Category Archives: lamb

Grilled Lamb Kefta Kebobs with Tzakiki

If you are tired of making hamburgers on the grill, but looking for something as easy and delicious, try these grilled lamb kefta kebobs. It’s a hamburger on a skewer, flavored with cumin, fresh mint and crunchy pistashios. I like to serve it on a warm pita topped with some homemade tzakiki, mint and red onion. Simply delicious.

From by the bay, wishing you kefta kebob food memories!

Maryann

 

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Grilled Lamb Kefta Kebobs

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground lamb

2 tablespoons ground pistachios

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground chili powder

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. To make kebabs, take small amounts of kefta and shape them into cylinder or sausage shapes. Skewer the meat, squeezing it to mold it the skewer.Cook over hot coals, approximately five minutes each side. (It may take less or more time, depending on how hot the coals are, and how thick you shaped the kefta.) Watch the kebabs carefully, so you don’t dry out the kefta. Serve with Tzakiki ( recipe follows) and pita bread.

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Tzakiki

Ingredients
1 English cucumber
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 cups greek style yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
fine sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Peel and thinly slice the english cucumber. Coarse chop and place into a bowl. Add the sea salt and mix. Let sit for about 1 hour. Strain the cucumbers and rinse. Shake off remaining water and place into a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.  Place in the refrigerator until ready to use. When serving drizzle with a little more olive oil. Serve on the side of roasted lamb or serve as an appetizer with pita bread.


My Best Easter Recipes

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Sharing my best Easter recipes to plan your holiday menu, you’ll find you will use these recipes again and again as I do.

From by the bay wishing you , a happy spring and holiday!

Maryann

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Natural Egg Dye Recipes

Red Beets / Pink Eggs – Grate 4 tablespoons of red beets and add to a heat safe container. Add 1 teaspoon white vinegar and 1 cup boiling water. Let sit for 1 hour, strain and add eggs to dye.

Red Cabbage/ Blue Eggs – Add 3 tablespoons chopped red cabbage to a heat safe container. Add 1 teaspoon white vinegar and 1 cup boiling water. Let sit for 1 hour, strain and add eggs.

Annatto Seeds/ Reddish Golden Color – Add 2 tablespoons annatto seeds ( achiote seeds) to 1 cup of water, bring to a boil for about 5 to 7 minutes. Strain. Add eggs to the dye.

Red Cabbage and Turmeric Powder/ Green Color – Add 3 tablespoons chopped red cabbage and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder to a heat safe container. Add one cup of boiling water. Let sit for 1 hour, strain and add eggs. The result is a speckled color.

Turmeric Powder/ Deep Gold Color – Add 2 teaspoons ground turmeric powder to a heat safe container. Add 1 teaspoon white vinegar and one cup of boiling water. Once dye is cool add eggs . Rinse off any residual powder.

Paprika Powder/ Light Orange – Bring one cup of water and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to a boil, add 1 tablespoon paprika and continue to boil for 15 minutes. Place in a heat safe container, add eggs to dye while warm. Rinse off any residual powder.Here is the post to make red dyed eggs:https://blog.entertainingbythebay.com/2012/04/03/easter-eggs-with-natural-red-dye.aspx

blog leg of lamb

Herb Crusted Leg of Lamb

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 leg of lamb approximately 9 pounds, bone in
1 teaspoon olive oil, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium head garlic
1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chardonnay
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
Directions

Let leg of lamb stand at room temperature for one hour. Preheat oven to 325 degree F. Rub lamb with 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 pepper. Place into a heavy roasting pan. Meantime, rub head of garlic with 1/4 teaspoon olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil and roast in the oven for about 1 hour until very soft. Let cool. Cut off the head of the garlic and squeeze cloves into a bowl. Use a fork to mash garlic into a paste. Add the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, oregano, parsley, thyme leaves and remaining salt and pepper. Mix well and place to the side. Place lamb into the oven and roast for approximately 1 1/4 hours. Rotate pan and roast another 30 minutes. Remove lamb and slather it with the roasted garlic and herb mixture and place back into the oven to roast another hour or until thermometer inserted at the thickest part reads 160 degrees for medium and 170 degrees for well done. Remove from oven and let rest for 20 minutes. Transfer lamb to cuttting board and cover with foil. Pour off fat from the roasting pan and place on medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and stir with wood spoon. Pour in chardonnay to deglaze pan, scraping up the brown bits, reduce liquid to 1/2 and then add the chicken broth, stirring to combine. Add rosemary and salt and pepper to taste. Slice the lamb and serve with the gravy to the side.

blog pea salad

Minty Spring Pea and Ramp Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 bunch ramps
2 pounds fresh or frozen baby peas
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
fine sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions
Trim roots from ramps; finely chop white bulbs. Slice green leaves into 1/4-inch strips. Blanche peas by adding into a pot of boiling water for 1 minute, strain and place into a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Once cooled, strain peas and place into a bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add white part of ramps and cook 1 minute. Add ramp greens and saute until greens are slightly wilted about another minute. Remove from heat and add to peas. Stir in remaining olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Add mint and toss. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
blog pound cake

Lemon Pound Cake

Ingredient

1/2 pound butter , at room temperature
3 cups cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
5 egga, at room temperature
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
zest of one lemon
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Grease and flour one 10 inch tube pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs yolks, lemon juice and zest scraping down the sides of the bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the whites until fluffy, continue beating until stiff peaks form. Gently fold some of the flour mixture into the yolk mixture, then some of the whites, and continue alternating this way until you have a well-combined, smooth, fluffy batter. Pour the batter into the tube pan. Make sure to avoid air pockets. Place on baking sheet in the oven for 55 to 60 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Remove and cool for 10 minutes then invert on rack to finish cooling. Once cool remove from pan and place on tray and serve.

Moroccan Marinated Lamb Chops

The key ingredient to this marinade is the moroccan spice mixture of ras-el-hanout , a exotic mixture that might include up to 30 ingredients such as  rosebuds, cardamon, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, turmeric, coriander, cloves, lavender, ginger, pepper and mace. Obviously, you would want to buy this already prepared. When I first started to cook with this moroccan spice it was hard to find ras-el-hanout but today it’s in many supermarkets and of course readily available on-line.  You can double this marinade and use on leg of lamb as well.  The results are a very flavorful lamb with a minimum of effort.  Enjoy!

From by the bay, wishing you exotic moroccan food memories!

Maryann

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Moroccan Marinaded Lamb Chops

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 12 lamb chops, bone in

for moroccan marinade

  • 1 tablespoon ras-el-hanout
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 lemon, juice and zest
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro coarsely chopped

Directions

To make marinade place all marinade ingredients into a food processor and pulse into a paste. Pour marinade into a resealable plastic bag along with lamb chops. Rub paste into chops and keep refrigerated for at least 4 hours .  Bring to room temperature before cooking on grill or in grill pan using a little olive oil a few minutes on each side until done ( depending on thickness and your preference of color).

Serve with greek yogurt or tzatziki sauce – see recipe for tzatziki sauce

https://blog.entertainingbythebay.com/2014/05/greek-mezes/

 

 

 

Feta, Mint and Lamb Burger with Herb Yogurt Dressing

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My mom is of Greek heritage. One of her many great pleasures in life includes being an active member in the local Greek church. The church has an annual outdoor summer festival, which recently got rained out on opening night. My mom missed the festival and another opportunity to enjoy some  greek food because of torrential rain. So when mom came to visit this past weekend, I decided to make a greek style barbecue. The burgers were made of ground lamb mixed with feta, mint and a nice amount of lemon juice. My yogurt dressing was filled with fresh leafy herbs from the garden. The burgers were a big hit with mom and we had perfect weather too!


From by the bay wishing you some greek food memories!

Maryann



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Feta, Mint and Lamb Burger with Herb Yogurt Dressing

Serves 4

1 ¾ lb ground lamb

2 teaspoons lemon juice

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

3 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 soft rolls, split and toasted


Directions

In a large bowl combine lamb, lemon juice, feta cheese, mint and salt and pepper. Make 4 patties. Brush the outside of the patties with olive oil on both sides. Preheat grill. Grill approximately 5 minutes on each side or until well done. Place burger on ciabiatta roll along with lettuce, roasted red onion and herb yogurt dressing.

 

Herb Yogurt Dressing

6 ounces greek yogurt

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley

2 tablespoon fresh mint

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Place all ingredients in a food processor, blend well. Keep in refrigerator until ready to use.

Lamb Meatballs with Tomato Cherry Sauce

A good friend of my recently took me to a Lebanese restaurant and we were delighted with the food and the wide variety of small plates offered. This is my version of our favorite dish we experienced that evening. These lamb meatballs are flavorful little bites that work terrific as an appetizer, to serve at a cocktail party or just to make an easy sandwich, a few in a pita bread with some greek yogurt, sliced cucumber and mint. It’s a perfect party food since you bake the meatballs, they fry in the oven, using significantly less oil with a really easy clean up. The sauce has a bit of a sweet and sour component from the cherry preserves and lemon juice, but with a middle eastern twist. It’s wonderful mix of flavors. You’ve love this dish!
From by the bay wishing you , sweet and sour food memories!
Maryann
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Lamb Meatballs with Tomato Cherry Sauce
Serves 6 to 8

Lamb Meatballs
Ingredients
1 pound ground lamb
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
olive oil spray
Directions 
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well using your hands.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with olive oil spray.  Once the meat mixture has chilled for 30 minutes, remove from refrigerator and dampen your hands and form 28 to 30 meatballs approximately 3/4″ diameter. Place on the lined baking tray. Spray top of the meatballs lightly with olive oil and bake in the heated oven for about 30 minutes, until browned and cooked through. Serve with tomato cherry sauce or just plain as a party appetizer with plain greek yogurt and some chopped mint on the side.
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Tomato Cherry Sauce

Ingredients
1 cup warm water
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup organic low sodium ketchup
1/4 cup cherry preserves
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 cup scallions, chopped to garnish lamb meatballs with sauce
Directions
Place warm water in a bowl and add dried cherries. Let cherries soak in the water 30 minutes. Strain cherries, adding the water into a medium sauce pan.  To this pan add remaining ingredients except cherries and cook on moderate heat stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Add the cherries and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve with lamb meatballs. Garnish with chopped scallions.

Herb Crusted Leg of Lamb

My mother’s parents immigrated to the United States in the early part of the 20th century from Greece. Easter by far and away is the most important religious holiday in the Greek Orthodox Church. Growing up my mother and her family would celebrate Easter with family and friends with a whole roasted baby lamb. My grandfather, my Papou, would buy the lamb and bring it to a bakery on 14th St. and First Avenue in Manhattan to be roasted. Papou would then take the subway home to Brooklyn, lamb in hand, so the family could celebrate Easter. As much as I would like to recreate my mother’s wonderful childhood memories, I’m not prepared to roast a whole lamb, but I do look forward to celebrating with the family by slow roasting a leg of lamb in the oven. I have tried different recipes over the years, but this recipe from Martha Stewart Living, is my favorite. I have adapted it a little over the years so this is the version, I’m sharing with you today. Kalo pasha……….
Happy Greek Easter!From by the bay wishing you the happiest Easter and food memories! Maryann
blog leg of lamb
Ingredients
1 leg of lamb approximately 9 pounds, bone in
1 teaspoon olive oil, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium head garlic
1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chardonnay
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

Directions

Let leg of lamb stand at room temperature for one hour. Preheat oven to 325 degree F. Rub lamb with 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 pepper. Place into a heavy roasting pan. Meantime, rub head of garlic with 1/4 teaspoon olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil and roast in the oven for about 1 hour until very soft. Let cool. Cut off the head of the garlic and squeeze cloves into a bowl. Use a fork to mash garlic into a paste. Add the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, oregano, parsley, thyme leaves and remaining salt and pepper. Mix well and place to the side. Place lamb into the oven and roast for approximately 1 1/4 hours. Rotate pan and roast another 30 minutes. Remove lamb and slather it with the roasted garlic and herb mixture and place back into the oven to roast another hour or until thermometer inserted at the thickest part reads 160 degrees for medium and 170 degrees for well done. Remove from oven and let rest for 20 minutes. Transfer lamb to cuttting board and cover with foil. Pour off fat from the roasting pan and place on medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and stir with wood spoon. Pour in chardonnay to deglaze pan, scraping up the brown bits, reduce liquid to 1/2 and then add the chicken broth, stirring to combine. Add rosemary and salt and pepper to taste. Slice the lamb and serve with the gravy to the side.