Ethiopian Lamb and Collards

This weekend my friend taught me a new dish that was a common winter stew back home. My friend's mom is Gurage, the tribe or people whose specialty dishes include kitfo and kocho. Gurage folks eat kocho as their form of flat bread (versus injera), and my friend tells stories about her mom only eating kocho while the rest of the family ate the injera. This dish is also a Gurage one, and we ate it this weekend with kocho that I bought at Shabelle Grocery on Franklin Ave in Minneapolis. (For $10 for a package of what amounts to 8 kocho pieces. These come from Addis Ababa, coordinated by one of the folks at Dilla Restaurant on the west bank.) I really like kocho - it is a fermented flat bread that you can read more about here. It is also gluten free, which not all injera (at least in this country), is. 

Kocho - heated/fried in a bit of oil

This dish has pretty much everything I want in winter: lots of greens, chunks of meat, and a rich, buttery broth. The kocho is an added bonus that you also don't need.

4 large servings:

• 2+ pounds lamb stew meat or leg, cut in 1-2" pieces. (Have the butcher do this since there will be some bone there.)
  
• 1/4 c avocado oil
• 2-3 large red onions, diced
  
• 2-4 bunches collard greens, chopped - if you have small bunches, do 4! You want more greens than meat
  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 5-6 jalapenos, sliced with seeds
• Salt and black pepper
  
• Ethiopian spiced butter to serve
• Mitmita to serve

1. Heat your oil in a large pot. Add onions and garlic and saute on medium until soft, taking care not to burn and to stir often.

2. After 5-10 minutes, add the lamb meat and about a cup of hot water. Add generous amounts of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and decrease the heat to low. Cover and simmer for about an hour or 90 minutes total, until the lamb is tender.

3. Add the greens about 30 minutes into the simmering. *You could also add them just after the meat, but I prefer a slightly less soft green.

 4. Just before serving, adjust the seasoning to taste, and add the jalapenos. Let that simmer another few minutes and prepare your butter/mitmita, if using. *Warm your spiced butter, and stir in mitmita spice, making the butter bright red and spicy. 

5. Serve in a large bowl or rimmed plate with some of the broth. Spoon mitmita butter on the side of your bowl to dip your lamb and kocho into as you eat (it will also melt into the bit of broth). Eat with kocho if you have some!

Braised Lamb Shanks

After watching the Persian episode of Taste the Nation some weeks ago, I was inspired to buy Naz Deravian's cookbook Bottom of the Pot. This weekend I made several recipes out of it for some Eid feasting on Saturday. They were all delicious, though the star of the show was the lamb shanks. They were actually similar to the roasted goat leg I've made before, in less time and requiring less oven space and a more reasonable sized cooking vessel. So they may usurp goat leg for future holiday feasting.

I was especially excited that these recipes all make use of a variety of herbs that are plentiful in my garden right now. The full menu for the day also included a tomato-cucumber salad, quinoa with fava beans and feta, a beet yogurt dip (which was amazing), and pan friend sumac cauliflower, which I will likely post after I harvest some sumac later this summer. Not only was the lamb tender - falling off the bone when you pulled at it with your fork, with a subtle orange and lime flavor that melted in your mouth, but the broth at the end was spectacular - and collagen-rich and good for you to boot. We drank the broth in small bowls after eating, which my friend reported is traditional back home in Ethiopia, and which I recommend. I made this recipe as is, except I had rose wine instead of white, and no saffron or orange blossom water.

Parlsey, Cilantro, Basil, Mint and Dill

Braised Lamb Shanks, serves 4-6

3 1/2 pounds lamb shanks (3-4 shanks), fat trimmed

1 tsp ground turmeric

salt and black pepper

3 T olive oil

3 T white wine

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 T tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp Advieh spice blend (recipe below)

Zest and juice of 1 large lime

Zest and juice of 1 large orange

1/4 tsp saffron, steeped in 2 T hot water and 1 1/4 tsp orange blossom water

Fresh green herbs (I used parsley & mint)

Directions:

1. Place the lamb in a large bowl. Season well with the turmeric and salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, or at least 2. Bring back to room temp 30 minutes before cooking.

2. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over med-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, brown the shanks on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. You might have to do this in batches so as to not overcrowd the pot. The shanks will release from the pot once ready, be patient, don't force it. Set the shanks aside on a baking sheet (or back in the bowl, as I did).

3. Add the wine, scraping up any stuck-on bits and pieces, and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and sprinkle with salt and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and Advieh, and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Take care not to burn the tomato paste. Add both the orange and lime zest and juice, saffron-orange blossom water, 2 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Give a quick stir and place the shanks back in the pot. Pour in 1 c of water, bring up to a gentle boil, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the shanks are tender, 2-3 hours. (Alternatively you could also transfer the pot to a 350 degree oven and cook for 2-3 hours).

4. Once in awhile check to make sure there is enough juice, if not add a little more water. Remove the shanks and place them on a serving platter. With a spoon, skim any fat off the sauce (or not?!) - taste the sauce and add more salt/pepper or a squeeze of lime if necessary. Pour the sauce over the shanks, garnish with herbs, and serve.

Advieh spice blend

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground dried rose petals (I skipped these)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground coriander

Mix together and store in a spice jar. Use in stews, soups, or on meat. It smells delicious.

Cauliflower Soup w/Lamb

This is another one of my favorite soups.  I had never tried cauliflower soup, but somehow it sounded like something I would really like.  I put together this simple recipe based on some of my other standby soup recipes.  Roasting veggies before putting them in the broth helps the over-all flavor.  Roasted cauliflower is really good on it's own, and the taste transfers to a soup very easily.  The prep time is short and the end product is satisfying and filling.

Ingredients:
1/4 pound ground lamb
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2-3 cups broth (chicken, beef, your choice)
big bunch of parsley, chopped
sea salt
pepper
coconut oil

Chop and roast the cauliflower at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  In the meantime sweat the onions in a bit of coconut oil in a big pot.  Once the cauliflower is roasted add the broth, cauliflower, salt and pepper to the pot and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 10-15 until the cauliflower softens.  Then, blend with an immersion blender or whatever type of blender you have available.  The lamb can either be sautéed in a separate pan or boiled in the blended soup.  Either way, lamb is a terrific addition to this soup.  It would also be excellent with coconut milk as well.  I actually think the soup has a coconut-like flavor as it is.

I think I may be obsessed with soup these days.  It's my favorite nourishing and fulfilling food at any meal.

Meatballs and Cumin Roasted Carrots

This post is a double whammy from the Clothes Makes the Girl blog. I was intrigued about meatballs after making a meatball version of the Kubideh that I posted a couple of weeks ago. They turned out super good that way, served with fresh parsley, all covered in the lime butter. Yum. I could eat them again, but decided to be adventurous and try some other meatball recipes.

I decided on these Merguez meatballs - though she has several other varieties that are also on my "to make" list - because the spice combo sounded really delicious. And indeed when I put the spice mix together, the aroma was amazing with fennel, cumin, paprika, and cinnamon. According to the blog, Merguez is a North African fresh sausage, typically made with lamb, or lamb and beef. I had 1 lb of lamb defrosted and 1/2 lb of venison, so I used that, along with an egg, fresh parsley, and some onion in lieu of the garlic.

This was my first time baking meatballs in the oven (cleaner and easier than pan searing them for sure) and they turned out great - still moist, and to my surprise, still seared seaming on the outside?! (is it the use of an egg in there that does that?) I think they look pretty good too, and the taste was spicy and mild at the same time. I just made a half batch of the spice mix and used the whole thing in my 1 1/2 lbs of meat, which maybe meant my meatballs were a bit more flavored than intended, but I thought it was great. I ate the meatballs with some lemony ghee drizzled on top, which was delish.

I had my meatballs with Cumin Roasted Carrots (just carrots, coconut oil, cumin, salt and pepper) and made double use of the 400 degree oven. They take just a few minutes longer than the meatballs, so put them in the oven first. I was not very uniform in my slicing, and it turns out I liked the thinner ones best. I had overflow from the baking sheet pictured here, and so put some more in a small cake pan. The cake pan is not insulated like my cookie sheet, and the carrots from the pan were my fave, super crispy and a little charred (some were entirely charred and not so good, so watch things closely). They were extra delicious with a little lemon juice splashed on top.

Thank you Clothes Makes the Girl for some more delicious recipes! (plus I just like her attitude - it's very ease-full)

Ground Lamb, Venison, or Beef Kebab (Kubideh)

I bought My Charming Companion some birthday kebab skewers - they are Persian style skewers that are 1" thick and VERY long, which assists in better cooking in the wood stove. The wide skewers are really useful to make Kubideh - or ground meat kebabs. I've never had them before, but the recipe in A Taste of Persia was enticing, and the photos are beautiful. It's almost like sausage - because really, it is spiced meat, but the spicing is so different, and the meat is much more lean, so it also isn't like sausage at all. I found that the kubideh mostly reminded me of gyro's - I think because of the texture, but also some similar spicing. *Note: you can also make this as meatballs and just saute them in a skillet. Super easy and delicious, without the fire!

I tried the kubideh with both venison and lamb. They were both delicious, but I found that the venison stuck much better to the skewer. You kind of need the wide skewer so that the meat has something to stick to - and even so, the lamb was falling off! I did a little research, and I think that using a food processor to make the mixture as paste-like as possible will really help (versus twice grinding it, then kneading it by hand for 15 minutes). I cannot wait for summer to have this dish with tomatoes (also roasted on the grill). I also think a mix of beef or venison with lamb would be excellent.

For meat:
1 large onion, peeled
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 pounds lean beef, venison, lamb
2 t salt
1 t freshly ground pepper
1 T fresh lime juice
1/2 t baking soda

For basting:
2 T melted butter
1/2 t fresh lime juice
1/4 t salt

*Before you start preparing the food, get your fire started/charcoal going so that everything is burned down to nice coals to cook on.
1. Puree onion and garlic in a food processor. In a large bowl, mix meat with onion puree. Add other spices, lime juice, and baking soda (this is to help tenderize the meat).
2. Working in 2-3 batches, put the meat mix in the food processor and process until a thick paste. Once all the meat has been processed, cover the paste and set aside for 15 minutes at room temperature.(If you are making meatballs, skip this step and just combine all the ingredients and shape into balls, then brown on medium-high heat on all sides.)
3. With damp hands, divide the meat paste into 12 equal sized lumps. Form each lump into a sausage shape about 5" long and mold it firmly around a flat skewer. (I watched a youtube video with a fancy technique to sort of scallop the meat on the skewer. Watch at 7:20 for that demo - he is using larger pieces of meat and is clearly quite skilled at this.)
4. For basting, combine the butter, lime juice, and salt in a small saucepan. Keep warm over very low heat.
5. When the coals are glowing, arrange the skewers 3" above the coals. You do not want the ground meat to touch the grill (though if you have a grill, this would prevent you from losing any meat should it come off the skewer). Let the kebabs cook a few seconds, just until they change color; then turn the skewers gently to color the other side of the meat. This keeps the meat from falling apart. Then turn gently one more to brown each side.

This is what I will strive for mine to look like!

6. Grill the meat for 3-5 minutes on each side, and brush it with basting mixture just before removing it from the grill (or in my case, just after taking it out of the wood stove). The total cooking time should be 6-10 minutes, and the meat should be seared on the outside, but pink on the inside. If it gets overcooked, it will become a bit rubbery, like a sausage. That is not the effect you  are going for!
7. Slide the meat off the skewers onto a plate with a fork. Sprinkle with lime juice to taste. Traditionally this is served with grilled tomatoes, saffron rice and lavash bread, but I ate it with a tahini sauce (tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, water, and salt). Any grilled veggies would be great.