Posts Tagged ‘lamb’
Wednesday, April 6th, 2011
A busy weekend indeed, this last one. Our lawn was wrecked over winter by a combination of long lying snow and the boots of builders as they repaired out roof. So, I decided to assault the lack of greenness with buckets of determination. We have only a small garden with two large trees so we suffer from shade (actually rather nice as we neither get too cold nor too hot.) So I have reduced the beds and have sown a leafy lawn that is apparently great for shaded areas.
To celebrate my hard work I cleared out the barbecue, ran out to buy some new charcoal and dug out a nice free range chicken and half and English lamb leg. What a way to get the season started. So, what did I do to the meat?
(more…)
Thursday, March 17th, 2011
Lamb koftas are one of those dishes that Kebab houses and vans manage to wreck so frequently. A charcoal grilled delight that should be soft, moist and yummy is often dry and tasteless and if it is moist, that is because it has been kept warm in a warming dish for the last half hour. Worse still are the infamous garlic koftas – exactly the same beast, but with garlic powder added! Who on earth invented Garlic Powder? It is revolting.
Unless you go to places like Efes in Great Titchfield Street, London (I used to live opposite them), or Topkapi in Marylebone High Street, another favourite of mine, getting a decent kebab of any sort anywhere is a problem. So, if in doubt, make you own. Koftas, which tend to be lamb, can be mixed with anything – including nuts and herbs. As I am on a diet, the nuts are out for the moment, so I will just go with the herbs. Best served with a little Meze, in my opinion. You can read about a meze here.
(more…)
Tuesday, June 1st, 2010
Oh, I feel so guilty about this. When I started cooking the other day, I planned to take complete photos to cover the preparation of the entire feast. But you know how it is; you get busy, the dog is biting your feet, you are dropping people at paint-balling, you leave your camera upstairs and one way and another it simply does not happen. And when at last you do get round to actually photographing the final result, it has all gotten eaten and the dog has taken over the hammock.
However, I can still give you the recipes for the three bits that got cooked over the coals – Ribs, Lamb Burgers and Chicken Breasts. Here we go …
(more…)
Thursday, May 13th, 2010
We get stuck using beef and pork for pasta and I think we forget that there are other things that work well. Lamb is one of them. You can cook it several ways, but today I am sticking with lamb mince, mostly because I had some in the fridge. This dish can, however, be cooked with things like shredded lamb from a shoulder joint – very yummy!
This dish is not a thick ragu such as bolognaise, but a simpler affair that takes only around an hour or so to cook. I suggest serving this with a large form pasta since this is a bit of a chunky peasant dish, but anything will work.
(more…)
Wednesday, January 6th, 2010
Recently I cooked for the family round at my mother’s house. Being a greedy lot, copious quantities of food were expected and subsequently delivered. Central to the feast were three dishes – Imam Bayildi (baked aubergines), Porchetta (roasted belly of pork) and Leg of Lamb cooked in wine. The first two dishes I will pen for you later, but for now, here is the Lamb.
This is a serious winter dish; warming, rich and easy to do, though not quick! The trick here is that the lamb should be cooked for as long as possible. Here is what I did. (more…)