Grilled Lamb With Pomegranates And Israeli Couscous Food

HARISSA LAMB CUTLETS WITH POMEGRANATE COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Heat the grill. In a large bowl, mix the yogurt and half the harissa with seasoning. Remove 2 tbsp, set aside, then add the lamb to the remainder and marinate while you make the couscous (or overnight).
• In a bowl, cover the couscous with the hot stock and add the rest of the harissa. Cover with cling film and leave for 5 mins, then stir in the chickpeas, lemon zest and juice, vinegar, apricots, pomegranate seeds and half the mint.
• Transfer the lamb to a baking tray and grill for 2-3 mins each side (pour any cooking juices into the couscous and stir). Serve the lamb with the couscous, reserved yogurt and a scattering of mint.

MUSSELS WITH ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the couscous and cook as the label directs. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bay leaf and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Add 1 1/2 cups water, the mussels and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook until the mussels open, about 5 minutes (discard any that do not open). Remove with a slotted spoon and divide among bowls. Add the couscous and spinach to the liquid in the pot and heat through, about 1 minute; season with salt. Add the couscous mixture to the bowls and sprinkle with the basil.

POMEGRANATE-MARINATED LAMB WITH SPICES AND COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Whisk pomegranate molasses, coarsely chopped garlic, olive oil, ground ginger, cinnamon, 1 3/4 teaspoons cumin, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Add lamb and toss to coat. Cover and marinate 2 hours at room temperature, or up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Drain, reserving marinade. Pat lamb dry.
• Heat heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add meat and bones, if using, and cook until browned, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes total per batch. Return all lamb and bones to skillet. Add reserved marinade and 1/4 cup water. Cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer over medium-low heat until meat is tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring remaining 1 cup water and chicken broth to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add couscous and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin. Remove saucepan from heat and let stand covered 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork, then stir in butter until melted. Divide couscous among plates and top with lamb, pomegranate seeds, and basil leaves, spooning remaining sauce over lamb.
• A thick pomegranate syrup; available at some supermarkets, at Middle Eastern markets, and from adrianascaravan.com.

GRILLED LAMB LOIN WITH TOMATO AND CUCUMBER RAITA AND ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Strip leaves from stems of rosemary and thyme, then chop coarsely. Smash garlic cloves, then chop coarsely. Pulse herbs, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon oil in a food processor until smooth. Place lamb in a 13" x 9" glass baking dish; rub with garlic mixture; cover; refrigerate 1 hour. Remove from fridge and let sit at room temperature 30 minutes before grilling. Cook couscous as directed on package; transfer to a bowl. Toss with 2 teaspoon oil, cherry tomatoes and basil. Season with salt and pepper; set aside. Make raita: Heat oven to 375°F. Toss tomato slices with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and spread on a baking sheet; roast until tomatoes brown in spots, about 30 minutes. Grind cumin seeds to a fine powder in a coffee grinder or spice mill. Puree roasted tomato in a blender with cumin, yogurt, cucumber and sugar until smooth. Stir in mint. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and refrigerate until ready to eat. Heat grill to medium-high heat (about 375°F). Grill lamb, about 2 minutes per side for medium. Remove from grill and let rest 10 minutes; cut into 1-inch-thick slices. Divide couscous and lamb among 4 plates. Serve with 1 tablespoon raita per plate.

GREEK PORK TENDERLOIN WITH ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the allspice, oregano and garlic powder in a bowl. Pierce the pork all over with a fork. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper; rub with the spice mixture.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, turning, until browned all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Cook until a thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 145 degrees F, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the couscous and cook, stirring, until toasted, 5 minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low; cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
• Fluff the couscous with a fork; let cool. Add the feta, cucumbers, herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the pork and lemon wedges.

GRILLED SAVORY LAMB CHOPS WITH A POMEGRANATE COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Marinade -- In a large baggie, mix the yogurt, olive oil, garlic, cumin, paprika, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice and orange juice. Add the lamb chops and marinade all day. Up to 8 hours preferably or as long as you can.
• Pomegranate -- What is the world do I do with it? Well it does stain, and it is a mess. But oh so good. Now I found pomegranate seeds at Whole Foods, but my Publix grocery store has fresh pomegranate at 1/6th the cost. Secret to cleaning them. One -- wear a dark shirt, two stand over the sink -- three DO NOT use a wood cutting board. Cut in half and then again in half. In a bowl of water pull the seeds away from the membrane and pulp. The seeds sink, the pulp floats. Then just scoop out the membrane and the seeds are ready to enjoy. That easy. It is definitely a treat.
• Couscous -- Now, just follow the instructions. Most of the quick cooking brands will require 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups water. Personally, I use chicken stock. It adds so much flavor. For the most part, I just boil the water in a medium bowl in the microwave, remove, add the couscous, stir once and cover with a plate. Let set 5 minutes. While you let the couscous set, you need to grill the lamb. Then as the lamb rests you can flavor your couscous.
• To the couscous -- add in the pistachios, lemon zest, cilantro, cinnimon, olive oil and the pomegranate seeds, a little pepper (salt if you want) but the broth is salty.
• Lamb -- Now as the couscous rests grill your lamb. I prefer the outside grill, but a inside grill pan will be just fine. Medium high heat brushed with olive oil. You could also use a cast iron pan as well for this. Just brush off most of the yogurt marinade so it doesn't sweat but browns as it cooks. Grill 5-7 minutes per side until you see nice grill marks and then remove. You want them medium rare about 140 degrees. A thermometer is very helpful at this point unless you are very comfortable with judging the doneness of the meat. Don't over cook. Remove and just cover to let them rest.
• Finish up your couscous as they cook and then serve 2 chops per person over a nice bed of the couscous. A nice saute of spinach, kale or swiss chard to me is a great side or maybe just some roasted green beans or even broccoli. This makes a beautiful dish served to company. A little expensive with the lamb, but such a nice treat. And besides the couscous, vegetables are inexpensive, so my philosophy is spend money on one main item to focus on and cut back on other items. You guests will never know and they will love it regardless.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Bring a small pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the Israeli couscous and cook until cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes. Strain from the water and reserve.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and bring to high heat. After a few minutes, add the almonds to toast them in the oil. When the garlic is golden and very aromatic, remove it from the pan and discard it. Add the cooked couscous and chicken stock. Season with salt and cook until the stock has reduced by half. Add the pomegranate seeds, apricots, and scallions. Stir to combine and taste to make sure it is delicious.
• Serve hot or at room temperature.

PISTACHIO-CRUSTED MOROCCAN RACK OF LAMB WITH ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Rinse rack of lamb under cold water and pat dry. Using a sharp knife, cut a few slits between the bones and into the meat. (This will allow some of the spice blend to penetrate into the meat) Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with Ras el hanout and paprika. Allow to stand at room temperature while preparing the couscous.
• Rinse cilantro, parsley, and mint leaves. (Amounts listed above in ingredients are approximate, since I use a handful of each) Dry in paper towels, then roughly chop. Also roughly chop preserved lemon and dried apricot. **For most recipes that call for preserved lemon, thoroughly rinse off the salt and remove the pulp and seeds, using only the rind.** If you do not have preserved lemon, zest a whole lemon to add later while combining couscous ingredients.
• Grind pistachio nuts and combine with bread crumbs. (If your pistachios are salted, there is no need to add salt to the lamb before searing it).
• To prepare the Israeli couscous, melt butter in saucepan and sauté chopped onion until soft. Add the couscous and cook with the sautéed onion, then add the stock. If you do not have stock, use water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat. Cover and continue simmering about 8 minutes, until couscous is soft. Not all of the liquid will be absorbed. Empty contents into a fine-mesh strainer and rinse with cold water, rinsing off the starch that was released during simmering. Return the rinsed and drained couscous back into the saucepan and reheat slightly.
• Prepare your lamb: Preheat oven to 375. If your pistachio nuts are unsalted, sprinkle rack of lamb with salt. Using an oven-proof skillet, heat olive oil over moderately high heat. When oil is hot, sear the lamb rack until browned, about 5 minutes per side.
• Remove pan from heat. Slather both sides of lamb rack with pomegranate molasses. Then with meaty side of lamb rack up, pack nut crumb mixture on top. Place skillet in oven and roast until internal temp reaches 140 degrees F for rare, about 15-20 minutes. Then allow to stand a few minutes before carving.
• Combine couscous, preserved lemon or zest, apricot, pomegranate seeds, and chopped mint, cilantro, and parsley. If desired toss couscous with a splash of olive oil and a small amount of lemon juice from the zested lemon.
• Carve rack into 8 chops. Spoon couscous onto plate and arrange chops on top.
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• Preserved lemon: You will need a glass jar with an air-tight seal. Combine ~ a tablespoon of coriander seed with ~ a tablespoon of fennel seed. Place 1 bay leaf and 1 cinnamon stick in the bottom of glass jar. Have a small bowl of Kosher salt nearby. Slice lemons in quarters ALMOST down to stem end, but leave intact. Place coriander and fennel seed inside lemon and also fill with salt. Place cut side down into glass jar, squeezing as many into the jar as you can. As you squeeze them, some of the lemon juice is released, but not enough to fill the jar. Just continue packing in as many lemons as you can and add additional salt between layers of lemon. Top off with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Then refrigerate for a month. I think this is Jamie Oliver's technique, but there are many out there. He has also suggested doing this with other citrus, like limes and mandarin oranges. Meyer lemons work nicely. Some techniques suggest a layer of olive oil on top, and this works well, too.

SLOW-ROAST PERSIAN LAMB WITH POMEGRANATE SALAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. In a small bowl, mix the molasses with the cumin, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Scatter the onion over a casserole dish or a deep roasting tin. Place the lamb on top of the onions. Pour the glaze over the lamb. Rinse the bowl out with about 200ml water, then pour it around - not over - the lamb.
• Cover the dish with a lid or the tin with a large piece of foil. Roast the lamb, undisturbed, for 3 hrs, then remove the lid or foil and continue to roast for 30 mins to give the lamb colour. When the lamb has had its time, pour off the juices, remove as much fat as possible, then pour the juices back over the lamb.
• Just before serving, gently toss all the salad ingredients together. Serve the lamb with its sauce, the salad and some warmed flatbreads.

SIMPLE GRILLED LAMB CHOPS

Steps:

• Mix together the vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, and olive oil in a large resealable bag until the salt has dissolved. Add lamb, toss until coated, and marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat.
• Remove lamb from the marinade and leave any onions on that stick to the meat. Discard any remaining marinade. Wrap the exposed ends of the bones with aluminum foil to keep them from burning. Grill to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium. The chops may also be broiled in the oven about 5 minutes per side for medium.