Lamb Meatball Gyros With Yogurt And Mint Food

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.

SPICED LAMB MEATBALLS WITH YOGURT AND HERBS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, use your hands to combine lamb, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, onion, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cayenne. Beat 2 of the eggs and add to meat, mixing until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 24 hours to allow the seasonings to permeate the meat.
• Using wet hands, break off walnut-sized pieces of lamb mixture, roll into spheres and set aside on a baking sheet. You should have about 30 1-ounce meatballs.
• Heat oven to 225 degrees. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When shimmering, add meatballs in one layer and brown for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. (Work in batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan.) Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to blot any extra oil, then pile meatballs on a heatproof serving platter and keep warm in the oven.
• Pour off any excess oil from skillet and turn heat to high. Add broth and bring to a simmer. In a bowl, whisk together yogurt; 1/2 teaspoon salt; remaining egg, beaten; and cornstarch. Pour yogurt mixture in a thin stream into the hot broth, whisking constantly. Turn heat down slightly and continue whisking until yogurt is heated through and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Do not let mixture boil.
• Pour hot yogurt sauce over meatballs. Sprinkle crumbled feta, sumac and crushed red pepper on top. Finish with pinches of turmeric, if using, and sprinkle with mint, dill and cilantro. Serve immediately with rice, orzo, pita bread or potatoes.

LAMB GYROS

Steps:

• When you've got your lamb off the bone and are faced with a large slab of meat, you'll want to do a little more trimming to get it ready for the grill. Go ahead and remove the excess fat and any remaining membranes that you see.
• Cut the lamb up so that each chunk you cut off is uniform in size. Some pieces will be thicker than others, but that's perfectly fine. This way you can just pull each piece off the grill individually as they reach your desired doneness.
• Now that your meat is trimmed and ready to go it's time to mix up the marinade.
• Start by adding the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, rosemary, oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
• When it's thoroughly mixed, add it to a large zip top bag or shallow baking dish and add the lamb.
• Make sure you toss the meat around so the marinade covers everything and then let it sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Longer is better in this case, so if you can prepare this three or four hours in advance, that's great. Even overnight is fine if you're pressed for time. If you do marinade it for a longer period of time just be sure to occasionally toss or turn the pieces of meat to make sure they are staying well-covered by the marinade.
• After the meat has marinaded for your desired time, pull it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to cooking to allow it to come up closer to room temperature.
• While your meat is resting you can go ahead and get the grill started. Gas or charcoal, doesn't matter. Use what you're comfortable with and what you have.
• Bring the grill up to a medium heat and begin cooking the lamb. If you have a few pieces that are much thicker than the rest, add those first and let them cook for a couple of minutes before adding the rest so that way most of the meat should get done at around the same time. Turn frequently. Continue cooking until the meat reaches around 120-125 degrees for medium-rare, or about 130 degrees for medium. When you pull the meat from the grill at these temperatures and let it rest, the meat will continue to cook and increase at least another five degrees.
• This is where having a good meat thermometer comes in handy, but if you don't have one and you're familiar with cooking steaks and testing their doneness, you can use the same method here.
• Once the meat has rested for about 10 minutes, slice bite-sized pieces, against the grain where possible and dump all of the meat into a large serving bowl. If you'd like, you can add a drizzle of olive oil and a little salt and pepper to the bowl and toss to coat to give it a little finishing touch.
• Finally, take your pieces of pita bread and throw them on the grill, still at medium heat, and let them warm up. We're not looking to get the bread crunchy or anything, but just want to toast it lightly and warm it throughout. It should take just 30-60 seconds.
• Instructions for Tzatziki Sauce:.
• Start by peeling two medium cucumbers and cut in half lengthwise.
• Take a spoon and scoop out the seeds, then give them a rough chop. Once chopped, put the cucumber into a colander or strainer in the sink and sprinkle the kosher salt on top and toss to coat. This step is important because the salt will draw out some of the excess moisture that would otherwise make your tzatziki very thin in consistency. Let the salted cucumber sit for 30-60 minutes.
• For making the sauce a food processor can come in handy, but you can just use a grater to grate the cucumber into small pieces and then chop the herbs and garlic very fine by hand.
• If you have a food processor, add the cucumber, garlic, and dill to the processor and pulse to puree.
• Add the mixture to a bowl and then add the yogurt and lemon juice and fold to incorporate everything. Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least a few hours, but overnight is best. Enjoy!