallots into the pan. Turn up heat and let juices reduce to about half and then add the remaining beef stock. Stir until pan juices are rich and flavorful.

7. Slice lamb and pour juices over everything. Mint sauce is lovely as well with lamb. I like to slice my lamb about 1/2 inch thick. You'll be able to enjoy the artichoke heart...very nice and smokey!

This Italian Jewish Dish is one your friends and family will see as a special feast. Mine sure did!

Be sure to go over and check out what my blogger buddies are cooking from Marlena Spieler's Jewish Cooking cookbook this Sunday. Eileen at Just the Two of Us and Shankari at Sacramento Spice. While you are here, would you mind clicking on the Sacramento Top 25 graphic? It helps people find my blog. Thanks!

Monday with Marcia Lowry--Racist Sheep?

I think I see the culprit...Mama Olive.

Who could NOT love a face like this....her OWN mother that's who! For the second time in her 3 year lambing career, mom "Olive" has rejected one of her babies. Olive is all black ...with some silver showing, as she ages.

The first year she had twins, one black, one white. She tried to beat the white lamb into the ground just minutes after he was born, but loved up on the black one. So we bottle raised "Charlie" that year - feeding him milk replacer (very costly) 4 times daily for two months...a major commitment. I thought maybe Olive's issue was having two to care for, but the next year, Olive had two black babies and loved them both.

This year, she had twins again - a black and a white and once again beat up on the white baby lamb? So now, we are bottle feeding "Mandy" and Olive is SOL down the road.

And on that note...here's a favorite recipe for lamb,or it maybe mutton this time around!

Potato and Lamb Moussaka

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 2 pounds peeled baking potato, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preparation

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add one-third of potato slices to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Transfer potato to bowl. Repeat procedure with cooking spray and remaining potato slices.

2. Preheat oven to 350°.

3. Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, garlic, and lamb to pan; cook 3 minutes or until lamb begins to brown. Add bell peppers, tomato sauce, salt, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, and parsley; cook 10 minutes.

4. Arrange half of potato slices in a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange lamb mixture over potatoes; top with remaining potato slices. Combine milk and eggs in a small bowl; pour over potato mixture. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until top is golden and set. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes before serving.

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Sundays with Marlena Spieler- Fragrant Beetroot Vegetable Soup with Spiced Lamb Kubbeh

Click to enlarge photos..in order to smell it of course!




This soup and lamb "dumpling" dish is one of the best things I've ever tasted. It involves some steps and work but let me tell you....so worth it! I took lots of pictures too. Here goes:

Ingredients for the soup: serves 6 - 8

1 tsp canola oil (she used veggie oil)
1/2 finely chopped medium-sized onion
5 minced garlic cloves
1 carrot, medium dice
2 medium zucchini, med dice
1/2 celery stalk, finely diced
4 cardamom pods..throw em in whole (you can take them later....or not)
1/2 tsp of curry powder
2 med. beets, roasted-peeled-chopped med and save juice (you can buy vacuum packed beetroots)
5 cups of chicken stock (or veggie stock)
1 14oz. can of chopped tomatoes ( I like Glen Muir fire roasted)
4 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar (could use rice vinegar) upon serving

Put the oil in the pot you'll make the soup in and have heat on med high..throw in the onions until they get soft, then throw in HALF of the garlic but don't let it burn. Throw in all of the veggies EXCEPT the beets. Stir and let them meld together but not until they are limp. Nobody likes a limp anything. Go ahead and throw in the spices too. After a few minutes pour in the broth, one chopped beet, canned tomatoes, fresh cilantro and the sugar. Bring to the boil then reduce for about 20 minutes. After, toss in the remaining chopped beets/and juice and remainder of garlic. Set aside...you may have to re-heat to serve.

Ingredients for the Ginger/Cilantro condiment: ( I LOVE THIS STUFF)

3 -4 garlic cloves chopped roughly (goes in food processor so whatever)
About 1 - 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh ginger...peel first
1-4 mild fresh chilies (I used one large poblano and 1/2 jalapeno, seed removed)
a large handful of fresh roughly chopped cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
extra virgin olive oil (slowly pour in as processor is on until a paste forms)

[you can spread this on a sandwich, serve with meatballs, make pasta and throw some in there while the pasta is hot with a little more olive oil and sprinkle cilantro or parsley over the top, or dip pita in it, or serve over dumplings]

Put the garlic, chillies, and ginger in the food processor and give it a whirl till blended. Add the cilantro, vinegar, salt and then the oil and whirl around till it is a paste-like consistency. Take it out and set aside. Wash the food processsor cause you are using it again...you could let your dog or cat lick it clean..if they like spicy. No.


Ingredients for the spiced lamb and kubbeh dough:

2 large pinches of saffron threads (steep in a little hot water for about 20 minutes..or more. you won't use the threads..just the "saffron tea")
1 tablespoon canola oil
One large chopped onion.small chop
9-12 oz. of lean ground lamb
1 teaspoon vinegar (rice, or white wine, or apple cider)
a handful of fresh mint (rough chop)
About one cup all purpose flour..or a little more
2 pinches of salt
a shake or two of allspice
2 tsp ground turmeric (turns dough a lovely color)

Heat oil in a smallish not stick pan and toss the onion in there till is is soft. Then, put the onion and saffron "tea" in the food processor and hit give it a few turns. Add the lamb, seasoning, and blend it all. It will look like a sticky glop sort of. Add the vinegar and mint and CHILL (not you..the mixture).

The kubbeh dough-I used my kitchen aid pasta attachments (thank you East Bay).

Put the flour, salt, and turmeric in the mixer bowl. You could clean that processor again and use the dough attachment to make the dough. Blend for a few seconds. On low, with the dough hook or the paddle, slowly add the water while mixing. The dough will be a bit sticky.,, it's a theme. Knead the dough on a well-floured surface. Put it in a plastic bag and set aside to rest for 30 minutes. (you could do it ahead and put in fridge..then bring it out and let it get warm).

I put the dough through my pasta attachment until it was fairly thin and then layed it on my floured surface... (Thanks husband, for letting me use your bread kneading board) and I added teaspoons of the lamb mixture a few inches apart. Put the other sheet of dough on top and cut a round with my pizza cutter. Wet the edges with water and seal each one.. and then poached in boiling salted water for about 4 minutes. This goes in the soup. Done!

Okay..got all that? This recipe took me 3 hours..from start to slurping time. If I'd done the prep for the veggies the day before, it would have been a snap. You cold even make the lamb mix the day before..and even the condiment paste! Hell, the dough too. Was I smart enough to do that? I'll cook smarter next time. BE SURE to go on over and check out Eileen and Shankari's recipes by Marlena Spieler. Thanks for stopping by! We will be posting on Wednesdays too until Hanukkah...and then we'll be posting Marlena's on Sunday and our own posts Wednesday's thru Saturday's. You can find the book we are blogging about Here.

Next Recipe for Sundays With Marlena

I'll be posting my version of Marlena Spieler's Fragrant Beetroot and Veggie Soup with Lamb Kubbeh. Apparently, in the U.K. beets are called beetroots and you can actually buy them in a vacuum sealed container. I found out that they sell them at Trader Joe's..in the refrigerated section above the frozen food. I roasted my beets..then peeled, etc. Next time, I am buying them already done.

There are many steps to this making this dish, but it was well worth it. I plan on having the condiment that is drizzled over it on hand for many other things! This dish is not for beginning cooks..in my opinion. Dave said it was one of the best things he has ever eaten..and it was.

If anyone is interested in making it ahead of time, post a comment and let me know. Otherwise, I'll see ya on Sunday. Also, until Hanukkah, we will be posting Marlena's recipes on Wednesdays as well. Be sure to check out Eileen and Shankari's blogs for their recipe posts too..as all of our dishes together would make a nice addition to any holiday celebration this year, and certainly Hanukkah.