Curried Lamb And Barley Grain Recipes

INDIAN CURRIED BARLEY PILAF

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large skillet placed over medium-high heat. Add the onion and barley; cook, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the allspice, turmeric, curry powder, salt, and black pepper. Pour in the chicken broth, and bring to a simmer.
• Cover skillet with lid, and reduce heat to low; simmer until the barley is tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Fluff the pilaf with a fork, and gently stir in the slivered almonds and raisins.

CURRIED LAMB

Steps:

• Combine rice with 1 1/2 cups water, and bring to boil in heavy-bottomed pot. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 17 minutes.
• Trim fat from meat, wash and dry. Cut into bite-size pieces. Chop whole onion.
• Heat large nonstick pan until it is very hot. Reduce heat to medium-high, and heat oil. Add lamb and onion, and saute until meat is brown on all sides and onion begins to soften.
• Wash cauliflower, and trim and discard core if using whole cauliflower. Break into bite-size pieces, and add to pan along with cumin, coriander, fennel seeds, turmeric and hot-pepper flakes. Stir to mix thoroughly. Add 1/4 cup water, cover and simmer for 3 or 4 minutes, until cauliflower is almost tender.
• Add the peas, and cook another minute or two.
• Wash, dry and chop cilantro.
• Season with salt and pepper, top with cilantro and serve with the rice.

IRISH STEW WITH PEARL BARLEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Place a flameproof casserole (or large saucepan) on a medium-high heat. Trim the excess fat from the chops and place the scraps of fat in the pan so that they can render.
• Meanwhile, cut the chops in half lengthways so as not to go through the bone. When some fat has melted into the pan, pick out the unmelted/unrendered bits (and eat them or give them to your dogs!), turn the heat up to high and place the chops in the pan. Cook on both sides, seasoning with salt and pepper, until brown, then transfer them to a plate.
• Add the carrots, celery, onions and garlic to the pan, season with salt and pepper and toss on the heat for a couple of minutes until starting to go slightly golden at the edges. Return the meat (and all the juices) to the pan with the barley and stock and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and halve if large. Once the hour is up, take the pan out of the oven and place the potatoes on top. Cover and put back in the oven for 35-45 minutes until cooked. Scatter with parsley and serve from the pan.

SLOW-COOKED LAMB WITH SAGE AND PEARL BARLEY

Steps:

• Trim the fat from 1 shoulder of young lamb. Peel, wash, and thinly slice 4 carrots and 2 stalks of celery. Peel 4 red onions and cut into small wedges.
• Cook the shoulder of lamb
• Preheat the oven to 300°F. Heat a flameproof casserole dish with a splash of olive oil and brown the shoulder on all sides. Take it out, throw away the cooking fat, wipe the casserole dish clean, and put it back on the heat with an additional splash of olive oil.
• Put in half the vegetables and sweat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring. Add 3 squashed garlic cloves, 12 sage leaves, and 8 peppercorns, mix well, and return the shoulder of lamb to the casserole dish.
• Pour in 1 1/4 cups of red wine and reduce by half. Then add 1 1/4 cups of chicken stock, cover the casserole dish with a lid, and put in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, basting the shoulder from time to time.
• Take out the casserole dish. Remove the shoulder, wrap it in aluminium foil, and keep warm. Keep the casserole dish on hand.
• Prepare the pearl barley
• Shortly before the end of cooking the lamb, put 3/4 cup of pearl barley to soak for 10 minutes.
• Heat another casserole dish with a splash of olive oil, put in the rest of the vegetables, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Drain the pearl barley and add to the vegetables. Stir, season with salt, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Take a ladleful of the cooking liquid from the lamb casserole dish and pour it into the barley casserole dish. Let it swell with the liquid and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, adding more of the liquid as and when it is absorbed.
• Peel 12 fresh almonds and add them at the end of cooking with a splash of olive oil. Stir and check the seasoning.
• To finish your dish
• Cut the shoulder into large pieces and return them to their casserole dish. Add the contents of the other casserole dish and a generous twist of freshly ground black pepper and serve in the casserole dish.

CURRIED LAMB

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the lamb meat in batches until browned on all sides, using additional oil as necessary, about 3 minutes per batch. Set aside. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the onions; cook until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper; cook and stir until the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Return the lamb to the Dutch oven; pour in the beef stock and season with salt to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the lamb is very tender, about 1 hour.
• Once the lamb is very tender, remove the lid, and cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 20 minutes. Stir in the yogurt and lemon juice before serving.

FRENCH ONION-BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH BARLEY AND GREENS

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Lightly season lamb with salt and pepper on all sides. Heat the oil in a 7- to 8-quart Dutch oven over medium-high until shimmering. Add the lamb shanks and cook, turning occasionally, until well-browned on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the lamb to a rimmed baking sheet or large plate, and set aside.
• Add the onions, leeks and carrots to the Dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium. Season lightly with salt and cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the Dutch oven with a wooden spoon, until the onions and leeks are as caramelized as you'd like, about 20 minutes for lightly caramelized onions that give the stew a more savory flavor, or 45 minutes or longer for deeply caramelized onions that will make the stew sweeter. If browned bits start building up on the bottom of the pot, add water a tablespoon at a time, scraping them up and reincorporating them before continuing.
• When the onions are ready, add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and stir until it evenly coats all of the vegetables. Add the wine, scrape the bottom and sides of the pot, and cook until the wine is reduced by at least half, a minute or two. Add the chicken stock and the rosemary. (Tie the rosemary into a bundle with kitchen twine if you want to make it easier on yourself later.)
• Return the lamb shanks to the pot. Increase heat to high, bring the pot to a simmer, and transfer to the oven. Place a lid on top, leaving it cracked by an inch or so. Cook for 2 1/2 hours, then remove from oven. Flip the lamb, and stir the barley and spinach into the broth, making sure it's all submerged. Return to the oven, cover with the lid cracked, and continue cooking until a metal skewer inserted into the lamb meets very little resistance, the meat falls off the bone with a little tug, and the barley is fully cooked but still chewy, 30 to 45 minutes longer.
• Transfer the pot to the stovetop, remove and discard the rosemary, and adjust the consistency to a saucy, stewlike mixture by simmering to thicken, or thin it out by adding water. Stirring as you go to prevent the bottom from sticking. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.