Greek Lamb Fricassee

In Greek: αρνί φρικασέ, pronounced ar-NEE free-kah-SEH

The Greek definition of “fricassee” may differ from what you know as a French dish, and this ‘is’ a Greek classic. Lamb fricassee with avgolemono (a traditional egg-lemon sauce) is a favourite in Greek homes.

It’s an easy recipe to make and a celebration of taste. This is a Jamie Oliver version of the famous dish and while it may not be the prettiest of dishes, it certainly makes up for it with a deep and hearty flavour!

Ingredients:
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium-sized onion, sliced
2 bunches spring onions, including green stems, finely chopped
2 heads cos lettuce, washed and finely shredded
1 bunch fresh dill, finely chopped
1.5kg boned leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 5cm pieces
Green salad and bread, to serve

Avgolemono sauce
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Juice of 1½ lemons


1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan and sauté the lamb for 5–7 minutes or until browned on all sides. Add the garlic, onion and spring onions and cook for 5 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the lettuce and dill and cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly until the lettuce wilts. Season generously with sea salt and ground black pepper. Add water to just cover the stew and simmer for 1½–2 hours or until the meat is tender.

2. For avgolemono, whisk the eggs and lemon juice together and ladle in some broth from the stew while whisking. Pour into the stew and combine wellwith a wooden spoon. Continue to stir over a low heat (being careful that the sauce does not curdle) for 3–5 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. Serve with a green salad and crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

Enjoy!

Easy Lamb Koftas

When my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, they decided to hold a ‘Drinks & Nibbles’ party at their home for our family and special friends. We put up a pergola, as English weather can be temperamental, cleaned the house, sorted the garden and we were ready. As my Mum suffers from coeliac disease and likes to know the source of food, organic if possible, she decided to cook the nibbles herself. 40 guests needed at least 12/15 nibbles each, so she cooked, froze and made fresh on the day. The weather could have been kinder, but the showers didn’t seem to dampen anyones spirits, and the sun shone for some of the day. They had a great day – just what everyone wanted.

The recipe for ‘Easy Lamb Koftas’ came from a friend and they are delicious.

Ingredients:
400g Minced Lamb
1 Onion, chopped and cooked in a little oil
1½ slices of bread made into breadcrumbs (I used gluten-free bread)
2tblsps Aubergine pickle – chop small any large pieces
2tblsps Mango chutney - chop small any large pieces
Salt and Pepper

1. Using a food processor, or just your fingers, process the lamb until smooth.

2. In a large bowl put the lamb and add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.

3. Add a little oil to your hands and shape into sausages – small ones for nibbles and large ones for the BBQ.

4. Cook in the oven at 180 Fan, 200C/400F, Gas 5. The nibbles are ready after 10/12minutes and the larger ones 15/18mins.

5. If making in advance cook until just done and then freeze. When required unfreeze and cook until nicely coloured.

Finally push sticks in one end and serve with a yoghurt dip.

Enjoy!

Peshawar-style Lamb Curry

The Lamb Pasanda Curry I blogged about at the start of the year, has become a firm family favourite and we have had it a few times since then, loving it every time.

Having been given another shoulder of lamb, I decided I would try a new lamb curry from my curry bible. I chose the Peshawar-style Lamb Curry as I had all the rest of the ingredients in the cupboard and fridge.

Peshawar in the North West Frontier Province, was created during the British Raj to safeguard India from foreign invaders. The cuisine of this area is famous for its robust flavours and colours. This Lamb Curry is in a class of its own.

The recipe that I have listed below is the recipe and instructions from the book – however I made a small change to the recipe and roasted the lamb in the oven first of all for 3 hours at 160C, so that the meat would be so tender and fall off the bones. This meant that I could reduce the cooking/simmering time from 45-50 minutes to 10-15 minutes. The meat tasted amazing and so succulent. I will give the book version a go on another occasion but have to say this tasted great doing it this way!

Source: Curry Bible – Mridula Baljekar

(Printable Recipe)

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1lb 5oz/600g Boneless Shoulder or Leg of Lamb, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 tbsp Sunflower Oil
1 Cinnamon stick
5 Green Cardamom pods, bruised
5 Cloves
2 Bay Leaves
1 Large Onion, finely chopped
2 tsp Ginger Purée
2 tsp Garlic Purée
1 tbsp Tomato Purée
1 tsp Ground Turmeric
1 tsp Ground Coriander
1 tsp Ground Cumin
125g/4oz Thick Set Natural Yogurt
2 tsp Corn Flour
1 tsp Chilli Powder
150ml/5fl oz Warm Water
1 tbsp Chopped Fresh Mint Leaves
2 tbsp Chopped Fresh Coriander Leaves

1 In a saucepan, heat the oil over a low heat and add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bay leaves. Let them sizzle for 25-30 seconds.

2 Add the meat, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the meat begins to brown.

3 Add the onion, ginger and garlic purées, cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring regularly, then add the tomato purée, turmeric, ground coriander and cumin. Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes.

4 Mix together the yogurt, flour and chilli powder and add to the meat.

5 Reduce to a low heat, add the warm water, cover and simmer, stirring to ensure the sauce does not stick to the base of the pan for 45-50 minutes, or until the meat is tender. Simmer uncovered, if necessary, to thicken the sauce to a desired consistency.

6 Stir in the fresh mint and coriander and remove from the heat.

Serve with Indian bread.

Enjoy!

Burns Night Scotch Broth

Wanting to blog about a recipe for others to try on Burns Night (on the 25th January), I asked my mum to see if she had any old family recipes that I could cook up and write about. She found me an old recipe for Scotch Broth from forty years ago, which seemed perfect to try out. Having never made it before, it was incredibly simple to do and filled the kitchen with lovely winter soupy aromas while simmering away.

This is what my mum told me about it…

Burn’s Night is celebrated by a meal, usually consisting of Haggis and other Scottish goodies like Scotch Broth. This could be a starter at a Burn’s Night Dinner or a simple supper dish to celebrate with friends at home. I believe I first ate it at Cha-Cha’s (my daughter’s god-mother) house back in the late 1960’s. Born in Glasgow she came south to work and became friends with my family and introduced us to all things Scottish. We enjoyed many a Hogmany with her and she usually served up something like Scotch Broth on Burn’s Night. I even learned Scottish Dancing with her when she bought me a pair of ‘proper’ dancing shoes. She returned to Scotland and, now retired, lives on the shores of Loch Linnhie and I think of her when I use this recipe.

A one-pot very hearty soup that can be a starter or a more substantial meal served with warm crusty bread or thick french stick.

(Printable Recipe)

Serves 4-6 people, or more if just a starter.

The soup should be made the day before it is needed.

Ingredients:
1½lbs (750g) Lamb neck chops (the meat is taken off the bone for serving)
2 tblsps Pearl Barley
2½ pints of water
3 Leeks cut into slices
1 Medium turnip cut into small cubes
1 Large carrot cut into small slices
1 Stick celery cut into small slices (optional)
1 Medium onion chopped
½ Small cabbage shredded
2ozs (40g) Dried peas (optional)
Salt & Pepper
Fresh parsley chopped to garnish

NB If using the dried peas, place in a bowl, cover with warm water and leave overnight, rinse and drain well before adding to the soup.

1 Place the meat in a deep saucepan with the cold water and bring to the boil, skim off any scum that appears on the surface.

2 Then add the barley, turnip, and if using, the peas, and simmer gently for about 1 hour.

3 Then add the rest of the vegetables and simmer for another 30/40 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.

4 Add the cabbage and stir until heated through and just tender.

5 Remove the chops from the pan and separate the flesh from the bones discarding any fat etc.

6 Return the meat to the pan and then leave the soup to get cold so that any fat can be scraped off.

7 When required reheat the broth, check the seasoning and serve sprinkled with parsley and warm crusty bread.

Enjoy!

Lamb Pasanda

Having been given a shoulder of lamb over the Christmas holiday, I thought it was about time to cook it but wanted to try something new with it. While I was looking through my new Curry Bible that I was given for Christmas, I found the following delicious recipe. It was so simple to cook and for once I had all the ingredients, which was perfect as I didn’t fancy going anywhere during the recent winter storms.

This is what the book said about it…
“Here is a legacy from the glorious days of the Mogul courts, when Indian cooking reached a refined peak. The word Pasanda, from which this creamy dish gets its name, indicates small pieces of boneless meat, in this case tender lamb, flattened as thin as possible.”

Source: Curry Bible – Mridula Baljekar

(Printable Recipe)

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
1lb 5oz/600g Boneless Shoulder or Leg of Lamb
2 tbsp Garlic and Ginger paste
2oz/55g Ghee or 4 tbsp Groundnut Oil
3 large Onions, chopped
1 fresh Green Chilli, deseeded and chopped
2 Green Cardamom pods, bruised
1 Cinnamon stick
2 tsp Ground Coriander
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Ground Turmeric
9fl oz/250 ml Water
5fl oz/150 ml Double Cream
4 tbsp Ground Almonds
1.5 tsp Salt
1 tsp Garam Masala
Paprika and toasted Flaked Almonds to garnish

1 Cut the meat into thin slices and place the slices between clingfilm and pound with a rolling pin to make them even thinner.

2 Put the lamb in a bowl, add the garlic and ginger paste and rub the paste into the lamb.

3 Cover and set aside in a cool place to marinate for 2 hours.

4 Melt the ghee or oil in a large frying pan with a tight lid over a medium heat. Add the onions and chilli and cook, stirring frequently, for 5-8 minutes, until the onions are golden brown.

5 Stir in the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, corriander, cumin and turmeric and continue stiring for 2 minutes, or until the spices are aromatic.

6 Add the meat to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until it is brown on all sides and the fat begins to separate.

7 Stir in the water and bring to the boil, still stirring. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting, cover the pan and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the meat is tender.

8 When the lamb is tender, stir in the cream and ground almonds together in a bowl. Beat in 6 tbsp of the hot cooking liquid from the pan, then gradually beat this mixture back into the pan.

9 Stir in the salt and garam masala and continue to simmer for a futher 5 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Garnish with a sprinkling of paprika and toasted almonds and serve.

Enjoy!