Zesty Cook » lamb

Slow Roasted Lamb and High Roasted Potatoes

zesty — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:00:45 +0000

Can you believe it is the middle of the week? I cannot at all! Time is zooming by so I thought I would share with you a nice slow roasted recipe to slow things down and keep you warm on a winter evening.

This was an amazing feature at the zesty in laws for the football celebration. The results were nothing short of fabulous as per usual. I put together the recipe list and the method so you can replicate this at your house.

For the potatoes, Zesty In Law just sliced them, added salt, pepper and a little paprika along with a bit of the duck fat from the Duck Stuffed Crepes. He then roasted them in the oven at 450 Degrees. Oh too easy yet oooooh so delicious!

Ingredients

Lamb leg, shank end used, about 3 1/2 lbs
1/4 Cup molasses
1/4 Cup water
1Tbsp. fresh black pepper
1 Tsp. sea salt.
1 Tsp. dried rosemary ( fresh if available)
1/2 Tsp. chili flakes
1 Tsp. smoked paprika
2 Cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil

Method

Mix all ingredients but the lamp and then rub lamb with the mixture.
Leave 2-3 hours or more. Bring to room temperature prior to cooking.
Place roast in an oven preheated to 450 degrees and then turn heat to 250 degrees and cook for about 90 minutes then turn.
After thirty more minutes temp should be about 130 – 135 degrees.
Tent for 20 minutes out of the oven and the temp should rise to 140 – 145 degrees.
Carve and plate with the potatoes.

ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Once you cook a large roast, don’t be scared to let it sit covered with tin foil to bring it up to the desired temperature. It will not hurt and it will be much juicer.

Have a great Wednesday and don’t forget to join the Open Sky Holiday promotion. The details can be seen in yesterday’s post. I will talk to you all on Thursday.

Take care

zesty

Ever Have Grape Leaves?

zesty — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:00:43 +0000

Happy Thursday! Ever have one of those days where the weather influences how you feel? It has been kind of dreary out lately and I’ve been in a bit of a slump all day. The house progress has been running along very smoothly which is such a positive. We pulled the trigger on the kitchen yesterday… kinda pumped yet slightly nervous.

So I believe I have a super special recipe/post for you today. Not only do these grape leaves taste amazing, the overall technique is quite simple – however it can be tedious.

As you go through the ingredient list, you may notice that the filling is very familiar to the cabbage rolls. Despite the filling being similar, the flavor is drastically different. A tangy full flavor from the lemon with a nice balance from the grape leaves is an amazing combination. These grape leaves are a must try!

Ingredients

2 Bottles of Grape Leaves ( 480g Bottle)
2 1/2 lbs Lean Ground Beef
1-1/2 Cups Long Grain Brown Rice
3 Lemons
Salt and Pepper

Method

Combine ground beef, rice, salt and pepper in a large bowl and set aside.
Rinse leaves in water; separate and stem.
Starting in the center of each leaf, add meat mixture – then take the bottom of the leaf up over the meat, tuck in both sides and continue to roll.
Put into pot when finished and continue until all the leaves are complete.
Squeeze the juice of the 3 lemons over the grape leaves.

Slice the lemons in 2 and place on top of the pot.
Put small plate over leaves and add water to almost cover the leaves.
Place lid on pot and cook slowly on simmer for approximately 2-2 1/2 hours.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: By covering the leaves with a small plate it prevents the leaves from blowing up and getting all out of shape.

I am open to any questions you may have regarding both the recipe and the technique. Have a great Thursday and if the weather is half decent today I will try and get some updated pictures on the house progress. Stay tuned and keep smiling.

Take care

zesty

True Comfort Food: String Beans w/ Lamb

zesty — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:00:52 +0000

Good morning! I am so excited to share with you possibly the easiest dish ever! Ya you heard it right. What if I told you that you could pack so much flavor in one pot without really taking much time to do it. You would be all over it … right? Well I am here to share with you a dish my mom always makes every summer when the string beans are in season. I will call it for simplicity sake – ” String Beans with Lamb “.

Now coming from a slight Lebanese background – lamb is heavily used. At our house it is more of a rare occasion but I love it none the less. Here is the low down on how to prepare this simple dish that works great anytime of the year.

Ingredients

Yellow String Beans (Green will work)
4 Cups Tomato Juice
Seared Lamb pieces
Salt and pepper

Method

Wash and Stem all the beans
Place beans in a large pot
Add tomato juice, lamb, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 60-75 minutes.
Enjoy!

Zesty Tip: If you have a large amount of extra tomatoes and are concerned about canned tomato juice – you an simply make your own. Boil the tomatoes in water then remove and puree with a blender/food processor and then strain the seeds.

Lets just say it is super late on Monday night as I write this post due to a wild and exciting adventure I will share with you later this week. Have a great Tuesday and I look forward to hearing from you. I think you will like the flavor of this simple dish. The beauty of 5 ingredients or less can be found here.

Take care

zesty