Crisp Lamb With Yogurt And Scallions Recipes

LAMB PITAS WITH TOMATO, SCALLIONS AND MINT YOGURT DRESSING

Steps:

• Wrap pitas in foil and warm in a low oven. Thinly slice the cooked lamb. In a small skillet over moderate heat bring the chicken stock to a boil, the reduce heat to low. Add the sliced lamb to reheat while keeping it moist.
• To a second skillet over moderate heat add oil, 1 turn of the pan, diced tomatoes and scallions. Heat tomatoes and onions through, 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper then turn off the burner.
• Combine yogurt with cumin, coriander and mint.
• To assemble, remove meat from warm broth with tongs and shake off excess liquid. Arrange a few slices of lamb down the center of the pita. Top with a few spoonfuls each of tomatoes and scallions and the yogurt dressing.

CRISP LAMB WITH YOGURT AND SCALLIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350. Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic and salt into a paste. Gradually mix in the olive oil. Stir in the herbs and pepper.
• Fit the lamb into a roasting pan big enough to contain it. Smear it thoroughly with the paste, and place it ribs-side down in pan. Cover tightly with foil, and roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees, 2 to 3 hours, depending on size of breast. Meat should be wobbly but not falling apart. Allow to cool, then cover and rest in the refrigerator overnight.
• The next day, prepare the sauce. Whisk 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the yogurt. Then the lemon juice. Stir in mint, lemon zest and salt. Before serving, drizzle sauce with remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with pepper and a pinch of paprika to taste.
• Light your grill, or place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the breast and ribs away from the bone that runs lengthwise between them. Cut the breast into half-inch slices that resemble thick-cut bacon, and separate the ribs. Reserve fat from the roasting pan. Cook a few pieces of lamb at a time on fairly high heat, until browned and crispy on both sides, approximately 4 to 6 minutes.
• Brush the onions with some of the lamb fat. Place them on the grill or on a pan under a preheated broiler. Cook them, turning once or twice, until flimsy and slightly charred. Remove them to a large bowl and dress with the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

CRISPY LAMB WITH CUMIN, SCALLIONS AND RED CHILES

Steps:

• In a bowl combine egg white, wine, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Add lamb and set aside to marinate 1 hour.
• Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Swirl half the oil into wok and carefully add lamb, spreading it in a single layer. Let sear a moment, then stir-fry briskly just until lamb is no longer pink. Transfer to a plate. (If your wok is not large enough to hold all the lamb, do this in 2 batches, using extra oil.)
• Swirl remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil into empty wok, add cumin seeds and chiles and stir-fry a few seconds until cumin seeds start to pop. Press chiles against sides of wok to char their skins.
• Add scallions and stir-fry 1 minute. Then return lamb to wok and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes more until lamb is cooked through. Turn off heat, sprinkle with salt and drops of sesame oil, and serve immediately.

YOGURT-AND-HERB-CRUSTED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees with one rack in top third and one in bottom third. Set a wire rack in a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. In a saucepan, combine oil, garlic, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; cook over medium until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and process with zest and parsley until a coarse paste forms. Transfer to a bowl; stir in breadcrumbs and lemon juice. In another bowl, whisk together yogurt and mustard; season with salt.
• Place lamb, skin-side down, on a work surface and pound with a mallet to an even thickness of about 1 1/4 inches. Arrange loose ends to create a rough rectangle; season with salt. Spread 1/2 cup yogurt mixture evenly over surface, then half of breadcrumb mixture. Starting at ragged short end, tightly roll lamb into a cylinder. Tie with kitchen twine at 2-inch intervals; insert 2 skewers crosswise through lamb to help hold shape, if desired. Transfer to prepared baking sheet; season all over with salt.
• Increase oven heat to broil; broil lamb on top rack, flipping halfway through, until fat is golden brown, about 2 minutes a side. Reduce temperature to 450 degrees and roast 20 minutes. Remove from oven; reduce temperature to 400 degrees. Remove twine from lamb, leaving skewers in place. Spread remaining yogurt mixture thickly over top and sides of lamb. Press remaining breadcrumb mixture into yogurt. Roast on bottom rack until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of lamb registers 135 degrees for medium-rare, 40 to 60 minutes more, depending on diameter of roll. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 20 minutes before carving with a very sharp knife. Serve, with lemon wedges.

CRISPY LAMB MEATBALLS WITH CHICKPEAS AND EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Combine lamb, fennel seeds, garlic and 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and black pepper to taste, and mix until everything is well combined and the spices are evenly distributed.
• Using your hands, roll lamb mixture into balls about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter, placing them on a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate. You should have about 12 meatballs.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs - work in batches if your skillet can't comfortably fit them all without crowding - and cook, gently rotating them occasionally so they more or less brown on all sides while keeping a vaguely round shape, 8 to 10 minutes. (Do not stress about this part; they will be delicious no matter what shape they are.) After they are evenly browned and cooked through, transfer them to a plate, leaving the fat and any browned bits behind.
• Add 4 tablespoons oil to the skillet and, working in batches, if needed, add eggplant slices in an even layer, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook the slices, flipping them once, until they are browned on both sides, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add more oil as needed. After eggplant slices are cooked and browned, transfer them to the plate with the meatballs.
• Add remaining 3 tablespoons oil to the skillet, along with chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, shaking the skillet and stirring occasionally, until chickpeas are nicely browned, 3 to 5 minutes. (They won't exactly crisp; you're just looking to take the edge off and get them nicely seasoned.)
• Season yogurt with salt and pepper and smear onto the bottom of a large plate or serving platter. Top with meatballs, eggplant and chickpeas. Scatter with greens and cilantro, and then squeeze lemon halves over everything before serving.

GRILLED LAMB CHOPS WITH LETTUCE AND RANCH DRESSING

Steps:

• In a blender or mini food processor, combine half the scallions, the herbs, 2 tablespoons olive oil, a pinch of salt and a lot of pepper. Blend until you get a rough paste, scraping down the sides of the blender with a spatula as needed. (It's not a lot of liquid so you may need to stop the blender a few times to scrape the sides.)
• Transfer 2 1/2 tablespoons of the herb mix to a small bowl. Mix in about two-thirds of the grated garlic (2 cloves) and the Worcestershire, and set it aside.
• To the blender, add the remaining garlic, the mayonnaise, buttermilk and the juice of 1 lemon wedge, and purée until the mixture is quite smooth. Taste and add more salt and lemon juice, as needed. Store dressing in the refrigerator until serving.
• Season lamb chops all over with salt, then rub them with the reserved herb paste. Refrigerate the chops for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
• Light the grill to high heat. (If broiling, set a rack 4-inches away from the heat source and heat your broiler to high.) Drizzle chops with a little oil, then grill or broil until done to taste, 2 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare.
• To serve, put the lettuce hearts on a platter, drizzle with ranch dressing, and top with sliced radishes and scallion. Serve along with the lamb chops and more ranch dressing and lemon wedges on the side.

CRISP LAMB WITH YOGURT AND SCALLIONS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350. Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic and salt into a paste. Gradually mix in the olive oil. Stir in the herbs and pepper. 2. Fit the lamb into a roasting pan big enough to contain it. Smear it thoroughly with the paste, and place it ribs-side down in pan. Cover tightly with foil, and roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees, 2 to 3 hours, depending on size of breast. Meat should be wobbly but not falling apart. Allow to cool, then cover and rest in the refrigerator overnight. 3. The next day, prepare the sauce. Whisk 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the yogurt. Then the lemon juice. Stir in mint, lemon zest and salt. Before serving, drizzle sauce with remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with pepper and a pinch of paprika to taste. 4. Light your grill, or place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the breast and ribs away from the bone that runs lengthwise between them. Cut the breast into half-inch slices that resemble thick-cut bacon, and separate the ribs. Reserve fat from the roasting pan. Cook a few pieces of lamb at a time on fairly high heat, until browned and crispy on both sides, approximately 4 to 6 minutes. 5. Brush the onions with some of the lamb fat. Place them on the grill or on a pan under a preheated broiler. Cook them, turning once or twice, until flimsy and slightly charred. Remove them to a large bowl and dress with the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

YOGURT-MARINATED ROAST LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Marinade: Use a spoon to peel the ginger. Peel garlic and onion. Roughly chop onion and ginger, followed by half of the parsley and cilantro, including stems. In a blender, add the ginger, onion, garlic, herbs, ⅓ of the yogurt, and salt. Purée until smooth. Add the remaining yogurt and purée again to combine. Set aside.
• Lamb: Place lamb on a flat surface. Use a sharp knife to poke holes in the lamb at 1½-inch intervals; this will help the lamb absorb the marinade. Flip over and repeat on the other side. Fit a brining bag into a large container (or the roasting pan you'll be using, if it fits in the refrigerator). Then place the lamb into the bag and pour in the marinade. Massage the marinade into the lamb so all of the meat is covered, then seal the bag. Refrigerate for 1-2 days (longer marination will yield more tenderized lamb).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer the lamb and all of the marinade into a roasting pan. Lay parchment paper over the lamb to cover, then cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for 1 hour. (Total roasting time will be 3 hours.)
• After 1 hour, remove lamb from oven. Gently remove foil and parchment. (The yogurt will have separated into curds and whey, which is normal.) Use tongs to flip the lamb over, then cover with parchment and foil again. Place back into the oven for 1 hour. After the second hour of roasting, flip the lamb again and place back into the oven, uncovered, for 1 final hour.
• After a total of 3 hours of roasting, remove lamb. Pierce the lamb with a sharp knife to check for doneness. If there isn't a lot of resistance, it's done. Flip lamb over, spoon yogurt solids on top, and let rest, 30 minutes.
• Almond Relish: Roughly chop the almonds, place in a medium bowl, and set aside. Pick the leaves off the remaining cilantro and parsley, bunch together, and finely chop. Add herbs to the almonds. Add enough olive oil to cover, about ½ cup, and mix. Juice 3 of the 4 lemon halves into the relish, mix, and add salt to taste. Use the juice of the remaining lemon half to taste.
• Assembly: Use tongs and a meat fork to transfer lamb to a serving platter. Spoon relish over the lamb, and serve.