Farfalle with Lamb Ragu

We've had a half pound of lamb stew meat sitting in the freezer for awhile that needed to be used soon. A quick run through the meat grinder attachment of our Kitchen Aid turned it into the perfect meat for this pasta dish.

I will say Matt was dubious about dinner. He just doesn't like lamb as much as I do but once he started eating it he declared loved it. For a quick cooked sauce it had a nice rich flavor. The original recipe called for less tomatoes than I used & some chicken broth. I decided to just use all tomatoes & added some tomato paste. I think the broth & the pasta cooking water they also wanted you to add, would just water the sauce down. The ricotta was a wonderful in this, when you stirred it in the whole dish began lovely & creamy.

You could easily substitute ground beef for the lamb in this recipe though the flavor will be a little different, still good but different.

Farfalle with Lamb Ragu
(Adapted from Cooking Light March '10)

1 T olive oil
8 oz ground lamb (beef would work too)
kosher salt
1/2 c onion, chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
leaves from 1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c white wine
2 c crushed or diced tomatoes, undrained
1 T tomato paste
pepper
8 oz farfalle
ricotta

Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lamb & cook through, breaking it up as you cook, about 5 minutes. Remove the lamb from the skillet draining any fat. Season the lamb with a pinch of salt & set aside.

Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet & stir in the onion & carrot. Cook until tender, about another 5 minutes. Add the rosemary & garlic then cook for a minute more. Return the lamb to the skillet. Stir in the wine & bring to a boil. Cook until almost all the liquid is gone. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, a few grind of pepper & a couple pinches of salt. Bring to a simmer. Let simmer uncovered until reduced to a thick sauce, about 15 minutes depending on how liquid your tomatoes were.

While the sauce is simmering cook the pasta according to the directions. Drain. Stir the pasta into the sauce.

Sprinkle some ricotta over each serving.

4 servings

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Lamb with Balsamic Sauce

Don't you love a dish that looks like a really special yet takes less than a half an hour to make?

I feel like this is one of those dishes. We had it on a Monday night but I could see making it for a special occasion dinner for two. Maybe it's because I think of lamb as a special treat that I only get at restaurants. Anyway, this is dead simple, you just quickly sear the lamb & then make a red wine & balsamic sauce in the same pan. We really liked the tanginess of the sauce with the slight gaminess of the lamb.

I served the lamb with a side of Kashi 7 Whole Grain Pilaf. I cooked the pilaf according to the directions & then stirred in 1 tablespoon fresh parsley & 2 tablespoons of golden raisins when done. It had a great textured, tasted wonderful with the balsamic sauce & one servings has a days worth of whole grains in it.

Lamb with Balsamic Sauce
(adapted from Cooking Light Jan/Feb '10)

1 t olive oil
4 lamb chops
kosher salt
pepper
1/4 c red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
5 T red wine, divided
1 T balsamic vinegar

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Salt & pepper the lamb chops on both sides & put in the pan. Cook on one side for about 3 minutes, until browned. Flip & cook on the second side for 4 more minutes. (This will give you a rare to medium-rare chop, cook longer if you wish.) Remove the chops to a plate & tent with foil to keep warm.

Put the onions & garlic in the skillet, cook until the onion is translucent. Add 2 tablespoons of the red wine & bring to a boil. Cook until evaporated. Add the remaining red wine & vinegar boil until reduced by about half. Taste & season with salt if desired.

Serve the sauce over the chops.

2 servings

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Lamb Stew

There is nothing fancy at all about this dish, it's really just a plain good stew.

I like using lamb in stew from time to time for a change from beef. I find its flavor pairs really well with root vegetables & this stew is heavy on the vegetables. I used to be one of those people who insist they don't like turnips & rutabagas but in the last couple years I've really come around to them & its dishes like this one that have done it.

Lamb Stew

1 T olive oil
4 oz onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz lamb stew meat
2 T flour
9 oz russet potato, peeled & cut into 1/2-inch cubes
7 oz turnip, peeled & cut into 1/2-inch cubes
12 oz rutabaga, peeled & cut into 1/2-inch cubes
5 oz carrots, peeled & sliced
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t dried thyme
1/4 t dried rosemary
1/4 t dried marjoram
2 c chicken stock

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion & garlic & sauté until tender. Add the lamb & cook until cooked through. Sprinkle flour over the meat & cook while stirring for 1 minute. Stir in the potato, turnip, rutabaga, carrots, oregano, thyme, rosemary & marjoram. Add the stock (you can add a little water too if you think it needs it). Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat & simmer until the vegetables are tender about 1 hour. Remove lid & simmer until gravy reaches desired consistency.

2 - 3 servings

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Greek-Style Lamb Kebabs

I was struggling to come up with some new dishes to try last week so Matt went to his post-it notes. He's been working his way through our copies of Bon Appétits and cookbooks and placing post-it notes on the pages of all the recipes he thinks sound good. This week he went to Emeril at the Grill& chose this recipe.

This was quite a tasty dinner. The lamb only needs to marinate for 2 to 4 hours so you don't have to plan super early in the day. It also cooks up really quickly. But really the best thing about this dish is the feta spread. It was really flavorful & a great option to tzatziki. (I'm finding with this Emeril book what we like best are the sides & sauces.) We served this dish with some store bought flat bread (pita pockets would have been better) & steamed green beans seasoned with a little fresh lemon.

Greek-Style Lamb Kebabs
(adapted from Emeril at the Grillfor serving size)

3/4 c onion, finely chopped
1/2 T grated lemon zest
2 T lemon juice
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 T fresh mint, chopped
1 t salt
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t sweet paprika
1/2 r ground black pepper
2 T olive oil
3/4 lb boneless lamb leg (we had out butcher cut a small piece for us), cut into 1-inch cubes

In a bowl combine the onion, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, cilantro, mint, salt, cumin, paprika, pepper & olive oil. Stir in the lamb. Cover & refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.

Thread the lamb onto skewers (if using wooden ones soak them in water first).

Preheat grill to high & coat with olive oil. Cook turning frequently until cooked through, 12 - 14 minutes.

3 - 4 servings

Feta Spread
(from Emeril at the Grill)

2 oz feta cheese, crumbled
2 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 c plain yogurt (the recipe called for Greek yogurt I used require & it was just fine)
1 T green onion tops, minced (I skipped this because I didn't have them)
1/2 T fresh mint, chopped
1 t lemon juice
3/4 t garlic, minced
1/2 t olive oil
1/2 t grated lemon zest
salt to taste
pinch of cayenne pepper

Combine every thing well & allow to chill for at least one hour.

About 1 cup

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Lamb Lettuce Wraps

This weekend the local strawberries were finally available at the farmers market so we bought enough to make a few batches of jam. This made for a really busy day in the kitchen & we didn't want to spend a long time making dinner so Matt came up with this quick dish based on the large head of greenleaf lettuce we got in our CSA box.

He calls this a "10 Minute Meal" because it took no time at all to make. The seasoning of the lamb was very flavorful & slightly middle eastern. I really enjoyed the texture of the almonds & the saltiness of the olives. The warm filling was really nice against the cool crispness of the lettuce though you could easily serve it in a pita or on top of some couscous or rice.

Lamb Lettuce Wraps

1/2 T olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 lb ground lamb
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t coriander
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t turmeric
1/4 c chopped green olives
2 T tomato paste
2 T sliced almonds
6 large lettuce leaves, washed & dried

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion & sauté until just tender. Add lamb & cook until brown. Stir in cumin, coriander, pepper, turmeric, olives and tomato paste. Cook for 1 -2 minutes to blend flavors. Stir in almonds. Scoop a little into the middle of each lettuce leaf, wrap & serve.

Makes 6 wraps (which was 2 servings for us with a little pita & hummus on the side.)

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski