Continuing with our locally-raised meat purchases, I stopped by the farmer's market a few Saturdays ago to visit Loncito's Lamb. There I bought a 2-pound frozen boneless cut that would be perfect for stew or sliced roast. As usual, I had no idea what exactly I would do with this dear lamb... there seemed to be so many good options: stew featuring chickpeas, peppers, oranges, cauliflower, or olives. I also had a recipe from Food & Wine for Lamb Steaks with Milk, Honey & Cumin Marinade - wow. Since the meat was frozen I had the luxury of time and decided to plan out two meals: one to send off the winter season, and then a simple baguette sandwich using thinly sliced steaks from that Honey & Cumin recipe. Lamb transitions beautifully from winter into spring, as these two recipes will show.
The stew is more Italian than anything else, with rosemary, bay leaves, garlic & tomatoes as the base. I used Cooks' Illustrated method of substituting tomatoes for wine, which work to deglaze the pan in a similar manner and tenderize the meat with their acidic quality.
Lamb Stew with Cauliflower
1 1/2 lb boneless lean lamb meat, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 cup white flour
kosher salt & pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 sprigs rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes (I like Cento)
1/2 head cauliflower, separated into small florets
Roasted Red Peppers and Lamb on Baguette
1/2 lb boneless lean lamb, cut into 1" thick steaks
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds, lightly toasted
1 tsp honey
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 baguette, sliced lengthwise
1 roasted red pepper (I buy these from the olive section in Central Market)
arugula leaves
2 tbsp Montchevre Honey Goat Cheese
In a mortar, grind the cumin seeds. In a small sauce pan, add milk, honey, garlic, & cumin powder and heat till combined. Set lamb steaks in a glass dish and pour milk mixture over - cover and marinate over night.
Preheat oven to 450. Remove lamb from marinade and pat dry. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over high heat and brown lamb on both sides. Move skillet to the oven and roast until lamb is cooked to medium, or 150 degrees inside. Slice steaks into 1/8" slices, across the grain.
Warm baguette on a cast iron skillet or panini press and press flat with a spatula. Spread goat cheese on each half and top with red pepper, arugula & lamb. Season with salt & pepper.
Enjoy!
Lamb Stew with Cauliflower
1 1/2 lb boneless lean lamb meat, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 cup white flour
kosher salt & pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 sprigs rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes (I like Cento)
1/2 head cauliflower, separated into small florets
2 tbsp capers in brining liquid
1. Toss lamb with flour, salt & pepper to coat. In a Dutch oven or enamel cookware, heat 3 tbsp olive oil and brown lamb on all sides, cooking in two batches so that the meat does not crowd in the pan. Set aside on a plate.
2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Add onions, rosemary, bay leaves to the Dutch oven and saute till onions soften and begin to turn brown. Add tomato paste and combine well, then add the meat & canned tomatoes. Bring to a boil, and turn down low to simmer.
3. Move pan to oven and bake at 250 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the lamb is fork tender. Since the lamb cooks at such a low heat, it shouldn't need additional braising liquid - but check the dish after 1 hour and add a little water if it looks dry.
4. About 30 minutes before stew is finished, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Add cauliflower and 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and saute over medium heat until cauliflower is well cooked through and very browned at the edges, about 20 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary so the cauliflower doesn't burn - cover the skillet after 10 minutes of cooking to steam through. Add capers & their juice to the pan and simmer away.
5. Add cauliflower mixture to lamb stew and stir to combine. This dish was great with Roasted Cipollini Onions and Kale with Lemon Balsamic Butter.
Roasted Red Peppers and Lamb on Baguette1/2 lb boneless lean lamb, cut into 1" thick steaks
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds, lightly toasted
1 tsp honey
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 baguette, sliced lengthwise
1 roasted red pepper (I buy these from the olive section in Central Market)
arugula leaves
2 tbsp Montchevre Honey Goat Cheese
In a mortar, grind the cumin seeds. In a small sauce pan, add milk, honey, garlic, & cumin powder and heat till combined. Set lamb steaks in a glass dish and pour milk mixture over - cover and marinate over night.
Preheat oven to 450. Remove lamb from marinade and pat dry. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over high heat and brown lamb on both sides. Move skillet to the oven and roast until lamb is cooked to medium, or 150 degrees inside. Slice steaks into 1/8" slices, across the grain.
Warm baguette on a cast iron skillet or panini press and press flat with a spatula. Spread goat cheese on each half and top with red pepper, arugula & lamb. Season with salt & pepper.
Enjoy!
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