Recipes from Dinner for Five

Something like a Lamb Tagine (adapted from Nigella Lawson's Lamb Shank Stew)

4 Tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
3 1/2 to 4 lbs lamb shoulder (thick-cut shoulder chops with bone are fine)
2 onions
6 cloves garlic
Sprinkling of salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp dried red-pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. Turkish Seasoning 
Black pepper
1 tsp honey
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp Marsala wine
6 Tbsp red lentils
1/2 lb trimmed and cut carrots (as you like them for stew)
1/2 lb trimmed and cut green beans
2 zucchini, cut into 3/8 inch half-moons

Trim visible fat from the lamb, and cut into large chunks with bone.  Put 2 Tbsp of oil into a very large, wide, heavy-bottomed pan and warm over medium heat. Brown the lamb shoulder in batches and then remove to a dutch oven or other large heavy covered pot.

Peel the onions and garlic and chop fine.   Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the onion-garlic mix until soft, sprinkling salt over to stop it from sticking.

Stir in the spices and season with some freshly ground pepper. Stir again, adding the honey, soy sauce and Marsala. Pour the sauteed spice/onion mix over the lamb chunks, deglaze the pan with some water or lamb broth if you have it and pour into the dutch oven with everything else.  Add enough additional cold water almost to cover, bring to the boil and then put a lid on the pan, lower the heat and simmer very gently for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Add the red lentils and carrots and cook for about 10 minutes longer without the lid.  Add the green beans and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the lentils have softened into the sauce, and the juices have reduced and thickened slightly. Add the zucchini, cook for a couple of minutes, and then turn off the heat and cover the pot.  Leave it alone for 10 minutes, to let the zucchini cook just by the heat of the stew.  Check for seasoning.

This is best made a day ahead.  The green beans and zucchini can be lightly steamed and added on the second day, if preferred -- this keeps them crisper and greener. 

Serves six.

Casbah Chicken

1/4 cup sherry or blood orange vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Juice of one large or two small lemons plus grated zest (Meyer lemons work well here)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. Bed of Roses spice rub
2 tsp. Zatar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces (giblets, neck and backbone reserved for another use)
chicken broth or water

Combine the vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, seasonings, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Put the chicken pieces in a large resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade in; seal the bag and toss to coat. Refrigerate, turning the chicken pieces occasionally, for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove chicken from the bag and arrange the chicken pieces on a large greased baking dish. Roast until the chicken is just cooked through, about 1 hour. If your chicken browns too quickly, cover it with foil for the remaining cooking time. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Place the baking dish on a burner over medium-low heat. Whisk some chicken broth or water into the pan drippings, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the baking sheet with a wooden spoon and mixing them into the broth and pan drippings. Drizzle the pan drippings over the chicken, if desired, or use them as gravy for couscous, potatoes or rice.

Yogurt Salad

This is an amazingly simple and very refreshing salad.  I do urge you to try it -- it's one of those spur-of-the-moment inventions that turns out to be greater than the sum of its parts.  It makes an excellent lunch with a piece of good bread, and is a perfect accompaniment to kebabs, spicy stews, or casseroles like moussaka. 

3 small seedless kirby cucumbers (or 1 large English hydroponic one), peeled and sliced

2 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped

2 fat scallions, minced

1 cup plain yogurt (full-fat Greek is wonderful, but do what your diet allows)

salt and pepper to taste

Combine the vegetables and the yogurt.  Season to taste, but don't add salt until right before you eat it.  I often take this to work for lunch, but I always carry a separate twist of salt to sprinkle on right before eating -- otherwise the veggies leach out all their liquid, and the salad becomes watery and unappetizing.

Vary this with dill, cumin, mint or any other spices or fresh herbs you think would suit your meal.

Comments

[rowena]

After reading the previous post, I must say that an invitation to dinner at your house would be most coveted!!! Middle-eastern? Moroccan?? You are torturing me, and only gives me reason to dig up my saved recipes from Paula Wolfert. But then mention lamb anything, and I'm already there. That Bed of Roses spices got me intrigued, sounds like something I need to find. ;-)

[Julie]

Rowena, B of R is not easy stuff to locate, even here. I'd be happy to send you some...and as soon as I replenish my rapidly dwindling supply of Turkish seasoning, I could send you some of that as well. You and I are both incorrigible lamb-lovers -- it's always so strange to me that it's the least popular meat in the U.S...