Spicy Lamb With Zucchini And Spicy Yogurt Sauce Food

SPICE-RUBBED LEG OF LAMB WITH HARISSA YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• For the lamb: Use paper towels to pat dry the leg of lamb. In a small bowl, combine the salt, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, black pepper and cayenne. Season all sides of the lamb with the spice mixture and place on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Let sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes or place in the refrigerator overnight and allow to sit at room temperature for 45 minutes before cooking.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Drizzle the lamb with the olive oil, then roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake until the internal temperature is 140 degrees F for medium, about 1 hour and 15 minutes more. Allow to rest before serving, 15 to 20 minutes, then slice.
• For the sauce: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the harissa, yogurt and honey. Season with salt. Refrigerate until serving.
• For the optional garnish: Garnish with the pomegranate seeds, mint, scallions, good olive oil and sea salt if desired. Serve with the harissa yogurt sauce.

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.

SPICY LAMB SAUSAGE WITH GRILLED ONIONS AND ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• To make the sausage, put ground lamb in a mixing bowl. Using a spice mill or mortar and pestle, grind cumin, coriander, black pepper and allspice. Add to lamb, along with salt, cayenne, cinnamon, paprika and garlic. Mix well with hands to incorporate. Fry a little piece of the mixture in a small skillet. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt if necessary. Mix again and refrigerate at least 2 hours or, preferably, overnight. Form mixture into 24 two-ounce patties.
• To make the vinaigrette, grind cumin, coriander and caraway. Combine with paprika and a good pinch of cayenne in a small bowl. Add garlic, vinegar, lemon juice and salt. Whisk in olive oil.
• Light a charcoal grill or use a grill pan. The heat should be moderate. Grill sausages, in batches if necessary, for about 2 minutes per side, until just done. Keep warm. Paint onion slices with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill until softened slightly, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with zucchini. Keep at room temperature.
• Line a large platter with lettuce leaves and pile sausages in the middle. Arrange onions and zucchini around the platter. Salt the tomatoes and distribute. Whisk the vinaigrette, then drizzle over everything. Sprinkle with cilantro and mint, and serve with warm pita breads, if desired.

SPICED LAMB AND DILL YOGURT PASTA

Steps:

• Combine egg yolks, kefir, and 1½ cups dill in a blender; finely grate in 1 garlic clove and blend until smooth. Set purée aside. Finely chop remaining 1½ cups dill and set aside separately.
• Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add pine nuts and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add dried currants and cook, stirring often, until plump, about 1 minute. Scrape nut mixture into a small bowl; season with salt.
• Wipe out skillet and heat over medium-high. Stir together cumin, pepper, and 1 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Place lamb in pan and use a sturdy spatula to aggressively flatten (like you're making smash burgers); sprinkle spice mixture over. Cook, undisturbed, until lamb is well browned and crisp underneath, about 4 minutes. Hold back meat and drain off all of the fat. Break up meat into small pieces and mix in reserved nut mixture. Finely grate in remaining 2 garlic cloves and add reserved chopped dill. Cook, stirring, until herbs are wilted, about 1 minute. Set aside until pasta is ready.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until 1 minute shy of al dente (pasta will finish cooking in the sauce). Drain pasta and return to pot.
• Pour reserved purée over pasta and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens enough to cling to pasta and just comes to a simmer, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; finely grate zest from lemon half over pasta, then squeeze in juice. Season with salt.
• Divide pasta among bowls and top with lamb mixture.

SPICED LAMB BURGERS WITH MINTY YOGURT

Steps:

• Weigh the lamb mince in a large mixing bowl, then measure the cumin and coriander using measuring spoons and add these to the lamb.
• Chop the parsley (stalks too) as finely as you can and add it to the lamb, then season with salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together, then divide into four portions and shape into burger patties. Chill for at least 1 hour or up to a day.
• Pick the mint leaves from the stalks - you only need the leaves. Finely chop the mint leaves and put them in a small bowl. Mix in the yogurt and a pinch of salt.
• Finely slice the lettuce or just pull apart the leaves. Slice the tomato.
• Rub the burgers all over with the oil. Place a griddle pan or frying pan on the hob over a high heat and, after a minute, carefully place the burgers in the pan and cook for 6-8 mins until nicely browned. Use a fish slice to carefully flip the burgers over and cook for another 6-8 mins. You can check if they're cooked by cutting a burger in half - if there's any pink meat in the middle, it needs to cook for a little longer.
• Split the burger rolls in half. Spread a little minty yogurt over the base of each one. Fill the rolls with some lettuce, a slice or two of tomato and a burger. Serve immediately.

GRILLED LEG OF LAMB WITH SPICY LIME YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Pat lamb dry with paper towels and place it on a rimmed baking sheet. In a bowl, combine oil, herbs, orange zest and juice, the minced garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Rub mixture all over lamb. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate at room temperature for 2 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.
• Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt if you like.
• Heat the grill. Wipe lamb with paper towels, removing most of the rub, then grill until a digital thermometer reads 120 degrees for rare or 130 for medium (about 6 to 15 minutes per side, depending on how you like your meat and how thick the lamb is). If the meat starts to char before it's done, move it to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving with the yogurt sauce.

GRILLED LAMB KEBABS WITH TOMATOES, ZUCCHINI, AND YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. Combine the lamb steaks with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 teaspoons garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and oregano in a resealable plastic bag. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• 2. Mix together the Greek yogurt, cucumbers, dill, and remaining 1 teaspoon garlic in a bowl and add salt to taste. Set aside.
• 3. Prepare a grill to medium-high heat. Soak 12 bamboo skewers in water for 10 minutes.
• 4. Toss the tomatoes and zucchini with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Thread the skewers alternating the lamb, cherry tomatoes, and zucchini, then sprinkle on all sides with salt and pepper. Grill the lamb to medium-rare, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Serve with the yogurt sauce.

MIDDLE EASTERN LAMB-STUFFED ZUCCHINI WITH YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut off and reserve the stem ends of the zucchini and with a zucchini corer hollow out the zucchini, being careful not to pierce the skins and leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. Chop the zucchini flesh and reserve it.
• In a heavy skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it sauté the lamb with the allspice, the mint, salt and pepper to taste, stirring, until it is no longer pink. Transfer the lamb with a slotted spoon to a sieve to drain, pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet, and in the skillet sauté the onion, stirring, until it is softened. Stir in the garlic, the reserved zucchini flesh, and salt and pepper to taste and sauté the mixture until it is golden. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the lamb mixture, the pine nuts, and 2 tablespoons of the yogurt, and let the filling cool. Stuff the zucchini with the filling and put the reserved stem ends back in place over the cut ends, securing them with wooden picks. Arrange the zucchini on a steamer rack set over simmering water, steam them, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are tender, and let them cool slightly.
• In the top of a double-boiler set over simmering water whisk together the remaining yogurt and the cornstarch mixture, stirred, cook the sauce, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until it is thickened, and let it cool slightly.
• Cut the zucchini crosswise into 1-inch rounds, arrange the rounds on a platter, and spoon a dollop of the sauce onto each round. Sprinkle the zucchini rounds with the sesame seeds and serve them at room temperature.

SPICY LAMB WITH ZUCCHINI AND SPICY YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the sauce a day ahead, or at the least, a few hours ahead to allow the flavors to properly meld together.
• Add all the ingredients for the sauce into a food processor and mix until well blended. If you don't have a food processor, just chop as finely as you can. Place in a sealed container in your refrigerator.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute the zucchini and garlic in the olive oil.
• In a cast iron pan, cook the lamb with the onions until the lamb is brown and the onions are soft.
• Add the zucchini and garlic to the lamb, mix well.
• Serve with the Spicy Yogurt Sauce over top. You can also serve it on rice, if you like.

LAMB-STUFFED ZUCCHINI WITH YOGHURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut off and reserve the stem ends of the zucchini and, with a corer, hollow out zucchini, being careful not to pierce skins and leaving ¼ inch thick shells.
• Chop zucchini flesh and reserve.
• Heat oil over moderately-high heat until hot but not smoking and saute lamb with allspice and mint and season to taste.
• Cook, stirring, until no longer pink.
• Transfer lamb with a slotted spoon to a sieve to drain.
• Pour off all but 1 tblsp fat from skillet and saute onion until softened.
• Stir in garlic, reserved zucchini, season to taste, and saute until golden.
• Remove from heat; stir in lamb, pine nuts and 6 tblsps of yoghurt.
• Let cool.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Stuff zucchini with this mixture, putting stem ends back on and securing them with toothpicks.
• Arrange zucchini in a large, oiled casserole, tent with foil, and bake for approximately 1 hour, or until tender.
• Let cool slightly.
• Whisk together remaining yoghurt with cornstarch/water mixture and cook over low heat, stirring, until thickened.
• Cool slightly.
• Serve with zucchini.

LEG OF LAMB IN A SPICY YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Remove all the fat from the outside of the leg and the white skin, or ask your butcher to do it.
• Put the leg in a baking dish, stainless steel or glass is preferred because of the yogurt marinade.
• Put in your blender or food processor the almonds, onions, garlic, ginger, green chilies and about 3 tablespoons of the yogurt, process to a paste.
• The remaining yogurt you put in a dish, beat lightly until smooth, add the paste and the cumin, coriander, cayenne and garam masala, mix.
• Stab the lamb all over, making good deep cuts.
• Now the fun begins, using your hands push generous amounts of paste in the natural openings of the lamb, then in the cuts you made.
• Spread remaining paste all over and around the lamb, the side that will be up should get a thick layer.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
• When ready to bake, remove the lamb from the fridge and give it enough time to get to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat the oil in a small pan on a medium flame, when hot add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and peppercorns, when the cloves swell, this just takes seconds pour the hot oil and the spices over the lamb.
• Cover the dish with its own lid or tightly with aluminum foil, bake covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil and bake for another 45 minutes or longer if you prefer.
• During this time baste the meat regularly with the sauce.
• Scatter, or make nice pattern, the sultana’s and almonds over the top of lamb in the yogurt paste.
• Bake for another 5-6 minutes.
• Remove the dish from the oven; leave it a warm place for 15 minutes or so.
• Take the leg out of the pan, spoon the fat from the top of the sauce, strain the sauce and discard the whole spices.
• Serve the leg on a platter with the sauce poured around it.

LAMB CUBES IN SPICY YOGURT MARINADE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except the meat in a medium bowl.
• Place the meat in a shallow glass or ceramic dish in one layer.
• Pour marinade over and turn meat to coat well.
• Marinate at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
• Drain meat.
• Thread on 6 skewers and grill 10 to 12 minutes, turning to cook all sides.