SPICY LAMB AND LENTILS APPETIZER FROM JEFF PARSIGIAN

  • 1 T. olive oil
  • ½ pound ground lamb
  • 3-4 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 t. crushed red peppers
  • ½ t. cumin
  • 1 cup cooked French green lentils (from ½ c. dried)
  • 1 English cucumber chopped
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro
  • ½ cup chopped parsley
  • 1 ½ cups plain high fat Greek yogurt

Heat oil in medium skillet over medium high heat.  Season lamb with salt and pepper and arrange in pan in an even patty about ¼ inch thick.  Brown both sides, then add cumin, garlic and red peppers and continue to cook while you break up the meat into crumbs.  Transfer to bowl.  Place cooked lentils in the skillet and cook tossing occasionally until heated through and starting to crisp.  Return lamb mixture to skillet and mix well until all is warmed through.  Remove from heat and stir in cubes, cilantro, and parsley.  Spoon yogurt onto plates about 1/8 inch, then spoon on lamb mixture.  Serve with lemon wedges and homemade pita chips.

MARINADE FOR LAMB

  • 3 cloves of garlic chopped

  • 3 anchovy fillets

  • 2 T. fresh rosemary

  • ¼ cup parsley

  • ½ t. dried thyme

  • ½ t. salt

  • Pepper to taste

  • 3 T. olive oil

  • 2 T. red wine

Put all ingredients in food processor and process.

A FOOD AND WINE PAIRING DINNER WITH LAMB SHANKS

Wines:

1995 Anselmi Soave Classico Superiore San Vincenzo or 1996 Francis Coppola Bianco

1995 Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet or 1995 Cjolumbia David Lake Chardonnay Wyckoff Vineyard

1998 Antinori Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico or 1996 Bonny Doon Ca’Del Solo Il Fiasco

1995 Paul Jaboulet Aine Crozes-Hermitage Domaine De Thalabert or 1994 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Vin Du Mistral Syrah

Food:

½ cup olive oil , 4 T. unsalted butter, 3 medium cloves garlic, 1 ½ t. salt, freshly ground pepper, ¼  cup chopped flat-leaf parsley.  Toss with ½ cup rigatoni per person.

  1. ¼ cup olive oil, 1 ½ lbs. portobelllo mushroom caps thickly sliced, salt and freshly ground pepper.  Saute in batches.  Remove to bowl.  In same pan, melt 2 T. unsalted butter, 4 cloves garlic chopped.   Stir in ¼ c. parmigiano reggiano grated cheese and mushroom mixture.  Add 3 T. white wine and ¼ cup chopped parsey.  Serve with ½ cup rigatoni.
  2. Heat ½ cup olive oil and sauté 1 medium onion chopped finely.  Cook for 20 minutes until softened, but not browned.  Add one 16 oz. can peeled chopped tomatoes with liquid and cook about 10 minutes.  Add 1 T. porcini powder and simmer for 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, stir in ½ cup chopped parsley and serve with ½ cup rigatoni per person.
  3. Melt 1 T. unsalted butter and 2 T. olive oil in cast iron pot.  Season two 1- lb. lamb shanks with salt.  Brown in olive/butter mix.  Remove.  Add 1 medium chopped onion to drippings and cook 3-5 minutes.  Add one 16 oz. can diced tomatoes and liquid and 6 cloves of chopped garlic to pot.  Cook high heat for 3 minutes.  Add lamb shanks, 1 cup dry white wine, ½ cup water, 12 large parsley stems, 12 juniper berries crushed, and 7 large thyme sprigs.  Bring to boil.  Cover pot and transfer to 350 degree oven.  Cook for 1 ½ hours.

LAMB ROAST TOSCANA

  • 1 4# leg of lamb

  • 8 Bay leaves

  • 5 cloves of garlic

  • 1 t salt

  • 1 t black pepper

  • 3 t sweet butter melted

  • 3 T. olive oil

  • ½ cup dry white wine

Oven at 375 degrees.  Lard lamb with bay leaves and garlic.  Rub with salt and pepper.  Mix butter and oil. Pour over lamb.  Roast 1 hour and baste.  Remove from oven.  Pour off all fat.  Add white wine.  Scrape bottom of pan for brown particles and cook on top of stove.  Pour over lamb.

RACK OF LAMB

  • 1 ½ T. kosher salt

  • 2 T. minced fresh rosemary

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

  • ½ cup Dijon mustard

  • 1 T. balsamic vinegar

  • 2 racks of lamb

Process salt, rosemary, and garlic until they are as finely minced as possible.  Add the mustard and balsamic vinegar and process for 1 minute.  Place lamb in roasting pan with ribs curving down and coat the tops with mustard mixture.  Allow to stand for 1 hour at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Roast lamb for exactly 20 minutes for rare, 25 for medium rare.  Remove from oven and cover with foil for 15 minutes.  Cut into individual ribs and serve.  Serves 6.

LAMB IN PHYLLO DOUGH- FOOD AND WINE OCT. ‘82

  • 2 t. veg. oil

  • 3-3 ½ lbs. rack of lamb boned to yield a 10 oz. fillet

  • Salt and pepper

  • 3 T. plus 2 t. unsalted butter

  • ½ lb. mushrooms finely chopped

  • 3 medium shallots

  • 3 sheets of phyllo dough

  • 1 egg slightly beaten

In a skillet heat oil until almost smoking.  Add the lamb and sauté over moderately high heat, turning until brown all over – 2 to 3 minutes.  Meat should remain rare.  Season with salt and pepper, wrap and refrigerate until cold.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Add 2 t. butter to skillet, add mushrooms and shallots and sauté over moderate heat stirring frequently until moisture is gone.  Let cool.  Lay one sheet of phyllo dough on flat surface.  Brush with butter.  Place next sheet on top and brush with butter.  Repeat with third sheet.  Spoon mushroom mixture on phyllo, place lamb on top and coat with mushroom mixture.  Fold bottom and sides over lamb.  Brush egg on inside edge to seal.  Place on baking sheet seam side down.  Brush top with egg.  Bake 20 minutes for medium rare.  Let rest 10 minutes.  Cut into 4 thick slices.  Serve with Madeira sauce.

GRILLED LAMB WITH OLIVE SAUCE

Maridade

 

  • 1/3 cup olive oil

  • 1 T. balsamic vinegar

  • ¾ t. dry mustard

  • 2 bay leaves

  • ¾ t. hot paprika

  • ¼ cup chopped mint leaves

  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 1/3 cup red wine

  • ¼ t. fresh ground black pepper

  • ½ t. kosher salt

  • 1 T. herbes de Provence

 LAMB:

  • 1 6-7 pound leg of lamb, boned, butterflied and trimmed of excess fat

  • 2 shallots chopped

  • 5 ½ ounces shitake mushrooms, sliced

  • 2 T. olive oil

  • ¾ cup red wine

  • 3 cups lamb or chicken stock

  • 1 T. chopped fresh rosemary or ½ T. dried

  • 1 T. Dijon mustard

  • ¼ cup pitted sliced green olives

  • ¼ cup pitted sliced Kalamata olives

Mix marinade ingredients well.  Place in plastic bag with lamb.  Marinate 4-6 hours, turning occasionally.

Heat shallots and mushrooms in olive oil for 3-4 minutes.  Add red wine and bring to boil.  Reduce liquid by half.  Add stock and rosemary and reduce by half.  Add Dijon mustard and olives, reduce heat, and continue simmering until sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon.  Prepare charcoal fire.  Remove lamb from marinade and pat dry.  Reserve marinade for basting.  Grill lamb for 7-8 minutes per side occasionally basting.  Remove lamb.  Let sit under tented foil for a few minutes.  Slice thinly and place on warm plates.  Spoon sauce over top.  Garnish with fresh rosemary.  Serves 6 as an entrée.

GRILLED LAMB WITH ROASTED GARLIC-MINT SAUCE

Maridade

  • ¼ cup reduced-salt soy sauce

  • ½ cup red wine

  • 1 T. olive oil

  • ½ cup sliced yellow onions

  • 1 T. chopped fresh mint

  • 1 ½ T. Chopped fresh oregano (3/4 T. dried)

Lamb:

  • ½ leg of lamb, boned, butterflied, and trimmed of most fat (about 2 pounds)

  • 1 large whole head of garlic, unpeeled

  • ½ t. extra-virgin olive oil

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Sauce

 

  • ½ T. olive oil

  • 1 T. minced shallots

  • 1 ¼ cups red wine

  • 1 ½ cups beef or chicken stock

  • 3 T. chopped fresh mint

  • 1 T. chopped roasted garlic

  • ¾ t. Dijon mustard

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix all marinade ingredients together.  Place lamb in sealable bag, add marinade and refrigerate at least 2-3 hours turning bag occasionally.  Remove lamb from bag and pat dry.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut off very top of garlic, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover in foil leaving a small area open at top, and roast 45-50 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool slightly.  Squeeze cloves out of head, discard skin, keep covered in refrigerator for up to a week.

Heat olive oil, add shallots and sauté for 2-3 minutes.  Add wine, bring to simmer and reduce by half.  Add stock, mint, garlic and mustard and simmer until sauce is reduced by half.  Season to taste.