Moroccan Spiced Lamb With Mint And Pine Nut Relish Recipes

MOROCCAN GRILLED LAMB CHOPS

Steps:

• Place the garlic, mint, turmeric, coriander, cumin, lemon zest, and 2 1/2 teaspoons salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until finely ground. Add the olive oil and pulse to combine.
• Place the chops in one or two non-metal dishes large enough to hold them in one layer. Spread the garlic and herb mixture evenly on both sides. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, Sriracha, and lemon juice, and spread it evenly on the lamb chops. Cover, refrigerate, and allow to marinate for 6 to 24 hours.
• Prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals and oil the cooking grate. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and grill 5 to 6 inches above the coals, first with the yogurt side up (marinade and all) for 4 to 5 minutes, then turn and grill for 3 to 4 minutes, until medium rare. Transfer to a clean plate, cover the plate tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the couscous.
• Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the couscous, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and remove from the heat. Cover the pot tightly and allow the couscous to steam for 10 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork and stir in the mint and pine nuts. Taste for seasonings and add about 1 teaspoon salt, depending on the saltiness of the stock, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Serve hot.

MOROCCAN LEG OF LAMB WITH MINT DRESSING

Steps:

• Score meaty side of lamb in a diamond pattern of 1/4-inch-deep cuts about 1 1/2 inches apart. Season with salt and pepper, and place scored-side up in a large roasting pan.
• In a small bowl, whisk olive oil with lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, harissa, coriander seeds and cumin. Pour marinade over lamb and massage into crevices. Cover pan with aluminum foil and refrigerate 2 1/2 hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator 1 1/2 hours before cooking to return lamb to room temperature; in last 15 minutes, heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Remove foil from pan and place pan on middle oven rack; turn heat down to 350 degrees. Roast, basting lamb with pan juices every 1/2 hour, until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat reads 130 degrees, about 1 3/4 hours total. Remove from oven, tent loosely with foil, and let rest 15 minutes before carving. Serve with harissa and mint dressing.

ROAD TO MOROCCO LAMB WITH PINE NUT COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Place lamb in a food storage bag. Combine the 7 spices in a small bowl. Sprinkle into the bag and seal bag. Shake and evenly coat the lamb pieces in the spices.
• Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, then the lamb. Sear the lamb and caramelize the meat all over, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook 5 minutes more. Add the dates and 2 cups of chicken stock to the pan and cover. Cook 7 to 8 minutes more to plump the dates and soften the onions. Remove cover and adjust seasonings.
• During the last 5 minutes the lamb has to cook, melt butter and toast pine nuts. Add 2 cups stock and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat, add couscous and cover pan. Let stand 5 minutes. Remove lid and fluff with fork.
• Serve lamb over couscous in shallow dishes and garnish with chopped scallions.

ROAD TO MOROCCO LAMB WITH PINE NUT COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Place the lamb in a resealable food storage bag. Combine the spices in a small bowl, then sprinkle them into the bag and seal the bag. Shake to coat the lamb pieces evenly in the spices.
• Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add the EVOO, then the lamb. Sear and caramelize the lamb, turning to brown all sides, 5 to 7 minutes in all. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the dates and 2 cups of the chicken stock to the pan and cover. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes more to plump the dates and soften the onions. Remove the cover and adjust the seasonings.
• During the last 5 minutes the lamb cooks, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the pine nuts and stir until toasted, 1 or 2 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of stock and bring it to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the couscous, and cover the pan. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the couscous with a fork.
• Serve the lamb over the couscous in shallow dishes and garnish it with chopped scallions and cilantro.
• Make a double or triple batch of this spice blend to use with ground chicken or turkey for an unexpected Moroccan burger. The spice blend will keep for 6 months in an airtight container.

ROAST RACK OF LAMB WITH MOROCCAN SPICES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/gas 7. Mix 2 tbsp of the olive oil with the harissa, then add the cumin, turmeric, paprika and coriander, half the parsley, lemon juice and a pinch of salt, then stir. Sit the lamb in a roasting tray, season well, then spread the spice mix over surface of the meat. Roast for 15-20 minutes for rare to medium, 25 minutes for well done.
• Meanwhile, throw the carrots into a small roasting tin, add a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes until carrots are just browning slightly at the edges.
• Just before you take the carrots out of the oven, prepare the couscous. Tip it into a bowl, pour over the hot stock, then leave to stand for 5 minutes. Break the couscous up with a fork and leave to cool. Add the remaining olive oil and parsley, satsuma juice, allspice, mint and onion, stir well, then add the cooked carrots and season.
• Put the lamb on a warmed plate and leave it to rest for 5 minutes. Slice it in half to give 3-4 cutlets each, then cut in half again. Spoon the couscous on to two plates, scatter over the almonds and top with the lamb. Serve with a spoonful of Greek yogurt.

MOROCCAN SPICED LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 220 degrees C/ 425 degrees F.
• In samll bowl, combine mint, apricots, dates, pine nuts, orange and lemon zests, and olive oil and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
• Press fruit mixture into leg cavity, tie with kitchen string to hold together. Spread harissa paste over leg and sprinkle with cumin seeds.
• Place leg of lamb in a roasting tin and roast in preheated oven 40 minutes per kilogram (20 minutes per pound) or until lamb is cooked to desired done-ness.
• Remove lamb from oven and let rest on cutting board a few minutes while you make the gravy.
• For gravy, put roasting tin on stove top and bring to a high heat. Stir in a teaspoon of harissa paste, (optional), a splash of red wine and enough water to bring it to a gravy-like consistency.
• Let gravy bubble and thicken until reduced by half.
• Carve lamb and serve with the gravy, bulgar wheat (kasha) aand a green salad.

SPICED LAMB AND RICE WITH WALNUTS, MINT AND POMEGRANATE

Steps:

• If using dried chickpeas: Put soaked chickpeas in a saucepan and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 45 minutes to an hour, until tender. Top up with water as necessary to keep chickpeas covered. (If using pre-cooked or canned chickpeas, skip this step.)
• Season lamb pieces generously with salt and pepper. In a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven with a lid, heat oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches over high heat, brown the lamb pieces on both sides, removing them to a plate as they are cooked. (Don't crowd the pan or they won't brown nicely.)
• When all the lamb is browned and the pot is empty, reduce heat to medium high. Add onions, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add raisins, pomegranate molasses (if using), cumin, coriander, allspice, mace, and cinnamon and stir to coat. Return lamb to the pot, along with any juices.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• If using canned chickpeas, drain well. If using cooked chickpeas, drain and reserve the cooking liquid. Add drained chickpeas and rice to onion mixture and stir together. Turn heat to high and add 2 cups chickpea cooking liquid (or 2 cups water or broth, if using canned chickpeas). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover tightly. Bake about 1 hour, until lamb is tender when probed with a fork and rice is cooked through. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving, or up to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat until it foams. Add walnuts and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Salt lightly and set aside. Fluff the lamb and rice gently, lifting up from the bottom. Serve directly from pot or transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with walnuts, pomegranate seeds, mint and crushed red pepper. Pass a bowl of yogurt at the table.

LEG OF LAMB WITH MOROCCAN SPICES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425º. Remove as much of the surface fat as is practical from the lamb. Mix the spices with the salt and pepper; rub the meat all over with the spice mixture.
• Put the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan. (You might line the pan first with aluminum foil to make cleanup easier.) Roast for 30 minutes, then check. If the lamb threatens to burn, turn the heat down to 350º; otherwise leave it at 425º.
• After about 1 hour (total) of roasting, check the internal temperature of the lamb with an instant-read thermometer. Continue to check every 10 minutes; when it reaches 130 for medium rare (125 for very rare) in its thickest part (check it in several places), it's done. Total cooking time will be less than 1 1/2 hours. Let it rest for a few minutes before carving and serving.

MEATLOAF WITH MOROCCAN SPICES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, then add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for another minute or two. Add the celery, carrots and ginger, and cook for about 5 minutes, adding more olive oil as needed to make sure ingredients are well coated and softening.
• Add the spices: cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, cinnamon and salt, stirring well to mix. (You can alter spices to your liking, with more or less of those recommended or adding curry powder, nutmeg, allspice, black or cayenne pepper.) Add the tomato paste and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring well and scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula to ensure the spices don't burn. Once mixture is cooked, remove pan from heat and let cool for about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine in a large bowl the fresh herbs (cilantro, mint and parsley) and the eggs and bread crumbs. Add the ground lamb and the cooled mixture. Mix well with clean hands, until all ingredients are blended.
• Place the mixture into a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and cover with aluminum foil. Create a water bath by placing the loaf pan into a larger baking pan and filling the larger pan halfway with lukewarm water. (This helps keep the meatloaf moist by keeping the temperature more even during baking.)
• Put the meatloaf, in the bath, into the oven and cook for about 1 hour 30 minutes. After an hour, check the meatloaf, and remove the foil if you would like a firmer top. Bake until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees. (This is a good time to toast the pine nuts if you're making the sauce.)
• Remove pans from the oven, lift the loaf pan out of the water bath, and let the meatloaf cool for at least 5 minutes. If there is excessive grease, carefully pour that out and discard it. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cooled, depending on your taste.
• If you're making the sauce, mix the yogurt, lemon juice and pine nuts together with a spoon, and serve in a small dish on the side.