Crisp Lamb With Yogurt And Scallions Food

YOGURT-MARINATED ROAST LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Marinade: Use a spoon to peel the ginger. Peel garlic and onion. Roughly chop onion and ginger, followed by half of the parsley and cilantro, including stems. In a blender, add the ginger, onion, garlic, herbs, ⅓ of the yogurt, and salt. Purée until smooth. Add the remaining yogurt and purée again to combine. Set aside.
• Lamb: Place lamb on a flat surface. Use a sharp knife to poke holes in the lamb at 1½-inch intervals; this will help the lamb absorb the marinade. Flip over and repeat on the other side. Fit a brining bag into a large container (or the roasting pan you'll be using, if it fits in the refrigerator). Then place the lamb into the bag and pour in the marinade. Massage the marinade into the lamb so all of the meat is covered, then seal the bag. Refrigerate for 1-2 days (longer marination will yield more tenderized lamb).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer the lamb and all of the marinade into a roasting pan. Lay parchment paper over the lamb to cover, then cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for 1 hour. (Total roasting time will be 3 hours.)
• After 1 hour, remove lamb from oven. Gently remove foil and parchment. (The yogurt will have separated into curds and whey, which is normal.) Use tongs to flip the lamb over, then cover with parchment and foil again. Place back into the oven for 1 hour. After the second hour of roasting, flip the lamb again and place back into the oven, uncovered, for 1 final hour.
• After a total of 3 hours of roasting, remove lamb. Pierce the lamb with a sharp knife to check for doneness. If there isn't a lot of resistance, it's done. Flip lamb over, spoon yogurt solids on top, and let rest, 30 minutes.
• Almond Relish: Roughly chop the almonds, place in a medium bowl, and set aside. Pick the leaves off the remaining cilantro and parsley, bunch together, and finely chop. Add herbs to the almonds. Add enough olive oil to cover, about ½ cup, and mix. Juice 3 of the 4 lemon halves into the relish, mix, and add salt to taste. Use the juice of the remaining lemon half to taste.
• Assembly: Use tongs and a meat fork to transfer lamb to a serving platter. Spoon relish over the lamb, and serve.

GREEK LAMB WITH YOGURT MINT SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the garlic, rosemary, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the herbs are finely minced. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and red wine and combine. Place the chops in a glass or ceramic dish just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Pour the marinade over the chops, turning to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.
• When ready to cook, prepare a grill with one layer of hot coals or turn a gas grill to medium-high heat. Remove the lamb from the marinade, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove to a platter, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. Serve hot with the cold Yogurt Mint Sauce.
• Place the scallions, mint, dill, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until it's a coarse paste. Add the yogurt, salt, and pepper and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop.

CRISP LAMB WITH YOGURT AND SCALLIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350. Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic and salt into a paste. Gradually mix in the olive oil. Stir in the herbs and pepper.
• Fit the lamb into a roasting pan big enough to contain it. Smear it thoroughly with the paste, and place it ribs-side down in pan. Cover tightly with foil, and roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees, 2 to 3 hours, depending on size of breast. Meat should be wobbly but not falling apart. Allow to cool, then cover and rest in the refrigerator overnight.
• The next day, prepare the sauce. Whisk 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the yogurt. Then the lemon juice. Stir in mint, lemon zest and salt. Before serving, drizzle sauce with remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with pepper and a pinch of paprika to taste.
• Light your grill, or place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the breast and ribs away from the bone that runs lengthwise between them. Cut the breast into half-inch slices that resemble thick-cut bacon, and separate the ribs. Reserve fat from the roasting pan. Cook a few pieces of lamb at a time on fairly high heat, until browned and crispy on both sides, approximately 4 to 6 minutes.
• Brush the onions with some of the lamb fat. Place them on the grill or on a pan under a preheated broiler. Cook them, turning once or twice, until flimsy and slightly charred. Remove them to a large bowl and dress with the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

LAMB PITAS WITH TOMATO, SCALLIONS AND MINT YOGURT DRESSING

Steps:

• Wrap pitas in foil and warm in a low oven. Thinly slice the cooked lamb. In a small skillet over moderate heat bring the chicken stock to a boil, the reduce heat to low. Add the sliced lamb to reheat while keeping it moist.
• To a second skillet over moderate heat add oil, 1 turn of the pan, diced tomatoes and scallions. Heat tomatoes and onions through, 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper then turn off the burner.
• Combine yogurt with cumin, coriander and mint.
• To assemble, remove meat from warm broth with tongs and shake off excess liquid. Arrange a few slices of lamb down the center of the pita. Top with a few spoonfuls each of tomatoes and scallions and the yogurt dressing.

LAMB PATTIES WITH FRIED ONIONS AND TAHINI-YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Put lamb in a medium bowl. Add 1 teaspoon salt, some black pepper, the cumin, coriander, oregano, cinnamon, scallions, cilantro, mint and garlic. Mix well with wet hands, kneading the mixture to distribute seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the seasoning penetrates. (Alternatively, season meat and refrigerate overnight.)
• Make the sauce: In a small bowl, put tahini, lemon juice, garlic and cayenne. Stir well to dissolve the tahini. Then stir in yogurt, and mix well. Taste and add salt, to taste.
• Heat olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high. When oil is wavy, add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they are crisp and well browned, edging toward burned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Lower heat if browning too quickly. Add a little more oil, if pan looks dry. Season lightly with salt. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Light a charcoal grill for a medium hot bed of coals. (Alternatively, use a medium-hot gas or electric grill, a cast-iron pan or griddle, or a broiler.)
• With wet hands, knead lamb mixture once more, then form into 4 (8-ounce) oval patties (or 6 5-ounce patties), about 1-inch thick. Set aside until the fire is ready. Place the grill about 1 inch from the coals.
• Cook patties about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, 130 degrees. After flipping, cook until red juices appear on the top of the patties. For medium, 140 degrees, cook longer, about 5 minutes per side. In either case, let them rest on a warm plate for 5 minutes before serving, to keep in juices. They will continue cooking a bit as they rest.
• Top each burger with fried onions. Serve with tahini-yogurt sauce and warm pita, if desired.

LAMB CHOPS WITH POLENTA AND GRILLED SCALLION SAUCE

Steps:

• Season lamb chops with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Prepare a grill or grill pan for medium-high heat. Brush polenta slices lightly with oil on both sides.
• Working in batches if needed, grill scallions, jalapeño, lamb chops, and polenta slices until lightly charred and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of lamb registers 125°F for medium-rare, 2-3 minutes per side. The scallions may take a couple minutes longer; you want them to be nice and tender before you remove them from the grill.
• Finely chop scallions and jalapeño. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add basil, lemon juice, 1/2 cup oil, and 1/2 tsp. salt and whisk to combine. Transfer 1/4 cup scallion sauce to a large bowl and whisk in yogurt and remaining 1/8 tsp. salt. Add lettuce and cherries and gently toss with your hands until thoroughly coated.
• Divide salad among plates. Arrange lamb and polenta alongside, then top both with remaining scallion sauce.
• Do Ahead
• Scallion sauce can be made 2 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and chill.

LAMB MEATBALL GYROS WITH YOGURT AND MINT - REAL SIMPLE MAG -

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the second-highest position and heat broiler.
• Combine the lamb, raisins, cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the bread crumbs, egg, and three-quarters of the scallions in a large bowl.
• Shape the mixture into golf ball?size meatballs and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.
• Broil, turning once, until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes total.
• Divide the flat bread among individual plates and top with the meatballs, yogurt, mint, and the remaining scallions.

CRISP LAMB WITH YOGURT AND SCALLIONS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350. Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic and salt into a paste. Gradually mix in the olive oil. Stir in the herbs and pepper. 2. Fit the lamb into a roasting pan big enough to contain it. Smear it thoroughly with the paste, and place it ribs-side down in pan. Cover tightly with foil, and roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees, 2 to 3 hours, depending on size of breast. Meat should be wobbly but not falling apart. Allow to cool, then cover and rest in the refrigerator overnight. 3. The next day, prepare the sauce. Whisk 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the yogurt. Then the lemon juice. Stir in mint, lemon zest and salt. Before serving, drizzle sauce with remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with pepper and a pinch of paprika to taste. 4. Light your grill, or place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the breast and ribs away from the bone that runs lengthwise between them. Cut the breast into half-inch slices that resemble thick-cut bacon, and separate the ribs. Reserve fat from the roasting pan. Cook a few pieces of lamb at a time on fairly high heat, until browned and crispy on both sides, approximately 4 to 6 minutes. 5. Brush the onions with some of the lamb fat. Place them on the grill or on a pan under a preheated broiler. Cook them, turning once or twice, until flimsy and slightly charred. Remove them to a large bowl and dress with the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

GREEK LAMB SALAD WITH A CREAMY YOGURT DRESSING

Steps:

• Lamb -- Mix the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, fresh rosemary, oregano and red pepper flakes in a baggie and add the lamb. I like to marinade the lamb at least 2-3 hours. Remove from the fridge and let it come to room temperature while you make the dressing and the salad.
• Dressing -- Mix the yogurt, lemon juice and zest, honey, scallions, garlic, salt, pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Salad -- In a large bowl, add the lettuce, cucumber, olives, and chickpeas and toss well. Reserve the cherries and raisins for the topping as well as feta cheese which is optional.
• Lamb -- The lamb already has some olive oil in the marinade, so I spray a grill pan or saute pan just with Pam or a non-stick spray and grill on medium high to high heat. They literally, just take a minute or two on each side. I like my meat medium rare.
• Finish -- Add the warm grilled lamb to the salad, add the chilled yogurt dressing, toss lightly, garnish with the cherries and raisins.
• Feta cheese is another optional garnish which I like just a little, but it is optional. And Grilled pia chips are perfect with this as well.

YOGURT-AND-HERB-CRUSTED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees with one rack in top third and one in bottom third. Set a wire rack in a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. In a saucepan, combine oil, garlic, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; cook over medium until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and process with zest and parsley until a coarse paste forms. Transfer to a bowl; stir in breadcrumbs and lemon juice. In another bowl, whisk together yogurt and mustard; season with salt.
• Place lamb, skin-side down, on a work surface and pound with a mallet to an even thickness of about 1 1/4 inches. Arrange loose ends to create a rough rectangle; season with salt. Spread 1/2 cup yogurt mixture evenly over surface, then half of breadcrumb mixture. Starting at ragged short end, tightly roll lamb into a cylinder. Tie with kitchen twine at 2-inch intervals; insert 2 skewers crosswise through lamb to help hold shape, if desired. Transfer to prepared baking sheet; season all over with salt.
• Increase oven heat to broil; broil lamb on top rack, flipping halfway through, until fat is golden brown, about 2 minutes a side. Reduce temperature to 450 degrees and roast 20 minutes. Remove from oven; reduce temperature to 400 degrees. Remove twine from lamb, leaving skewers in place. Spread remaining yogurt mixture thickly over top and sides of lamb. Press remaining breadcrumb mixture into yogurt. Roast on bottom rack until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of lamb registers 135 degrees for medium-rare, 40 to 60 minutes more, depending on diameter of roll. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 20 minutes before carving with a very sharp knife. Serve, with lemon wedges.