Turkish Walnut Lamb Food

TURKISH-STYLE LAMB BURGERS WITH WALNUT SAUCE

Steps:

• Soak bulgur for burgers:
• Pour boiling-hot water over bulgur with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl and soak 15 minutes, then drain in a sieve.
• Make sauce while bulgur soaks:
• Mince garlic and mash to a paste with salt (1/8 teaspoon) using a large heavy knife, then transfer to a food processor and blend with remaining sauce ingredients until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.
• Prepare burgers:
• Preheat broiler.
• Pulse onion and herbs in cleaned processor until finely chopped, then transfer to a bowl and stir in bulgur, lamb, paprika, allspice, pepper, cayenne, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until just combined. Form lamb mixture into 4 patties (4 inches in diameter).
• Broil pitas and burgers:
• Arrange pitas on a baking sheet. Brush with oil, then lightly dust with paprika and season with pepper. Broil on lowest rack until toasted, 1 to 3 minutes (watch to prevent burning). Keep pitas warm, loosely covered with foil, while broiling burgers.
• Oil rack of a broiler pan and heat 4 inches from heat until hot, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Broil burgers, turning over once, until cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes total. Serve burgers on pitas, topped with sauce.

SLOW-ROASTED TURKISH LAMB

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut lamb shoulder into 2 or 3 pieces, and place in a shallow 12-by-14-inch roasting pan or similar. Season generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with red pepper, if desired.
• Rub meat with olive oil, lemon juice and pomegranate molasses. Tuck thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, garlic cloves and onion halves here and there. Place in oven, uncovered, and roast for 30 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned.
• Turn meat browned-side down and add 2 cups of water to the pan. Cover tightly with foil or lid. Reduce heat to 325 degrees. Cook, covered, until meat is absolutely fork tender and beginning to fall apart, about 3 1/2 hours total. Uncover during last 30 minutes of cooking if you want to brown the meat a bit more.
• Remove meat to a cutting board. Pour pan juices into a skillet (discard herbs and garlic). Skim and discard excess fat from surface. Bring to a boil and simmer until about a cup remains.
• Chop or shred meat into 1-inch chunks or rough slices. Transfer to a warm platter and pour juices over. (Alternatively, leave meat in pan with reduced juices until ready to serve.) Garnish with persimmon and pomegranate (if using), parsley, mint and lemon wedges. Serve yogurt on the side.

TURKISH ROASTED LAMB (KUZU TANDıR)

Steps:

• When you buy your leg of lamb, ask your butcher to clean off as much excess fat as possible. Then, have the leg separated into 3 pieces at the joints.
• Preheat your oven to 285 F. Place the lamb in a shallow metal oven roasting tray. In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, and spices. Pour the mixture over the lamb.
• Wearing rubber gloves, rub the mixture all over the lamb, massaging it into the meat for several minutes. Add the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs. Place the tray in the oven uncovered.
• Let the lamb cook slowly at this low temperature for about 1 1/2 hours. You'll see that the meat will release its fat and juices, then reabsorb them as it cooks. After the first 30 minutes, turn the pieces of lamb over. Repeat this two more times during the cooking process.
• When 1 1/2 hours have passed and you have turned the meat three times, pour the 1/2 cup of hot water over the meat, then close the roasting pan completely with aluminum foil. Turn up the oven temperature to 365 F and leave the meat to roast for at least 1 hour more.
• After about 1 hour, remove the pan from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Remove the foil. The meat should be very tender and fall cleanly off the bones. Using two forks, remove all the meat from the bones and discard them. Also, remove the bay leaves and rosemary.
• Your kuzu tandır is ready to serve. Serve it with piping hot Turkish rice pilaf with orzo or with potato puree.

LAHMACUN (TURKISH SPICED LAMB PITA)

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add the onions and cook until they are soft. Add the spices and ground lamb, cook until the meat is evenly browned, breaking it up as it cooks.
• Stir in the tomato paste, salt and parsley, cook for another minute. Set aside to cool. Can be made ahead.
• When ready to cook, heat a griddle or large cast iron pan very hot. To four pitas, divide lamb mixture and top each pita with mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. One at a time, place on grill and heat for 5 minutes. Remove to plate.
• Put 1/4 of the parsley, onions and tomatoes on the pita. Squeeze a lemon wedge over the top. Roll the pita up like a crepe. Wrap it in parchment to make it easier to eat or spear it with a toothpick to keep it closed.

TURKISH WALNUT LAMB

Steps:

• Saute the onions in the butter for a couple minutes.
• Add the lamb and continue lightly frying until the pieces start to brown.
• Add the stock, cover and simmer gently for 1/2 hour.
• Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by stirring the water into the ground walnuts.
• Add the pomegranate syrup and sugar and simmer gently over a low heat for 10 minutes.
• Add the walnut sauce to the lamb, along with the seasonings and lemon juice.
• Continue to simmer, covered, over a low heat for another 30 minutes.
• Adjust the seasonings by adding a little sugar if the dish is too sour or more pomegranate syrup if it is too sweet.
• Serve with basmati rice.