Category: Meat

Easy, Luscious Leg of Lamb With Shawarma Spices

Marinating leg of lamb in shawarma spices is an easy way to give it an extra flavor boost.

How many ways can you prepare a leg of lamb? I love it barbecued after marinating with fresh herbs and garlic. However, the oven works as well and for a change of pace, I decided to marinate this leg of lamb in shawarma spices for a few hours before cooking in a 325 degree oven for 40 minutes. I was aiming for medium doneness and this boneless half leg was 1.85 pounds before trimming fat and connective tissue away with a sharp knife. Here’s a great guide to help you adjust timing according to your desired doneness.

What are shawarma spices, you ask? A blend common in the Middle East, you can buy it premixed for seasoning chicken or beef. But isn’t it more fun to create your own and customize it to your taste?

Here’s what Diana from https://littlesunnykitchen.com/ recommends:

  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon dried ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried ground turmeric

Salt to taste. With the above mixture, I used 1/2 teaspoon. As usual, I substituted grains of paradise for pepper and used fresh garlic. It seemed like a lot of ginger to me, so I used a touch less.

Preparing the Leg of Lamb

First, using a sharp knife, cut off excess fat and connective tissue from the lamb. Make a paste from the combined shawarma spices listed above and olive oil. Coat the meat liberally with it. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook uncovered in a roasting pan.

We enjoyed this boneless half leg roasted in the oven, but you can apply the same principles no matter the size of your roast. Using a gas grill, we used to cook a couple of 4 pound butterflied legs of lamb over indirect medium heat for about an hour. Be sure to let the cooked lamb rest for 20 minutes covered on a platter before cutting into it. Serve it with tabbouleh, hummus and flatbread. How about with roasted potatoes and a salad? The possibilities are endless!

Lots to Love About Lamb Rib Chops

Lamb chops are versatile and easy to prepare.

Wondering how to cook lamb chops? You don’t have to prepare them the same way all the time. If mint jelly turns you on, that’s fine. But I prefer to eat things in a variety of ways. And lamb rib chops will never disappoint.

About an hour before I wanted to cook them, I took the lamb chops out of the refrigerator, patted them dry and rubbed them with:

  • grapeseed oil
  • crushed garlic
  • cumin
  • turmeric
  • coriander
  • dash of allspice
  • dash of cinnamon

Because I was taking this in the direction of the Middle East, I added some chopped dates to the turmeric rice that I reheated. And then I remembered I had some feta, so I sprinkled that on top of the carrots that I had simmered with minced ginger until fork tender.

Did I have a planned menu when I began? No, I looked into the refrigerator to see what I had and began to create. What do you think of my No Plan Meal Plan?

After searing the lamb chops for 3 minutes in a hot skillet, I turned them over and put them into a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes. Let them rest before serving.

Do you prefer a vegan meal, but you like the way this combination of spices sounds? Watch Lentils and Rice Partner For a Pantry Party instead.

Hesitate No More About Cooking Lamb Rib Chops Perfectly

Gain confidence and develop your intuition as you expand your culinary repertoire.

I used to feel hesitant about cooking lamb rib chops because they’re more expensive than other cuts like shank and shoulder chops. Therefore I wanted to be sure I didn’t mess up. Once I came to realize that it’s essentially like cooking a steak, I gained more confidence. You can learn how to cook lamb chops perfectly too.

What do I mean when I say it’s like cooking steak? I mean that with a tender cut of meat such as these, medium/medium rare is desirable. Therefore, searing at high heat with maybe a quick stint in the oven is all that is necessary before letting them rest briefly before serving. Again, I am talking about basic principles of cooking here; not recipes. Are you with me?

Lamb rib chops with swiss chard and yellow rice on a white plate. A glass of zinfandel with a cork on the right. In the background are a small bowl of black olives, a small bowl of salt, a wooden pepper grinder and a bottle of zinfandel.

If you have time to marinate the chops, you can add even more flavor. Even if you only do so an hour before cooking, letting them come to room temperature, you will be glad you did. What should you put on them? Oh, let me count the ways…Here’s what I used this time:

  • garlic
  • grapeseed oil
  • dried oregano
  • dried sage
  • a touch of mustard powder
raw lamb rib chops marinating in garlic and herbs in a glass baking dish. A green plaid cloth, marble mortar and pestle, garlic and a small bowl of salt with a wooden spoon sits in the background.

How To Cook Lamb Chops

First I preheated the oven to 350. I decided to sear these 1 1/2 chops in a screaming hot skillet for 3 minutes on one side. I flipped them over and after about a minute, put the skillet into the oven for 5 minutes. They rested while I took the picture and then we devoured these perfectly tasty, meaty treats.

What if your chops aren’t as meaty? A bit smaller? Adjust the way you handle them. They might not need time in the oven at all. About 3 minutes on each side in the skillet is a good baseline for me to think about, but if they’re really scrawny, 2 might be sufficient. Develop your intuition. Pay attention to how they look, smell and feel.

lamb rib chops, au gratin potatoes and broccoli on a white plate. A bottle of Rosso di Montalcino, its cork and a bottle of dried rosemary are in the background.

I know that serving with asparagus would be more indicative of spring and I love asparagus. But it does change the taste of the wine and if I’m going for the gusto with lamb rib chops, you can be sure a good red wine is on the menu. So I don’t want to spoil it!

What do you think of those scalloped potatoes? Read about them here and let me know how you make them your own.

In the Mood for Mrs. Blue’s Tamale Pie

Everyone loves a savory pie.

After making a new friend in college, Michael became a frequent guest at his home and fell in love with his mother’s signature dish she called Tamale Pie. I never had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Blue or her homemade dish, but she was kind enough to share the recipe with Michael’s mother years ago and it’s one of the first given to me after we were first married. It then became a tradition in our family.

Tamale pie in a glass casserole dish surrounded by a dish of green olives, a dish of raisins, a bell pepper and onion

I usually make a small one for the two of us using a pound of ground beef, but below are the list of ingredients as it was presented to me:

  • 1 dozen corn tortillas
  • 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 4 small cans tomato sauce
  • 2 cans water (from rinsing out sauce cans)
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 2 to 3 Tablespoons seedless raisins
  • 1 small jar Manzanilla olives
  • cayenne pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup or more grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top

After preheating your oven to 375, brown the beef in a large skillet. Add the onions and peppers to cook for a couple of minutes. Then the seasonings and the remainder of ingredients, except for the cheese. Simmer 15 minutes or until sauce has reduced a bit. Line a greased casserole dish with tortillas and then fill it with the meat sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 45 minutes. Let rest 10-15 minutes before serving.

Intuitive Adaptations

I heard that Mrs. Blue sometimes added corn to this, so I often toss in a handful of frozen roasted corn and I also add some smoked paprika. I don’t think Mrs. Blue would mind because she also was an intuitive cook, always adapting and using what she had on hand. In fact, she had never written down this recipe until requested by Michael’s mother on his behalf.

Because I make this with half the amount of ground beef, obviously I also adapt the proportions of other ingredients and make it my own. I use a 15 ounce can of tomato sauce with one can of water to rinse the can. I baked this small tamale pie for 30 minutes. You will know when it’s ready by the consistency. Shells should be crispy and the filling not too saucy nor too dry.

A serving of tamale pie with rice and asparagus on a white plate. An onion and orange napkin lay in the background

You could serve this with a salad, but we had a salad for lunch after a vegetable smoothie for breakfast, so I decided on rice and asparagus instead. What will you serve with this legendary dish?

Ready to try another savory pie? My Simple and Comforting Shepherd’s Pie is another favorite.

It’s Fun Experimenting With Onion and Herb Burgers

It’s fun and easy to cook once for multiple meals.

How do you keep meal planning simple? I often have some kind of meat defrosting overnight in the refrigerator. Ground beef, for example, is so versatile. I don’t necessarily know until I start cooking what it will become. Cooking without a recipe is so liberating!

A white platter is filled with 5 kofta burgers, yellow rice, yogurt dip, roasted red pepper topped with eggplant dip. Green onions on the side. A red pepper, wooden pepper mill and beige linen napkin sit in the background with a plant in a copper pot.

What’s in those little burgers? Could be just about anything you wanted. I made them kofta style with lots of onion, parsley and Middle Eastern spices.

Ground beef in a package sits on a gray granite surface with a white marble mortar behind it. A black bowl is full of chopped onion, parsley and cilantro.

Did I say onion? Yes, I mean a lot of it, which is why I took this picture to show you. You could use less, but I chopped a whole medium onion in the food processor to go with a pound of meat. A big handful of parsley and half that amount of cilantro went into the food processor next to be chopped. To that mixture I added the following dried spices in descending order of amounts:

  • turmeric
  • cumin
  • garlic
  • cardamom
  • cinnamon
  • ginger
  • salt

If I had some coriander, I would have used that too, but I was out. Time to order spices!

You could cook these just about any way you wanted. On a cookie sheet for about 20 minutes seemed the easiest in this case. Flipped them over at around 12-15 minutes.

Make it a meatloaf, meatballs or hot dog shaped. Serve with Middle Eastern dips like roasted eggplant or yogurt, along with flatbread and salads. Or…serve some mashed potatoes and gravy with whatever fresh veggies are handy.

On a white plate are 3 kofta burgers, mashed potatoes with gravy and swiss chard leaves and colorful stems. A glass of red wine and beige linen napkin sit in the background.

Pictured above, lamb stock from the freezer made a quick gravy. Swiss chard stems roasted in the oven while the leaves were sautéed just until wilted.

2 kofta burgers topped with tomato sauce are served with rice parsley salad with tomatoes on a brown plate. A bottle of oil, a lemon and a tomato sit in the background.

How about adding a touch of tomato sauce and serving with a salad of rice and parsley? Cook once and enjoy multiple meals. It’s fun cooking without a recipe and so easy to do.

Ready to sneak another vegetable in there? Take Your Burger Further With This Surprise Ingredient.

A Thing Tween Protein and Poutine

Break the routine and think poutine with fries and a couple basic ingredients for an easy dinner you can make tonight.

One afternoon when I wasn’t feeling particularly inspired about making dinner, I stumbled upon a picture of poutine (rhymes with routine) on social media. I have never tasted it, but it looked delicious: French fries topped with gravy and cheese curds, whatever those are. The only curds I am familiar with are cottage cheese, but I don’t think that’s what they use in Canada, the home of this dish.

In any case, I had found my inspiration for the question of what to make for dinner tonight…easy! I had some ground beef and some lamb/chicken stock that I had prepared previously. So, I decided to make what would be a hybrid of chili cheese fries and poutine. Just call it delicious.

Cheesy French fries on top of ground beef on a white plate served with a gravy in a white cup and green beans in a brown bowl.

I didn’t have a lot of fresh stuff in the house, but I had in the freezer: frozen french fries and green beans. I decided to plate the browned ground beef underneath the baked fries and serve the gravy on the side for dipping because I don’t like soggy fries.

In some olive oil, I sauteed some chopped garlic and then added the frozen green beans and chopped tomato.

Thickened up my stock by simmering with a little cornstarch. Melted some cheese on top of my oven baked french fries and called it a day. Comfort food with very little cooking involved.

Did I distract you by mentioning chili fries? You can Ban the Chill With Wicked Quick Pantry Chili too. It’s another idea for what to make for dinner tonight that’s easy.

Take it To the Bank Lamb Shank

Slow cooked lamb shank yields maximum results from minimal effort.

Sometimes I don’t want to put much thought or energy into preparing dinner, but I still want to have something tasty ready when we want to eat. A slow cooker is fantastic for that as long as you begin with flavorful ingredients. Lamb shank is perfect for the slow cooker because long and slow makes it tender and delicious. The bones make great stock afterwards, so be sure to save them.

Preparing Lamb Shank

I recommend removing excess fat and connective tissue with a sharp knife first. Even if I am doing a no brainer dinner like this, I remind myself to take the time to sharpen my knife because I get very irritated when I must work harder than my tool to accomplish a task. (A knife sharpener is essential equipment, by the way. If you don’t have one, put it on your list.)

After that, I sprinkled with a little salt and garlic powder and put into the slow cooker. A packet of dried onion soup and a couple cups of water are all I need to make these shanks amazing. Four hours on low and you have a fantastic main dish. A couple hours in the oven works just as well.

Accompaniments

What do you want to pair them with? You could do all kinds of things, but as I was doing what I basically considered a zero labor meal, I tossed some green beans and chopped carrots into the slow cooker at the same time that I began to boil some potatoes on the stovetop just before dinner time. I had decided to make mashed potatoes and serve the onion soup as gravy. I could have thickened up the gravy with a little flour in the end, but I didn’t because this was a zero effort meal…hands on time took maybe 15 minutes to remove fat from shanks and scrub and chop potatoes. No work. Delicious, especially when paired with a nice Barbera. Red wine elevates any meat and potatoes dish in my opinion…Hooray for effortlessly simple meals!

New to cooking lamb? Read Be a Lamb and Try for more tips.

Take Your Burger Further With This Surprise Ingredient

Hint: Here’s how to eat more vegetables when you don’t like them.

When I started this blog, a couple of readers left comments about preparing beets. One suggested using them in burgers. Got a meat eater in the house who hesitates to eat vegetables? Here’s an idea for sneaking some in.

I most often cook beets for use in a salad, so although Ava suggested beginning with raw beets, I decided to try her idea with some leftover beets that were chilled after slicing and boiling. They appeared to be about equal to the amount of beef I would be using, which was one pound.

Here’s How to Eat More Vegetables When You Don’t Like Them!

After chopping the beets in the food processor, I added an equal amount of ground beef to the work bowl along with some spices. I chose the following seasonings:

  • garlic powder
  • mustard powder
  • sage
  • turmeric
  • dash of Worcestershire sauce

After pulsing a few times to incorporate ingredients, I mixed in by hand some grated jack cheese; the amount appearing like two dice.

Tasting the Burgers

I decided to make a tester by cooking a tablespoon of the mixture in a skillet. It’s not a bad idea when you’re mixing up a big batch of raw meat, especially if it includes ingredients you’re not used to combining. That way, you can taste and adjust the seasonings if needed before you commit to cooking the entire amount as is.

In this case I was very happy with the result and so I formed some patties and sprinkled some salt on each side before cooking in a hot skillet with grapeseed oil. Ava was right: 3 minutes on each side worked for me too.

beet burgers with onion and barbeque sauce on a white plate

After letting the burgers rest on paper towels for a couple of minutes, we put them on French rolls. I enjoyed mine just like that, while Michael put barbecue sauce, onions and pickles on his.

The beets added a pleasant texture and extra juiciness compared to a regular burger, plus we got extra veggies and fiber in there. That means they were very filling, so we ate less than we might have otherwise, and we had burgers left over for lunch the next day. Reheated, they were great served alongside a salad.

Eating More Vegetables When You Don’t Like Them Just Got More Exotic

The next time I tried this idea, I used ground venison and mixed it with an equal part roasted beet. I decided to season it Middle Eastern “kofta” style with:

  • garlic powder
  • minced onion
  • turmeric
  • cumin
  • cardamom
  • cinnamon
  • ginger
  • mint

Salt the patties and cook in a skillet for 3 minutes on each side. Served garlic yogurt on the side along with roasted cauliflower with balsamic vinegar reduction.

beet burgers with roasted cauliflower on a white plate

These burgers are so juicy…you may never go back to your typical burger again! I’ll bet you can even make a believer out of a non-beet lover. What about non-squash lovers? Have you tried my macaroni and cheese yet? It’s more squash than cheese, but they will never know! It’s A Great Way to Squash Their Prejudice. You can learn how to eat more vegetables when you don’t like them.

Our Family Favorite Brisket: Now You Can Fix It

You can cook delicious brisket in the oven without a recipe. Trust me…and learn to trust yourself!

Are you trying to preserve your family’s recipes exactly as they have always been made or do you put your own personal spin on them? I don’t think it really matters as long as everyone continues to enjoy them. Which are traditional favorites in your home?

When I first got married, I tried to duplicate my mother-in-law’s beef brisket exactly. Sadly disappointed in how less-than-perfect it came out, I began to learn from that experience and develop my intuition in the kitchen. Cooking a brisket in the oven is really quite simple.

How did the heat in my oven compare to hers? How big was my brisket compared to the roasting pan I used? Where is the best placement in the oven for that roasting pan? Many variables impact the quality of a finished dish.

As far as ingredients go, the sky’s the limit on how one could prepare a brisket. I still make it similar to my mother-in-law, Dottie, but rather than relying on exact timing and measurements, I prefer to let my intuition guide me. That’s how you get more comfortable cooking without a recipe.

Preparation For Cooking Brisket in the Oven

Like Dottie, I let the brisket come to room temperature by taking it out of the fridge about an hour before putting it in the oven.

Into a covered casserole that would fit this brisket, I poured roughly equal parts dry red wine and beef broth. Continuing to follow Dottie’s lead, I mixed in some dry onion soup mix; but you could just as well season with fresh onion and spices. The important thing to know is that you want an acidic ingredient to help tenderize the meat as you would with any slow cooked roast. I added some French thyme too.

I put the covered casserole dish into a preheated 350 degree oven for nearly 3 hours. Testing it at the 2 1/2 hour mark with a fork, I decided it could use a little longer to become more tender. Yes, that’s about as technical as it gets. Take the lid off, look at it, stick a fork in and see if it’s tender. Trust me when I say this method is more reliable than counting the minutes.

After sautéing sliced mushrooms, I poured the brisket gravy into the deep skillet with the mushrooms while the finished brisket rested.

In a small cup I put about a teaspoon of flour and ladled a little gravy into it while whisking with a fork. Ladled a little more gravy into the cup while whisking until I had a smooth slurry to add to the pot of gravy. Let that simmer a bit until thickened. That’s all there is to it. Cooking brisket in the oven is easy and leftovers are just as good…

What else can you put into the oven and let it do its own thing? Read Don’t Be Chicken. There’s nothing to roasting a chicken either.

Please reach out with any questions and if you enjoy this blog, continue to share via your favorite social media using the buttons below.

Ban the Chill With Wicked Quick Pantry Chili

Easy, quick chili recipes begin with a well stocked pantry.

Do you like chili? You could roast some fresh chilis and let a pot simmer all day, but for an every day meal, I often make an easy, quick chili from mostly pantry ingredients. There are endless recipes, but here are basics. Experiment and find your own favorite combination.

2 bowls of chili with black beans served with bread and butter

Ingredients

  • ground turkey, beef, elk, wild boar or other game meat
  • diced onion
  • minced garlic
  • chopped bell pepper
  • canned tomatoes
  • kidney beans or black beans or other beans or a combination thereof
  • corn
  • canned chipotle
  • garlic
  • cumin
  • paprika
  • smoked paprika
  • oregano
  • chopped jalapeno
  • cayenne

Aside from the onion and garlic, which I consider to be pantry staples anyway, everything listed above was either from the freezer or from a can or jar. If you didn’t have fresh onion or garlic, you could make do with dried.

Start by browning the meat and then add the onions, garlic and jalapeno. Add the bell pepper and tomatoes and season to taste while cooking. If using corn, add it near the end. Canned beans also just need to be heated through near the end.

Use just about any kind of meat or beans that you have. Want to make a vegetarian version? Add more veggies (corn, zucchini etc.) and a can of refried beans to thicken it up. Want it soupier? Add more tomato or tomato sauce and/or beef broth or other stock.

What about chili fries? Leave out the beans and top your favorite fries with chili and cheese. Did you decide what to cook for dinner tonight? So easy and quick!

For a unique dining experience and interesting selection of chilis and game meats, we love visiting Cold Spring Tavern in Santa Barbara. Until we can travel there again, we’ll be content with the memories.

A man sitting in a dimly lit dining room in front of a wood burning stove surrounded by a stone mantel

For more comfort in a bowl inspired by memories, please read Gumbo Ya Ya next.

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