BBQ Lamb Ribs w/Whole9 Coffee Rub

Ingredients:

2lbs Lamb Ribs (this amount made 2 small servings, due to the weight of the bones and fat)

1T. Penzeys' Orange Peel (you can also use the zest and juice of one orange)

2 Cinnamon Sticks 

1/2 Vanilla Bean (sliced in half lengthwise, so that seeds are exposed)

3T. Whole9 Coffee Rub 

From Whole9's Facebook Page:
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp whole coriander
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp raw sugar (optional)
1 tsp freshly ground coffee

Covers two average steaks. We recommend making more. You'll want more. 
Adapted/improvised from Cree LeFavour's "The New Steak."

1. Add lamb ribs (fat-side down, bone-side up), orange peel (add orange juice and zest, if using in place of Penzeys' peel), cinnamon stick, and vanilla bean to a crock pot and cover with 2 cups of water (they don't need to be covered, as you're just wanting to sort of braise them, without the need to brown first). 
2. Cover with a lid and turn on crock pot to desired cooking temp.*
3. Once the ribs are cooked to your desired doneness, remove from the crock pot and pat dry. Rub ribs, evenly, with the Coffee Rub and transfer to preheated grill/BBQ, meat-side down.**
4. Close the grill lid and grill the ribs about 5-7 minutes, until nicely charred (not burned). 
5. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately or cover with foil until ready to serve.

*My crock pot has a "Low" or "High" setting; I set it to "Low" and cooked the ribs for about 6 hours. Cooking time will vary, depending on your crock pot, but the ribs can cook up to 8 hours and be just fine; they'll just get more tender.

**I used wood briquets for this step, but use a gas grill if that's what you've got. If using a charcoal grill, you want the charcoal to be grey and not still emitting flames. If using a gas grill, preheat and grill at about 400F. You're just going for a nice char, as the ribs are already cooked through. 

Six Hours in the Crock Pot. 

Rubbed w/Coffee Rub and Ready to Grill.

Heirloom Arugula

I served these ribs with an Arugula and Radish Salad, tossed with a Lemon-Hazelnut Vinaigrette:

Ingredients:

Juice of One Small Lemon
2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 T. Roasted Hazelnut Oil
Pinch of Sea Salt
Pinch of Smoked Paprika
1 T. Chopped Fresh Cilantro

Whisk ingredients together and adjust to taste.

This dressing can be made up to three days in advance, but is so easy to make that it can simply be whisked in the bottom of your serving bowl. I like to serve with mixed greens and toasted hazelnuts (if you can get Oregon hazelnuts...do it!). This would also be great with: Arugula+Peaches+Hazelnuts

Lamb Roast w/Fennel and Root Vegetables

Ingredients:

3lb Lamb Shoulder Roast

1T. Bacon Fat 

1 Fennel Bulb, trimmed and cut into quarters lengthwise (leave the stem intact) 

2 Rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1.5" cubes

2 Beets, peeled, halved, and quartered

6 Carrots, peeled and cut into 2" chunks

2T. Fennel Seeds, ground

1T. Dried Oregano

1/2T. Sea Salt

1tsp. Dried Rosemary

1tsp. Garlic Powder

1. Preheat oven to 375F*. 
2. Mix ground fennel seed, oregano, salt, rosemary, and garlic powder in a smal bowl and set aside. 
3. Rub the lamb roast with 2T. of the salt mixture and set aside.
4. Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat and add bacon fat. Transfer lamb roast to the dutch oven, fat side down, and brown, 7-10 minutes. 
5. Once the fat side is browned, remove roast from the pan and transfer to a plate. Add cut vegetables to the dutch oven and toss in oil to coat. Place the roast, fat side up, back into the dutch oven on top of the vegetables.
6. Cover and transfer to the preheated oven.
7. Cook the meat and veggies until the meat begins to fall off the bone, about 4 hours. 
8. Serve garnish with fresh herbs. 

*Alternatively, you may make this in a crock pot; follow steps 2-5, but transfer everything to a crock pot, instead of the dutch oven. Cooking time will vary. Follow your manufacturer's instructions.

 

As most of you may know...we're in the process of moving, so I apologize for the lack of posts. To be honest, I've been eating a lot of the same stuff and making meals that I could pretty much throw together in my sleep. I've also ben eating a lot of leftovers, which is what inspired this meal. We are moving over the next two days, so I will not have access to any of my cooking supplies. I knew that I would need to make something that would create leftovers and had a lamb shoulder roast thawing in my fridge (I was going to make this for Easter, but we ended up going out for sushi). Perfect! It took just a few minutes to prepare and the rest was waiting. Also, perfect! And, to top it off, I only had one pot to clean. I love lamb and think that these flavors work really well together. You can really use this recipe for any roast, you'll just want to adjust the seasoning (this would work for pork, lamb, or a whole chicken, but the flavors may not work as well with beef) to pair with the meat you'll be using. Enjoy!

I'm excited to be moving back to the Northwest and am looking forward to the fresh produce, local foods, and...my own garden! I'll be in transition (without anything but the goods I can fit into my two suitcases (<100lbs), so bear with me and I'll see you in Portland!

Lamb Osso Bucco w/Wild Porcini and Fennel

Ingredients:

2- 1lb Lamb Shanks

3T. Bacon Fat (or Coconut Oil or Olive Oil or Ghee)

1T. plus 1 tsp. Ground Fennel

2 tsp. Sea Salt

1 Yellow Onion, thinly sliced

3 Cloves of Garlic, minced (or 1T. Garlic Powder) 

4-6 Carrots, peeled and sliced into 1" chunks (I like to slice diagonally)
1T. Wild Porcini Mushroom Sea Salt*
1 tsp. Ground Fennel
3T. Tomato Paste
1- 14.5oz Can of Chopped Tomatoes (and their juices)
2 Large Handfuls of Chopped Chard
Fresh Parsley and Lemon Zest, for garnish 


*You can also use a combo of Ground Dried Porcini Mushrooms and Sea Salt or just use 2 tsp. Sea Salt

Stir-Fried Chicken Livers w/Curry and Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:
1/2lb Chicken, Duck, or Goose Liver (though I've never tried it, I would add lamb liver to this list)
4T. Lard, Duck Fat, or Coconut Oil (I used Duck Fat, but think that Coconut Oil would be really good)
1/2 Medium Sweet Yellow Onion, sliced to 1/4" thickness
2tsp. Curry Powder* (I used a blend that I found at Target, but make your own or use your favorite)

1. Pat the liver(s) dry and cut into 1/2" slices. Heat a wok or saute pan until it's smoking.
2. Add 1T. of the fat and let it melt briefly. Add onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes, rapidly moving the pieces around so that they touch the entire surface area of the pan or wok, until it begins to brown on the edges but is still crisp. 
3. In the last 20 seconds of stir-frying, add 1/2 tsp. of the curry powder and toss evenly with the onion. Remove mixture from the pan and set aside.
4. Add remaining fat and let it melt briefly. Stir-fry liver pieces for 1-2 minutes, rapidly moving them around so they touch entire surface, until they begin to brown on the edges but are still tender inside. In the last 20 seconds, add the remaining curry powder and toss evenly. 
5. Reintroduce the onion to the pan and toss together with the liver, being careful not to break up the meat more than is necessary.
6. Plate and serve immediately. **

**I like this garnished with chopped fresh cilantro. 

Curry Powder*

2 T. Coriander

1 tsp. Ground Cumin

3 Cloves, ground

2 tsp. Black Peppercorns, ground 

1 T. Brown Mustard Seeds, ground

1 Dried Red Chili, ground

1 tsp. Fenugreek Seeds, ground

2 tsp. Ground Turmeric

I bought a pound of chicken livers from my favorite local farm and, after perusing my new cookbook, "Primal Cuts", decided to use this recipe (taken from page 19 of the book). Okay, so...these are crazy good! And, I'm not really much of an onion person, but they add the perfect balance of sweetness to this spice-filled dish. If you've been wanting to try livers, because you've heard about their many health benefits, this is a great recipe to experiment with. As for the curry powder, I'm sure that making your own just enhances the flavors of the curry, but my curry powder had these ingredients and tasted just fine.

On a final note...buy this book! It will not disappoint. Well, the only thing that would've made this book better would've been pictures of the final, cooked product...something that I appreciate in a cookbook. Other than that, it's well-written, easy to follow, with plenty of unique and flavorful recipes. Take a peek inside, here.

Actually, I'm pretty sure you'll thank me.

Moroccan-Style Lamb Meatballs

Ingredients
(from this Williams-Sonoma recipe)

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 red onion, very finely chopped

1 lb. ground lamb

3 large garlic cloves, crushed through a press

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
  leaves, finely chopped

1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves,
  finely chopped, plus sprigs for garnish

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more,
  to taste

Lemon wedges for squeezing and garnish

1. Lightly oil a shallow-rimmed baking sheet. 
2. In a fry pan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool.
3. Add the lamb, garlic, eggs, parsley, chopped mint, cumin, cinnamon, the 1 tsp. salt and the 1/2 tsp. pepper to the bowl with the onion. Combine the ingredients thoroughly with your hands. Fry a small pinch of the mixture, taste, and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into balls about the size of a walnut, rolling them very lightly in the palms of your hands. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Preheat a broiler. Place the meatballs about 4 inches from the heat source and broil, turning once with tongs, until brown and crispy on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Remove the baking sheet from the broiler and transfer the meatballs to a platter.
5. Squeeze some lemon juice over the meatballs and arrange the remaining lemon wedges and mint sprigs on the platter. Using a cocktail pick, skewer each meatball. Serve immediately. Makes about 42 warm bites.

Note: The meatballs can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours before cooking. Remove them from the refrigerator 15 minutes before cooking. If desired, cook and cool the meatballs, refrigerate them for up to 4 hours, and then reheat in a 350°F oven until heated through, 10 to 20 minutes.


The recipe for these meatballs calls for breadcrumbs, but I found that the eggs and the fat in the ground lamb keep them together, without them. I served these with this Cucumber Raita, but use lemon juice (as the recipe suggests) for a totally Paleo-friendly hors d'oeuvres. 


Cucumber Raita:

1 Seedless Cucumber, peeled and finely grated

1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt (or use Regular Coconut Milk* that has been refrigerated, to thicken)

1 Tbs. Finely Chopped Fresh Cilantro

1/2 tsp. Minced Garlic

1/4 tsp. Ground Cumin

1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

Black Pepper, to taste

*Add the juice of 1/2 lime, if you substitute coconut milk, to give the sauce some acidity.

The Best Lamb Osso Bucco

(from this, Anne Burrell, recipe on FoodTV.com) 

Serves 4

Ingredients:
EVOO
4 Lamb Shanks (each about 1 1/4 pounds; 1 shank is a portion)
Sea Salt
1 large Spanish onion or 2 small yellow onions, quartered
3 Carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
3 celery ribs, cut into chunks
4 cloves garlic
1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups hearty red wine
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary leaves
10 to 12 thyme branches tied together into a bundle
3 to 4 cups water

2-3 lb. Baby Carrots, Zucchini, and Squash
Gremolata, recipe follows

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Coat a large Dutch oven generously with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Season the shanks generously with salt and add them to the pan. Brown well on all sides. This is an incredibly important step; do not rush it.
3. Meanwhile, puree the onions, carrots, celery and garlic in a food processor until it becomes a coarse paste. Remove and set aside.
4. Remove the shanks from the pan to a sheet tray. Discard the excess fat from the pan. Add a little more oil to coat the bottom of the pan and add the pureed veggies. Season with salt, to taste. Saute the veggies until they are very brown and aromatic, about 20 minutes. The brown veggies should form a sort of crust on the bottom of the pan, do not let this burn; it is where a lot of the flavor is! Don't rush this step either, since this is where you will develop the brown color and flavor.
5. Add the tomato paste and brown for 5 minutes. Stir in the wine, chopped rosemary and thyme bundle. Stir frequently and cook until the wine has reduced by about half.
6. Add the shanks back to the pot and pour in 3 to 4 cups of water. The shanks should be submersed, if they are not, add more water. Cover and put in the preheated oven. The cooking time will be about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Turn the shanks over about halfway through the cooking time. Check the shanks every 45 minutes or so. If the liquid has reduced too much add more water. Defat as you go.
7. During the last 60 minutes of cooking add the baby vegetables to the pot and replace lid.
8. Remove the lid during the last 30 minutes of cooking time for maximum browning. When the shanks are done the meat should be incredibly tender and flavorful. Transfer to serving plates. Serve with veggies and garnish with Gremolata.

Browned Lamb Shanks (Step #2):

Chopped carrots, celery, onion, and garlic ready to be processed (Step #3):

After processing:

Browning the processed veggies (Step #4):

Browned veggies w/tomato paste (Step #5):

Prepped herbs:

Baby veggies:

Gremolata:

Gremolata:

1 orange, zested
1 lemon, zested
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and set aside until ready to use.

Zesting the orange:

This is one of those recipes that looks more difficult than it actually is. And, let me tell you...any effort put into this dish is well worth it!!! It is the perfect dish to serve to a group, as once it's in the oven you're pretty much free. The recipe says to check periodically (which I did), but I didn't really see a need...the lamb will just continue to tenderize and fall off the bone as it cooks.

Take the time to prep all of your ingredients, before beginning to cook, and this recipe will come together really smoothly. I used this Martha Stewart Cast Iron Enameled 7Qt. Casserole, and it worked perfectly. You could also cook this meal, after browning, in a crock pot. Enjoy!