Braised Rice With Lamb Chops Sausages And Veal Strips Topped With Mushrooms And A Basil Tomato Sauce Food

PASTITSIO WITH LAMB AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• For the bechamel sauce: Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a saucepot, and then whisk in the flour 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and season with some salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. Cook until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon and adjust the seasoning once more. Pour a ladleful of the sauce into a bowl with the yolks, whisking to temper the eggs before adding into the pot. Stir in the cheese and remove from the heat. For the spicy meat sauce: Heat 2 turns of the pan EVOO in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the lamb and sausage well, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Stir in the bay leaf, garlic, onions and peppers and sprinkle with the rosemary, some salt and pepper. Cook until the onions soften, 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until fragrant, then pour in the wine and reduce by half. Add the stock and tomatoes, breaking them up as they cook, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Throw in the citrus rind and cinnamon stick to mellow the sauce, and simmer until the tomatoes cook down, 30 minutes. Discard the rind, cinnamon stick and bay leaf. For the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente. Just before draining the pasta, add 1 cup of the starchy cooking liquid to your sauce. Beat the egg whites until frothy and combine with the cheese, and then toss with the pasta. For assembly: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with EVOO. Spoon in half of the pasta, then layer with all of the meat sauce followed by the remaining pasta. Pour all of the bechamel on top as the last layer. (Cool and store for a make-ahead meal, bringing to room temperature before baking and serving.) Set the pastitsio on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake until deeply golden on top, 1 hour. Cool 15 to 20 minutes, then cut and serve.

VEAL OR LAMB PAPRIKASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring the meat to room temperature. Pat the meat dry with paper towels, then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Heat a drizzle of EVOO in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the meat in batches and cook until deep brown all over. Transfer to a plate.
• Add another drizzle of EVOO to the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter and let it melt into the oil. Add the onions and cook until very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons paprika, the cumin, garlic, bay leaves, bell peppers and tomatoes, and stir to combine and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the stock and wine then return the meat to the pot. Cover with a lid, transfer the pot to the oven and cook until the meat is tender, about 2 hours.
• Remove the meat to a platter and cover with foil. Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce in the pot. Stir in the creme fraiche and cook until the sauce is reduced, 20 to 30 minutes. Return the meat to the pot. (If you are not serving immediately, cool the stew and then refrigerate until ready to use. Reheat in a moderate oven or over a medium flame.) Just before serving, stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon paprika to brighten the flavor.
• For garnish, fry the caperberries in a little EVOO until crisp. Top the stew with a few dollops of creme fraiche and the fried caperberries. (The green, red and white colors signify the Hungarian flag.)
• Any leftover stew is great for lunch or with poached eggs.

BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER CHOPS

Steps:

• Trim fat from chops.
• Heat oil in large deep non stick frypan or Dutch oven; brown chops on both sides, about 5 minutes each side; remove from pan, set aside.
• In the same pan, add onion chunks, saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add carrots, celery, salt and pepper and lemon slices, saute until caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir in wine or broth, bring to simmer and deglaze pan.
• Meanwhile, empty tomatoes, undrained, into a bowl, add curry powder, cumin, coriander, garlic and soy sauce.
• Stir to mix, pour tomato mixture into pan; stir to mix with caramelized veggies.
• Return chops to pan and spoon mixture over them.
• Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 hour or until chops are fork tender.
• Make a slurry of cold water and cornstarch, stir into pan and bring to boil, simmer until juices are thickened.
• Sprinkle with chopped fresh mint.
• Serve over mashed potatoes or rice or noodles.

VEAL CHOPS WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• heat oil in skillet, add chops, season and saute about 5 mins per side until cooked through.
• remove to plate and keep warm.
• toss mushrooms in flour, add to pan.
• add chicken stock cook a few minutes until thickened.
• add cream, nutmeg and salt& pepper to taste.
• spoon sauce over chops, serve.