Lamb Poppers Recipes

SPICY LAMB-STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice off the tops of the bell peppers and remove the seeds. Remove the stems and finely chop the cleaned pepper tops. Stand the peppers, cut end up, in a 13x9-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
• Brown the lamb in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, until no pink remains, stirring often to break up the meat; drain the liquid. Add the onion and chopped pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the onion is tender; remove from the heat. Stir in the rice, ketchup, raisins, allspice, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, and eggs; blend well. Stir in the salt and cayenne pepper.
• Fill the peppers with the rice mixture, packing lightly. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the peppers are soft and can be pierced with a fork.

LAMB LOLLIPOPS

Steps:

• Toast the coriander seed and mustard seed in a small, dry saute pan over low heat until fragrant. Place the toasted seeds in a spice grinder and grind to a powder. Place lamb, pork, and bacon in a large bowl. Add all herbs and seasonings and toss to combine well.
• Grind the meat in a meat grinder with a medium die and then chill overnight.
• Wrap 1 tablespoon of ground meat around the end of an ice pop stick. Repeat until all meat is used. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Saute lollipops, in batches, until meat is cooked through, about 2 minutes on the first side and 1 minute on the other side. Serve hot.

GARLICKY LAMB WITH PEPPERS & COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Put the kettle on to boil and tip both packets of couscous into a heatproof bowl. Melt the garlic butter in a frying pan over a medium heat with a tablespoon of the oil. Add the lamb steaks and fry for 4 minutes on each side. Pour 400ml/14fl oz boiling water over the couscous, stir in the remaining oil and set aside to absorb.
• Tip the peppers and olives into the pan with the lamb. Roughly chop the herbs, add and continue cooking until the lamb is cooked. Squeeze in the lemon juice, season.
• Toss the almonds into the couscous and spoon on to serving plates. Top with the lamb, peppers, olives and juices, and serve.

SPANISH LAMB WITH SHERRY, HONEY & PEPPERS

Steps:

• Make sure your lamb isn't too damp - pat it dry with kitchen paper if you need to, otherwise it won't colour well. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large casserole dish and brown the lamb over a high heat in batches (if you crowd the pan the meat will sweat and not brown). Remove with a slotted spoon as you go. When all the lamb is browned, add the remaining oil and cook the onion and peppers over a medium heat until the onion is golden and the vegetables are softened. Add the garlic and paprika, and cook for a further 1 min, then add the sherry and bring to a simmer.
• Put all the lamb back in the pan, along with the stock, saffron, sherry vinegar and honey. Season and bring to just under the boil. Turn the heat down, cover the pan and leave to cook very gently for 2 hrs, turning the meat every so often.
• In the last half hour of cooking time, remove the lid so that the sherry and stock can reduce. You want to end up with completely tender meat in a flavoursome gravy - how long this takes will depend on how wide your pan is so you may need to give it longer than 30 mins. Check the seasoning. You're unlikely to need to adjust the vinegar or honey but you might want to sweeten the dish slightly. Scatter the parsley or almonds on top (or use both). Serve with the couscous.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH PEPPERS

Steps:

• Pat dry lamb shanks. In a heavy casserole or Dutch oven that will hold all the shanks, heat oil on medium-high. Add lamb shanks and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove to a platter. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low.
• Add bell peppers and onions to the pan. Sauté, stirring, until the vegetables wilt and just begin to color, 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic, dill seed, paprika and cinnamon. Stir. Add stock and wine. Bring to a simmer. Stir in tomato paste and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in lemon juice. Return lamb shanks to the pot along with any juices on the platter. Cover them with a piece of parchment or waxed paper, cover pot with lid, reduce heat to very low and cook about 2 hours, basting the shanks occasionally and turning them at least once until the meat is very tender when pierced with a knife.
• Remove shanks from the pot. Increase heat to medium and reduce sauce by about a third, about 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Return shanks to the pot, baste and reheat. Serve directly from the casserole or transfer to a serving dish. Strew with fresh dill before serving.