Lamb and Potatoes - slow cooker

We wanted to make something unusual for 8th of March - International Women's Day but also something that we could easily take to Alona's parents house so we could spend the evening with her grandma and brother. We decided for this recipe as we had everything on hand and it sounded fun. It turned out pretty good with the lamb very soft and tender. We did end up forgetting about the olives in the end, but not sure if they would have added much. We also used a boneless leg of lamb that we had since that was all we had, but it turned out well. We also added some cornstarch to the liquid the last about hour so that the sauce would thicken up a bit more.

Here is the original recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/897792/lamb-olives-and-potatoes

Sorry there are no pretty "plated" pictures, but we took it "to go" :)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds small potatoes, halved
4 large shallots, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 sprigs rosemary
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 1/2 pounds lamb shanks, cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch pieces and trimmed of excess fat
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine

Directions:

1. Combine potatoes, shallots, garlic, lemon zest, and rosemary in a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker; season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together the 4 tablespoons flour and broth. Add to slow cooker.
2. Add lamb to the slow cooker. Add wine, then cover and cook on high until lamb is tender, about 3 1/2 hours (7 hours on low). 

What we liked:

It was a fun dish to take to eat not at home. The lemon and wine could really be tasted in the dish. 

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was good. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He preferred other fare that evening. Like cheese sticks that we served this dish with. 

Next time:

Add the olives to see if they make a difference. 

Manti - New Year's Tradition

For New Years, we traditionally make Manti (Манты). They are traditional central asian dumplings, which are about 3" in diameter and are filled with meats and pumpkin. Since we were unable to find an un-sweet pumpkin to use, we use butternut squash which works out really well.
We used three different types of meat, that we put through our awesome meat grinder to make the meat. The filling is made usually with 1/3 meat, 1/3 onions and 1/3 squash/pumpkin proportions.
The dough is a bit hard to get right and actually this time we did not do as well, the dough was too soft which is resulted in dumplings that didn't want to stay together quite as much.
The dumplings get steamed in a special steamer for 45 minutes. The amount that we made was enough for about 2 4- layer pots going at the same time. Next time we will take more pictures, but we were having too much fun on New Years to do so. It is always great to get together and have everyone make delicious food.
The manti can be served with salsa or, a sour cream + dill + cilantro and garlic sauce - which is best when it has had time to sit for a while.

The Manti do take some preparation in advance, the dough needs to be made a few hours ahead of time. We would also recommend starting to boil the water as soon as you start making them as the pot is really large and it takes a while for the water to boil.

After transferring the cooked manti in a large bowl, make sure to put in butter so they don't stick together.

Manti do not freeze well, but they do make great left overs when they are fried the next morning!

Next morning, fried manti with sour cream sauce

different angle of next morning manti

And yet a different angle again

Just cooked manti (due to the incorrect dough elasticity, some fell apart)

nom nom

Freshly ground meat filling

Mixing the meat 

Meat filling

this is the manti steamer

Putting manti in the steamer

Manti getting arranged for steaming!

Ingredients:

Dough:

2 eggs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
250-300 ml water
approx 4.5 cups flour (until proper consistency is reached)

Meat:
approx 2-3 lbs total of meat - we used a combination of lamb, pork and beef, do not trim any of it
2-3 onions, chopped (to equal the same quantity as meat)
1 butternut squash, chopped into small cubes ( to equal same amount as each ground meat and onion)
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
small bunch of cilantro, chopped (optional)
1 cup warm water

Directions:

1. Mix all dough ingredients together until a firm ball forms that does not stick to your hands. Cover and let sit for a couple of hours.
2. Mix together all ingredients for the meat filling.
3. When dough is ready, there are two methods to make manti. Method 1 - roll out a large sheet and selecting a large cookie cutter or bowl use as a template to cut out the circles. Method 2 - cut off a piece of dough, make it into a sausage and cut into uniform pieces. Roll out each piece into a circle.
4. Put a generous scoop of meat into the center of each dough circle. Pinch the dough from four sides and bring those to the middle making a sealed X, then pinch two sides of the x together creating a figure 8 shaped design. Another method, is to pinch in from three sides and seal it that way, creating a triangle shaped design.
5. Place dumpling onto an oiled tier of the steamer. Continue until the steamer layers are all filled. Be careful not to touch the sides or each other so that they do not stick together.
6. Place onto the boiling bottom layer of the steamer. Cover and cook for 45 minutes.
7. After they are cooked, dump into a large bowl with butter to make sure they don't stick together.
8. Serve with salsa or sour cream sauce.

What we liked:

The filling was the best we have ever had!

What we didn't like:

The dough was not quite proper this time around. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He liked the dumplings! Astrid especially loved the dough pieces. 

Next time:

Make sure the dough is correct - add more flour. It was too soft this time. 

Lamb and Veggie Skewers with Pita Bread and Grilled Radishes

Tonight was delicious lamb and veggie skewers in a lemon juice and herb marinade. We also made pita bread - our first attempt ever! It turned out quite good and actually puffy - very strange to see in a bread! It was a little more bread-y, maybe flour-y tasting than other pita breads we have bought before. It also wasn't as puffy as others... perhaps let the circles rise more next time or try a different recipe. Overall, this dinner could have really used some tzatziki sauce - that would have really added that perfect finish it needed.
We went to our park on Sunday, it is a half a block away, and they were having a grower's market, so we bought some fresh zucchini and radishes. The farmer said we should try grilling radishes, and so we did. They turned out sooo good. Grilling the radishes made them taste completely different. We have never eaten radishes in any other way than raw.

Here's the original Lamb recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/marinated-grilled-lamb-kabobs-recipe.html

Pita Recipe: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016071-homemade-pita-bread

Plated

Grilled Radishes

Veggies - onions, zucchini and bell peppers

Grilled Lamb

Veggies on the grill!

Lamb on the Grill

All together!

Cooked Pita Bread

om nom nom  - trial pita piece

Pita dough balls

Rolled out Pitas 

Pitas rising in the oven

Ingredients:

Lamb and Marinade and Skewers:
1/2 boneless leg of lamb (about 2 pounds) cut into cubes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 large white onion, cut into large skewer-able pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 bell pepper - cut into skewer-able pieces
2 small zucchini - cut into thick skewer-able rounds

Radish:
1 bunch radishes
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
pepper

Pita Bread:
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
½ teaspoon sugar
2 3/4 all-purposed flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Skewers:
1. Combine all ingredients except bell pepper and zucchini in a ziplock bag and set in the refrigerator. Let marinade for at least 4 hours.
2. Pre-heat grill to medium high
3. Skewer on wood or metal skewers meat and veggies. We suggest doing the meat and veggies separately as it allows for more even cooking on both.
4. Grill for 3-4 minutes a side. (12-15 mins total)

Grilled Radish:
1. Cut the ends off of radishes. Cut radishes in half.
2. Put into a foil "boat" and pour olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Grill for 12-15 minutes

Pita bread:
1. Combine 1 cup lukewarm water, yeast and sugar in a large bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add the 1/2 cup of flour and whisk together. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place, uncovered, until mixture is frothy and bubbling, about 15 minutes.
2. Add salt, olive oil and nearly all remaining all-purpose flour (reserve 1/2 cup). With a wooden spoon, stir until mixture forms a shaggy mass. Dust with a little reserved flour, then knead in bowl for 1 minute, incorporating any stray bits of dry dough.
3. Knead lightly for 2 minutes, until smooth. Cover and let rest 10 minutes, then knead again for 2 minutes.
4. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then cover with a towel. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place. Leave until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
5. Heat oven to 475 degrees. On bottom shelf of oven, place a heavy-duty baking sheet. Punch down dough and divide into 8 pieces of equal size. Form each piece into a little ball. Place dough balls on work surface, cover with a damp towel and leave for 10 minutes.
6. Remove 1 ball (keeping others covered) and press into a flat disc with rolling pin. Roll until about 1/4 thick, dusting with flour if necessary.
7. Carefully lift the dough circle and place quickly on hot baking sheet. After 3 minutes the dough should be nicely puffed. Turn over with tongs or spatula and bake 1 minute more. The pita should be pale, with only a few brown speckles.
8. Transfer warm pita to a napkin-lined basket and cover so bread stays soft. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.

What we liked:

Very good! The pita was great, It was fun to try the radishes and the meat was delicious. 

What we didn't like:

Missing a sauce!

What Kaspian thought about it:

He LOVED the pita bread. He even helped make it by rolling out the dough. He wanted to put it into the oven too, but the oven was too hot!

Next time:

Make sure to make a sauce!

Lamb Skewers with couscous

Last night we made lamb skewers with couscous. The marinade was perfect. The lamb turned out very soft and delicious and fairly quick to make.

For the couscous, we just made it according to instructions and added some lemon pepper and parsley at the end.

The only thing we wish we would have done is make the home-made pitas, but we forgot..and by the time we remembered it was too late! The dough needs to rise for a couple of hours - but next time!!!

Here's the original recipe for the lamb. We modified it a bit:  http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/herbed-lamb-kabobs

Plated!

On the grill

Ready to grill!

Ingredients:

1 cup canola oil
1 large onion cut to large skewer-able pieces
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds boneless lamb - fat cut out and chopped into skewer-able cubes

Directions:

1. In a medium/large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Pour into a gallon ziplock bag and add lamb. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 6-8 hours.
2. On eight metal skewers, alternately thread lamb and marinated onion pieces.
3. Grill over medium-hot heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness

What we liked:

Easy, and delicious! Meat on skewers always tastes so good! The marinated grilled onions were also excellent. These skewers turned out better than any of the greek restaurants in Albuquerque. 

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was good. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He picked a left over burger dinner instead. 

Next time:

Make the pitas! :) 

Lamb Tajine with Lemon and Olives

This recipe is pretty amazing. The lamb is sooo very soft and tender and all the flavors go together extremely well. The couscous is a perfect complement to the dish.
Here is the original recipe http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/lamb-tagine-lemon-olives.
The recipe is pretty perfect as is. Although, Nick is a little bit suspicious of the golden raisins still, but he'll come around if we make it a few more times. None of the flavors are too overpowering by themselves so the dish comes together perfectly. This time, we followed the recipe and removed the lamb from the dutch oven, then re-added, but we think it would be better to not do that. It might be better to just add the onion and all the spices to the lamb.

Plated

Cous Cous

Tajine 

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon paprika, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground roasted cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 lb baby carrots
1/2 cup golden raisins
25 green olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of one lemon
2 cups couscous
4 cups water or chicken stock or a combination (for the cous cous)

Directions:

1. Sprinkle lamb with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add lamb; sauté 5 minutes or until browned.
2. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon red pepper, onion, and next 5 ingredients (through garlic); sauté 2 minutes. Add stock; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 15 minutes. Stir in carrots and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Partially cover; cook 1 hour. Add raisins and olives. Remove from heat; add cilantro and juice. Serve with couscous.
3. For couscous -bring 4 cups water or chicken stock or combination of both to a boil. Pour in 2 cups of couscous. Turn off heat, cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. 

What we liked:

The wonderful combination of flavors. The meat is super tender.

What we didn't like:

Nothing it's all good, though Nick is still a little suspicious of raisins.

What Kaspian thought about it:

He wasn't too impressed at first. But then he had the idea of couscous + butter, and LOVED it. So, he ate a cup of couscous and a quarter stick of butter with it. 

Next time:

No Change, great as is.