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Entries in Lamb (4)

Friday
24Apr2009

Lamb Burgers with Feta and Spinach

DateFriday, April 24, 2009 at 10:53AM

Mediterranean flavors in a burger, while timely for springtime themes, are good all year round; from Dave Utrata.

I was never exposed to the joys of grilling various meats when I was growing up; it was always the basic, overdone beef burger.  Happily, some things change for the better with age.  This recipe is about going beyond those basic burgers.  Not just making them prettier with flashy toppings, but actually using a different meat, in this case lamb, and blending in other flavors that go great together.  This has become a favorite request when my sons visit.

Lamb Burgers with
Feta and Spinach

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb.
    ground lamb

  • ½ - 1
    cup crumbled feta cheese

  • ½ - 1
    cup finely chopped fresh spinach

  • 5
    cloves of garlic, chopped

  • 2
    small onions (such as boiler) chopped

  • salt
    & pepper to taste

 

Directions:


  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Using a spatula is said to minimize “mashing”
    the soft lamb, and from a practical viewpoint, it also makes mixing
    easier. 

  2. Since you will be shaping this
    mixture into burgers for the grill, you may wish to keep the amount of feta and
    spinach added to the lamb to the lower amounts. 
    This will make the burgers easier to form and retain their shape, if
    that’s critical to your style.  (My sons
    and I, as well as guests I’ve served them to, prefer the taste of the higher
    amounts of the cheese and greens.)

  3. On a heated and oiled grill, cook the burgers.  Again, personal preferences can create
    variation, but I prefer these when the burger middles are pink and juicy.  As opposed to, say, 4-5 minutes per side, I
    will usually grill them for 2 minutes per side, repeating at least once.  This will also depend on burger size; this
    amount yielded four big burgers for me and the younger son (hungry teenager) this past Easter.

  4. Serve on hearty buns, such as big toasted garlic rolls.  

  5. The only condiments you will likely need are
    salt and pepper, but definitely squeeze the juice from a lemon wedge on
    them.  


Oh my, these are good!

 

AuthorDave Utrata | Comment1 Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Friday
07Nov2008

Lamb Stew

DateFriday, November 7, 2008 at 7:56AM

Not everyone loves lamb as much as I do, but if you are a lamb lover, this easy stew will be a favorite.  My husband had never had lamb before he met me (poor deprived guy), and he likes lamb stew so much now that he'll make this on his own.  If you can't find boneless chunks of lamb already cut for stew meat, and don't want to spend a fortune on a leg just to cut it up, buy lots of those cheap shoulder chops and cut the meat off around the bone.  Easy enough and quite economical.  Good bread and better wine are all you need with this delicious stew.

Lamb Stew Recipe


  • Salt & pepper

  • 1/2 cup flour

  • 1 1/2 - 2 pounds lamb meat cut into 1" pieces

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 1 cup peeled carrots, chopped

  • 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

  • 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

  • 32 oz. chicken broth

  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce

  • 1 cup white wine

  • Juice of lemon half

  • Sprig or two of fresh rosemary, chopped

  • 1 10-oz package washed fresh spinach leaves (or 1 box frozen)

  • Crumbled feta cheese



  1. Mix together salt, pepper and flour and toss lamb in mixture to coat. 

  2. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. 

  3. Add lamb and sauté until brown, about 10 minutes. 

  4. Add garlic, onion, carrots and potatoes, and sauté another 5 minutes. 

  5. Add drained chickpeas, broth, tomato sauce, wine and lemon juice and bring to simmer. 

  6. Reduce heat to medium low, add rosemary, cover pot and simmer gently until lamb is tender, about 1 hour. 

  7. Add spinach to stew.  Cover and cook until spinach wilts, stirring often (or if frozen, until heated through, about 10 minutes). 

  8. Season with salt and pepper. 

  9. Ladle into bowls and serve hot with a sprinkling of feta cheese on top.


AuthorTrevy Thomas | CommentPost a Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Thursday
13Mar2008

Minty Lamb Chops

DateThursday, March 13, 2008 at 2:51PM

I have never been a fan of that gelatinous minty sauce
normally served with lamb. Actually, I
don't know anyone else who is either. How, then, did it become so famous? There are lots of things I feel this way about. Capri pants being one. How many women look good in floods? I certainly don't. It's either full-length pants or a skirt for
me. Anything in between has been shrunk,
which does happen but I prefer not to air my messed-up laundry in public. Anyway, back to the lamb. This sauce is easy, and good spread on chops,
stirred into lamb stew, or served with sliced leg of lamb. Please eat while wearing proper pants.

Minty Lamb Chop Recipe

  • 1 cup fresh mint leaves

  • 2 garlic cloves

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts

  • 4 lamb chops

Toss mint, garlic, olive oil and pine nuts in food processor
or blender. Process until smooth. Spread on lamb chops. Bake at 350 degrees about 10 minutes each
side, or until lamb reaches internal temperature of 140 degrees for medium rare.

AuthorTrevy Thomas | CommentPost a Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Tuesday
29Jan2008

Leg of Lamb

DateTuesday, January 29, 2008 at 3:11PM

Usually, I can only find a
whole leg of lamb, which is way too much for this household of two, but this
week there was a half leg. Yes, that's
sort of gross, but I don't want to think about it. Anyway, I slapped it in the oven without much
fuss and it turned out deliciously, so I thought I'd share. 

Leg of Lamb Recipe

  • 1 tablespoon olive or canola
    oil

  • 1/2 leg of lamb

  • 2 lemons

  • 2 cloves of garlic

  • Salt & pepper

  • Dried rosemary

  • Dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 425
degrees. Spread oil in bottom of shallow
roasting pan. Slice the garlic cloves
into many small slivers and stuff into little cuts all over the roast. Squeeze lemon juice liberally over both sides
of lamb, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs. Set on a rack in pan and roast for about
seven minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees and cook 20 minutes per pound or
until the temperature reaches 145 for medium rare or 160 for medium well. Let rest before serving. Lamb gets tired after all that roasting.

AuthorTrevy Thomas | CommentPost a Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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