Apricot and Lamb Tagine

 Slow cooker recipe courtesy of Cooking Light.

Ingredients:
2 cups diced onion (about 1 large)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup less-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
1 (6-ounce) package dried apricots, halved
4 cups cooked couscous
 
Directions: 
To prepare tagine, combine the first 15 ingredients in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Discard cinnamon sticks. Place 1/2 cup couscous on each of 8 plates. Top each serving with 1/2 cup lamb mixture, 1 1/2 teaspoons almonds, and 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley.

Roasted Leg of Lamb With Carrots and Honey-Mint Sauce

So we had a viewing party for the premiere episode of Game of Thrones and I tried my best to make an authentic "medieval" dinner. This recipe courtesy of Real Simple.

Ingredients:
1 lemon, strips of zest removed with a peeler and juice squeezed
6 cloves garlic
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
1 6- to 7-pound bone-in leg of lamb, at room temperature
3 pounds very small carrots, scrubbed; or regular carrots, peeled and cut into thin sticks
2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup fresh mint leaves
6 scallions, chopped
2 teaspoons honey

Directions:
Heat oven to 400° F. In a food processor, pulse the lemon zest, garlic, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper until coarsely chopped.

Place the lamb in a large roasting pan and rub with the lemon mixture. In a large bowl, toss the carrots, 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; set aside.

Roast the lamb to the desired doneness, 90 to 105 minutes for medium-rare (internal temperature registers 130° F*), adding the carrots to the pan after the lamb has cooked for 50 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, in the food processor, puree the parsley, mint, scallions, honey, lemon juice, the remaining ½ cup of oil, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Serve with the lamb and carrots.



One Year Ago: Chicken Sausage & Pepper Hoagies
Two Years Ago:  Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

Moroccan Lamb Stew with Couscous

Here’s my recipe, adapted from the following two recipes I found online:
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/moroccan-lamb?autonomy_kw=lamb&rsc=header_28
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=554670

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
5 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/4 pounds boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 cups chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 3/4 cups chopped peppers
2 cups cubed butternut squash
1/2 cup dried apricots, halved
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) tomato puree
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
2 boxes couscous, for serving (we used one box garlic couscous, one box pine nut)

Directions:
In a 5-quart saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil over high heat. Swirl to coat bottom of pan. Season lamb with salt and pepper; cook until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 to 4 minutes. Add peppers, squash, apricots, prunes, tomato puree, and 3 cups water. Stir in lamb. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, partially covered, until sauce is thickened, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve lamb with couscous.

Moroccan Lamb Chops & Couscous

Recipe courtesy of FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients:
1 pair of lamb chops
1/3 cup apple cider
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch cinnamon
1 bosc pear, cored and cut into 6 wedges

Directions:
Combine the apple cider, brown sugar, salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic, and a pinch of cinnamon. For best results put in large resealable plastic bag. Add the lamb. Turn to coat the lamb. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the lamb from the refrigerator and place in a roasting pan. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes (depending on temperature of meat preferred). Remove from oven and preheat the broiler.
Place 3 pear wedges on top of each piece of lamb. Place lamb under broiler for 2 to 3 minutes to allow the pears to caramelize with the brown sugar.

Moroccan Couscous
Adaped from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Original recipe includes 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom and 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander, but I didn't have those available.
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 stalks green onion
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (14.5 ounce) can low sodium garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups couscous

Directions:
Place a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Stir in the cumin, ginger, cloves, cayenne, cardamom, coriander, and allspice; gently toast until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in oil and onion, cook until softened. Stir in the bell pepper, and zucchini; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the raisins, salt, zest, and garbanzos. Pour in the chicken broth and orange juice; turn heat to high and bring to a boil. When the mixture is boiling, stir in the couscous and remove from heat; cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, and fold in chopped mint.