Lamb Kofta

My mom use to have a fondue ever New Years Eve. As a child I would be downstairs watching movies and eating snacks while this went on. I just loved listen the droning sound of all the tipsy adults talking at once and the boisterous laughs and cackles. As soon as my mom would burst out a cackle the room would roar even louder to laugh at her cackling. It puts a smile on my face just to think about it.

My mom would put out a large dish of vegetables, chicken and beef and each person with there designated fondue colour sticks would cook those tasty bite sized morsels in the ever so unhealthy peanut oil. I cannot even fathom doing that today, as a nice mix of wine and bouillon is a healthier and lighter option. One of my favourite items she’d make for the fondue were her cheese stuffed meatballs. When dipped in the hot oil the cheese would melt and be so silky smooth in your mouth.

When I made these lamb koftas the melted feta cheese in them reminded me of those little melty meatballs. But it is not only the melted feta cheese that makes these koftas wonderful. The well balanced flavors and textures is what make these koftas a superb appetizer or dinner. The salty feta, tangy raisins, pungent cumin all mixed into the lean and tender lamb is a delectable combination. Grilling really heightens the aroma and flavour.

Lamb Kofta

1lb ground lamb or bison
1 small onion, peeled and grated
½ cup soft breadcrumbs

½ cup crumbled feta
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large egg
2-4 T currants or chopped raisins
1 T fresh ginger
1 tsp cumin
¼ t cinnamon
¼ t salt

Preheat oven to 400F. Soak some bamboo skewers in water for 10 min.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Shape handfuls of the meat mixture into flattened sausages about 3” long around the ends of the skewers. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast turning often until cooked through. Serve with couscous, or flatbread.

Makes 12 kebabs.

Grilling: I tried these grilled and the flavors and texture was even better than in the oven.

Grilled Rack of Lamb & Ginger-Garlic Carrots

It is nice to see so many bloggers enjoying fall as much as I am. I have seen some beautiful soups, gratins, and desserts. I think the cooler weather makes us all enjoy cozy harvest foods. Being in a harvest mood myself I bought some market fresh baby carrots which I thought would compliment a rack of lamb and some roasted potatoes. I have never eaten a french cut rack of lamb and was excited to try this with either a marinade or red wine reduction. Although the red wine reduction sounded delicious, I was a bit of a lush and kept the wine for my own self indulgence and went with a grainy mustard and thyme marinade. It turned out very nice providing savoury flavors to this grill rack of lamb.

As for the carrots I wanted to do something a bit unique with more flavor. Thinking back to my green beans with lemon and garlic. I decided to go with garlic and ginger flavored carrots. For even more flavor I had herb seasoned potatoes. Overall a very tender and palate pleasing dinner which was served with a 2 year old wine which I have been waiting to open since my wedding. It was full bodied and a perfect match with the gamey lamb.

Lamb Marinade
2 french cut racks of lamb (1lbs)
1/8 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove
1/2 T grainy dijon mustard
1/2 T thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp rosemary

Mix all the ingredients together and rub on the lamb. Let sit for 4 hours in the fridge.

Preheat grill to med high and grill for 10 min per side for medium. Let rest for 10 minutes under foil so juices settle.

Carrots

1 bunch of baby carrots with tops on, peeled
2 cloves garlic minced
1 T butter
1 T minced fresh ginger
1 T fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Steam carrots in steamer for 10 mins. Heat the butter in a large non stick pan over med heat. Add garlic, ginger and cook 1 min. Remove from heat. Add carrots, cilantro and remaining ingredients. Serve immediately with lamb.

Potatoes

Take 10-12 baby potatoes, and cut into wedges. Place them in a bowl and toss with 1 T of olive oil and season with pepper, herbs (rosemary, thyme), chili powder and a pinch of cayenne and paprika. Bake in the oven for 25 min at 375F.

Lamb Chops with Chili-Cilantro Sauce

This entree was prepared by my husband following our mussel appetizer. Originally the plan was to grill these, however with no bbq, we resorted to pan cooking, which turned out excellent. The marinade and sauce made these very tender and full of flavor.

Lamb Chops

6 lamb chops x 1 inch thickness
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 T chili powder
1 T dried oregano
1 T ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Chili-Cilantro Sauce

1 T olive oil
1/4 cup chopped shallow or green onion
1 T garlic, minced (about 2-3 cloves)
1 T cilantro, chopped
2 cups red wine
2 cups beef stock
4 T butter

Combine the ingredients under the Lamb Chops heading and coat the lamb chops with mixture and marinate for 6-8 hours. Cover and refridgerate.

Prepare the cilantro sauce: heat 1 T oil in medium saucepan, add shallots, garlic and sautee for 2 min. Add wine, beef stock and 1 T chili powder. Boil until sauce reduces to about 1 cup (takes a while). Remove sauce from heat and stir in butter 1 piece at a time, whisking to incorporate. Stir in the fresh chopped cilantro.

Grill lamp chops at medium-high heat about 5-6 min per side. Pour sauce over the chops and serve with goat cheese stuffed grilled tomatoes, green and yellow beans.

Wine: Folonari Valpolicella Classico 2003 Ripasso (aged 1 year in oak barrels and than properly stored for 1 year)