lamb

Ethiopian Spiced Lamb Chops

Ethiopian Spiced Lamb Chops

I was having a friend over for dinner and wanted to make something special. I know he really likes lamb, so I decided to make lamb chops. Since he also likes my Ethiopian seasoning blend, I decided to use them to season the lamb. They were amazing!!

I pan seared the lamb chops in a cast iron skillet, turning them to brown all all sides. They were thick chops and I wanted to cook them through, without burning the outside. So, once I browned them, I turned the heat down to let them cook more gently for a few more minutes. I cooked them about three more minutes per side. They came out great. Very tender, an even pink color throughout, with a nice brown exterior.

The Ethiopian spices complimented the lamb nicely. I’ve used this spice blend with chicken, beef and pork in the past. I can see using these spices with lamb again. They worked so well together.

So here is the recipe. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Ethiopian Spiced Lamb Chops

4 lamb chops, about 3-4 oz. each

1 T. paprika

1 t. each cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder, salt and ginger

½ t. allspice

¼ t. cinnamon

Combine seasonings and rub all over the surface of the lamb chops. Heat a skillet until hot. Place lamb chops in skillet and brown on all sides. Turn down heat and allow chops to cook until cooked to your preference. I like lamb rare, and these were pretty thick chops. They took about three minutes per side to cook, once browned.

Lamb Ribs

Lamb Ribs fresh out of the oven

If you haven’t tried these before, lamb ribs are a fun and easy dish to make. They are often a lot less expensive than other cuts of lamb. They are frequently labeled as lamb riblets.  A slab of lamb riblets run about 2 pounds and will feed two. You can treat them a lot like other ribs.

I marinated these in sherry overnight. I just like the flavor sherry adds. To cook the ribs, I rubbed them all over with Ethiopian seasoning-recipe follows- and I sprinkled with pink salt. I started them out at 400 degrees for about an hour and then turned them down to 300 for 30 minutes more. They were juicy and tender.

Ethiopian Seasoning

1 T. paprika

1 t. each cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder and ginger

1/2 t. allspice

1/4 t. cinnamon

You probably won’t need all of the seasoning for 1 rack of ribs. Refrigerate the rest for later use.

Lamb Ribs

Lamb with Greek Lemon Egg Sauce

Lamb with Greek Lemon Egg Sauce

I love lamb and enjoy cooking it different ways. This recipe uses lamb shoulder, cooked with onions and Romaine lettuce- yes lettuce. The lamb is browned and then cooks gently until tender. The lettuce also cooks down and adds a nice green flavor to the dish.

The real magic is the lemon egg sauce, used to top the lamb once finished. It is creamy and has just the right amount of tang from the lemon juice.  You could also make this dish with pork or even chicken, but my favorite version is with lamb. I also use the lemon sauce with meat and rice stuffed zucchini. My dear friend Amy, had the dish on a trip to Greece and we made it often.

 

 

Fricassee of Lamb with Lemon Egg Sauce

2 1/2-3 lbs. lamb shoulder, or use pork

3 medium onions, chopped

2-3 heads romaine lettuce, washed and sliced thin

1/2 c. olive oil

Egg and Lemon Sauce -recipe follows

Cut the meat into serving pieces. Heat the oil in a pot and sauté the meat. Add salt, pepper, the onions, lettuce and a small amount of water. Cover the pot and let the fricassee simmer for about an hour. Prepare the egg and lemon sauce, pour it over the fricassee and serve.

 

Lemon and Egg  Sauce

1-2 c. stock

2 eggs

juice of 1 lemon

flour, about 1-2 tablespoons, depending on how thick you want the sauce

Bring stock to the simmer. Beat eggs well. Mix the flour with the lemon juice.

Add to the eggs and keep beating. Add the hot broth slowly while you keep beating. Pour the egg and lemon sauce in the pot and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Makes 1-2 cups. For a thinner sauce eliminate the flour.

Lamb Ribs

Lamb Ribs

Lamb Ribs

If you haven’t tried these before, lamb ribs are a fun and easy dish to make. They are often a lot less expensive than other cuts of lamb. They are frequently labeled as lamb riblets.  A slab of lamb riblets run about 2 pounds and will feed two. You can treat them a lot like other ribs. I marinated these in a little apple cider vinegar for a couple of hours. To cook them I rubbed them all over with Ethiopian seasoning-recipe follows- and I added some pink salt. I started them out at 400 degrees for about an hour and then turned them down to 300 for 30 minutes more. They were juicy and pretty tender.

Ethiopian Seasoning

1 T. paprika

1 t. each cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder and ginger

1/2 t. allspice

1/4 t. cinnamon

You probably won’t need all of the seasoning for 1 rack of ribs. Refrigerate the rest for later use.

Lamb Riblets fresh out of the oven

Lamb Riblets fresh out of the oven

 

 

 

Chicken with Lemon Sauce

Chicken with Lemon Sauce

Chicken with Lemon Sauce

I did a cooking class yesterday and made lamb with lemon sauce. I loved it and wanted to make some when I got home- but alas I didn’t have any lamb defrosted. I also didn’t have the romaine lettuce the recipe called for. Part of the trouble with not going to the grocery store is having to swap our ingredients sometimes. I decided to swap out a few things and the end result was quite nice. I used boneless chicken thighs in place of the lamb and a combination of shredded cabbage and baby bok choy for the romaine lettuce. Frankly, I love the lemon sauce so much pretty much anything I served it with was going to taste pretty  good.

Here is the lamb recipe with my substitutions noted. Since I had boneless thighs I didn’t have to cook the dish as long, probably simmered it for 30 minutes in total.

Fricassee of Lamb with Lettuce

2 1/2-3 lbs. lamb shoulder, or use pork- I used boneless chicken thighs

3 medium onions, chopped

2-3 heads romaine lettuce, washed and sliced thin- I used 2 c. shredded cabbage and 2 heads of baby bok choy, sliced

1/2 c. olive oil

Egg and Lemon Sauce -recipe follows

Cut the meat into serving pieces. Heat the oil in a pot and sauté the meat. Add salt, pepper, the onions, lettuce and a small amount of water. Cover the pot and let the fricassee simmer for about an hour. Prepare the egg and lemon sauce, pour it over the fricassee and serve.

 Egg and Lemon Sauce

1-2 c. stock

2 eggs

juice of 1 lemon

flour, about 1-2 tablespoons, depending on how thick you want the sauce

Bring stock to the simmer. Beat eggs well. Mix the flour with the lemon juice.

Add to the eggs and keep beating. Add the hot broth slowly while you keep beating. Pour the egg and lemon sauce in the pot and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Makes 1-2 cups. For a thinner sauce eliminate the flour.

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