Spicy Lamb With Zucchini And Spicy Yogurt Sauce Recipes

SPICE-RUBBED LEG OF LAMB WITH HARISSA YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• For the lamb: Use paper towels to pat dry the leg of lamb. In a small bowl, combine the salt, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, black pepper and cayenne. Season all sides of the lamb with the spice mixture and place on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Let sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes or place in the refrigerator overnight and allow to sit at room temperature for 45 minutes before cooking.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Drizzle the lamb with the olive oil, then roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake until the internal temperature is 140 degrees F for medium, about 1 hour and 15 minutes more. Allow to rest before serving, 15 to 20 minutes, then slice.
• For the sauce: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the harissa, yogurt and honey. Season with salt. Refrigerate until serving.
• For the optional garnish: Garnish with the pomegranate seeds, mint, scallions, good olive oil and sea salt if desired. Serve with the harissa yogurt sauce.

SPICED LAMB MEATBALLS WITH YOGURT AND HERBS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, use your hands to combine lamb, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, onion, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cayenne. Beat 2 of the eggs and add to meat, mixing until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 24 hours to allow the seasonings to permeate the meat.
• Using wet hands, break off walnut-sized pieces of lamb mixture, roll into spheres and set aside on a baking sheet. You should have about 30 1-ounce meatballs.
• Heat oven to 225 degrees. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When shimmering, add meatballs in one layer and brown for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. (Work in batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan.) Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to blot any extra oil, then pile meatballs on a heatproof serving platter and keep warm in the oven.
• Pour off any excess oil from skillet and turn heat to high. Add broth and bring to a simmer. In a bowl, whisk together yogurt; 1/2 teaspoon salt; remaining egg, beaten; and cornstarch. Pour yogurt mixture in a thin stream into the hot broth, whisking constantly. Turn heat down slightly and continue whisking until yogurt is heated through and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Do not let mixture boil.
• Pour hot yogurt sauce over meatballs. Sprinkle crumbled feta, sumac and crushed red pepper on top. Finish with pinches of turmeric, if using, and sprinkle with mint, dill and cilantro. Serve immediately with rice, orzo, pita bread or potatoes.

SPICY LAMB SAUSAGE WITH GRILLED ONIONS AND ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• To make the sausage, put ground lamb in a mixing bowl. Using a spice mill or mortar and pestle, grind cumin, coriander, black pepper and allspice. Add to lamb, along with salt, cayenne, cinnamon, paprika and garlic. Mix well with hands to incorporate. Fry a little piece of the mixture in a small skillet. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt if necessary. Mix again and refrigerate at least 2 hours or, preferably, overnight. Form mixture into 24 two-ounce patties.
• To make the vinaigrette, grind cumin, coriander and caraway. Combine with paprika and a good pinch of cayenne in a small bowl. Add garlic, vinegar, lemon juice and salt. Whisk in olive oil.
• Light a charcoal grill or use a grill pan. The heat should be moderate. Grill sausages, in batches if necessary, for about 2 minutes per side, until just done. Keep warm. Paint onion slices with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill until softened slightly, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with zucchini. Keep at room temperature.
• Line a large platter with lettuce leaves and pile sausages in the middle. Arrange onions and zucchini around the platter. Salt the tomatoes and distribute. Whisk the vinaigrette, then drizzle over everything. Sprinkle with cilantro and mint, and serve with warm pita breads, if desired.

SPICY LAMB WITH ZUCCHINI AND SPICY YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the sauce a day ahead, or at the least, a few hours ahead to allow the flavors to properly meld together.
• Add all the ingredients for the sauce into a food processor and mix until well blended. If you don't have a food processor, just chop as finely as you can. Place in a sealed container in your refrigerator.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute the zucchini and garlic in the olive oil.
• In a cast iron pan, cook the lamb with the onions until the lamb is brown and the onions are soft.
• Add the zucchini and garlic to the lamb, mix well.
• Serve with the Spicy Yogurt Sauce over top. You can also serve it on rice, if you like.

SEARED LAMB RIBS WITH SPICY YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Brine the ribs: Dissolve salt in 5 cups cool water. Pour into a roasting pan or baking dish that will hold the lamb and brine without much room to spare. Add the garlic. Remove thin membrane from the bone side of the lamb. Place lamb in brine. It should be just covered with the liquid; if not, add a little more water. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 24 hours, turning once.
• Marinate the ribs: Rinse lamb and pat dry. Discard brine. Smear mustard on both sides of lamb, and sprinkle with black and green peppercorns. Place lamb on a rack in the roasting pan and set aside at room temperature for 2 hours.
• Make the sauce: Mix yogurt with mustard, chile, cumin and salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (It will keep several days.)
• Heat oven to 250 degrees. Bake lamb for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and allow to cool about 30 minutes. The final sear for the lamb can be done immediately, or the lamb can be wrapped in foil, refrigerated and seared before serving, up to 2 days later.
• To finish, slice between the bones to separate each rib. Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium-high until very hot. Reduce heat to medium. Sear ribs on all sides until browned. Serve with lemon wedges and yogurt sauce on the side.

LEG OF LAMB IN A SPICY YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Remove all the fat from the outside of the leg and the white skin, or ask your butcher to do it.
• Put the leg in a baking dish, stainless steel or glass is preferred because of the yogurt marinade.
• Put in your blender or food processor the almonds, onions, garlic, ginger, green chilies and about 3 tablespoons of the yogurt, process to a paste.
• The remaining yogurt you put in a dish, beat lightly until smooth, add the paste and the cumin, coriander, cayenne and garam masala, mix.
• Stab the lamb all over, making good deep cuts.
• Now the fun begins, using your hands push generous amounts of paste in the natural openings of the lamb, then in the cuts you made.
• Spread remaining paste all over and around the lamb, the side that will be up should get a thick layer.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
• When ready to bake, remove the lamb from the fridge and give it enough time to get to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat the oil in a small pan on a medium flame, when hot add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and peppercorns, when the cloves swell, this just takes seconds pour the hot oil and the spices over the lamb.
• Cover the dish with its own lid or tightly with aluminum foil, bake covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil and bake for another 45 minutes or longer if you prefer.
• During this time baste the meat regularly with the sauce.
• Scatter, or make nice pattern, the sultana’s and almonds over the top of lamb in the yogurt paste.
• Bake for another 5-6 minutes.
• Remove the dish from the oven; leave it a warm place for 15 minutes or so.
• Take the leg out of the pan, spoon the fat from the top of the sauce, strain the sauce and discard the whole spices.
• Serve the leg on a platter with the sauce poured around it.

GRILLED LEG OF LAMB WITH SPICY LIME YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Pat lamb dry with paper towels and place it on a rimmed baking sheet. In a bowl, combine oil, herbs, orange zest and juice, the minced garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Rub mixture all over lamb. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate at room temperature for 2 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.
• Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt if you like.
• Heat the grill. Wipe lamb with paper towels, removing most of the rub, then grill until a digital thermometer reads 120 degrees for rare or 130 for medium (about 6 to 15 minutes per side, depending on how you like your meat and how thick the lamb is). If the meat starts to char before it's done, move it to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving with the yogurt sauce.

LAMB-STUFFED ZUCCHINI WITH YOGHURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut off and reserve the stem ends of the zucchini and, with a corer, hollow out zucchini, being careful not to pierce skins and leaving ¼ inch thick shells.
• Chop zucchini flesh and reserve.
• Heat oil over moderately-high heat until hot but not smoking and saute lamb with allspice and mint and season to taste.
• Cook, stirring, until no longer pink.
• Transfer lamb with a slotted spoon to a sieve to drain.
• Pour off all but 1 tblsp fat from skillet and saute onion until softened.
• Stir in garlic, reserved zucchini, season to taste, and saute until golden.
• Remove from heat; stir in lamb, pine nuts and 6 tblsps of yoghurt.
• Let cool.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Stuff zucchini with this mixture, putting stem ends back on and securing them with toothpicks.
• Arrange zucchini in a large, oiled casserole, tent with foil, and bake for approximately 1 hour, or until tender.
• Let cool slightly.
• Whisk together remaining yoghurt with cornstarch/water mixture and cook over low heat, stirring, until thickened.
• Cool slightly.
• Serve with zucchini.