Something old, something new..

As I may have told you before, I never ate lamb before I got married. Lamb in Egypt had so much fat, and cooks, as usual, did not trim it all, so for me it was a no no, and I had it banned from the house. Of course they tried to trick me several times and cook it anyway thinking that I wouldn't notice the difference, but every time they tried that, I would come home and smell the lamb at the front door. So my mother stopped trying. Fortunately lamb here is different: if you trim the fat, at least all the visible fat, you get a nice piece of meat that you can cook and not worry about me rejecting it. So, after the first time I've tried lamb, and that's another story about my secret recipe, I managed to have a complete repertoire of lamb dishes that we all enjoy. This is one of those recipes.

LAMB WITH ROASTED BELL PEPPERS AND SUN DRIED TOMATOES

I first made this dish at the end of one summer, when I had a lot of leftover leg of lamb from summer grilling. You just cut the meat in cubes and you're good to go. Of course you can make it from meat you just bought for this dish. Also, it is easy to make with what you have in your kitchen: you can use fresh red bell peppers, fresh tomatoes or canned diced tomatoes. The only adjustment you have to make is in the timing of when you'll add these ingredients. If they are fresh, they should be added at the beginning of the cooking process.

Also you can use stock or a combination of stock and red wine. It's up to you. You'll need:

2 lb boneless lamb, preferably from the leg

3 tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups roasted red bell pepper

1 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup beef stock (or 1/2 cup stock and 1/2 cup red wine)
3 tbsp sour cream

2 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

3 sprigs of rosemary, chopped

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Trim all fat from the lamb and cut it in cubes, about 1 inch. In a shallow dish, season the flour with salt and pepper and toss the lamb cubes in it to coat them on all sides. Reserve the flour for later. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the butter, and add the chopped onion. Cook, stirring until translucent. Add the lamb and cook over high heat until browned on all sides. Add the paprika and 1/2 to 1 tbsp of the flour you used to coat the lamb. Stir well to combine for 1 or 2 minutes more, until fragrant. Drain the tomatoes from their oil, cut them in large slices and add them to the skillet. (If you are using fresh peppers, add them now). Stir. Deglaze the pan with the wine, stir to incorporate. Gradually add the stock, stirring constantly. Add the rosemary and half of the parsley. Reduce the heat, cover and let simmer for 40 to 45 minutes until the lamb is tender. Remember to stir occasionally because the meat has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the skillet, so don't be fooled by the liquid on the surface. Add the sour cream, stir to fully incorporate. Turn off the heat and let it rest before you transfer it to the serving plate. Serve sprinkled with the remaining parsley.

QUINOA PILAF WITH ONION AND CARROTS

                             

This time I said to myself "Let's try something new with the old lamb recipe". I usually serve the lamb stew with rice or couscous. But today I decided to go for quinoa. I had it sitting in my pantry for a while now. I bought it as usual thinking outside the box, and still I was undecided whether to use it or not. I've had quinoa before at lunch from the health food salad bar. I knew that my mom would be open to suggestions, but what about my husband? I tried it anyway thinking that he had his favorite lamb, and if he doesn't like quinoa, we'll always have pita bread to go with it. It was a success.

Quinoa is a seed, it looks like sesame seeds, but round and smaller, the size of a pin head. It comes from South America and is gluten free. It is an excellent source of protein and a good source of dietary fiber, iron and B vitamins. You can make a larger batch of quinoa, use what you need and refrigerate the rest to use it later in a salad  or as another side dish when you add some more ingredients to it. You have to check the package to know how much liquid you need to add to your quinoa. As usual I didn't boil it, I prefer to make it pilaf, like rice, and add some flavorings to it. You'll need:

2 cups of quinoa

1/2 onion 

1 carrot

4 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)

1 tbsp canola oil

1/2 cup basil leaves for garnish, optional

Salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, or the small chop chop, pulverize the carrot, then the onion. Heat the oil in a nonstick sauce pan large enough to hold the grains and the 4 cups of liquid. When wilted, add the quinoa and stir to toast for a couple of minutes. Add the liquid and stir. Cover and let boil. When the liquid is absorbed, reduce the heat, stir and fluff  the grains. Cover again and continue cooking on very low heat until the quinoa is tender and fluffy, about 15 minutes. It will be a little chewy and some white spiral-like threads will appear around each grain. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with thinly sliced basil leaves (you can also use parsley).