Lamb’s bold flavor works in so many different dishes. The key is accentuating and highlighting it while keeping things simple. Cultures around the world have their take on traditional lamb stew as well as chops, shanks and ground lamb.
Here’s a recipe shared by our General Manager, Chris Maher, who enjoys cooking lamb. Credit goes to Bobby Flay, “why try and reinvent something this good?”
Whisk together oil, garlic and thyme in a shallow large baking dish. Add the chops and turn to coat. Cover and marinate for 1 to 1 1/2 hours in the refrigerator.
Remove the chops from the refrigerator 20 minutes before grilling. Heat grill to 700 °.
Grill the chops for 5 to 6 minutes per side to sear. Reduce heat to medium by turning one burner off. Move lamb to that side of the grill and close cover.
Cook until meat is 135°. in the center for medium doneness. Remove and rest for 2 minutes. Slice into individual chops.
Brush the cut side of the lemons with the oil and grill, cut side down on high for 1 minute. Turn lemons 45°. to make hatch marks and remove.
Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the platter of chops. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with fresh sprigs of oregano and dill. Serve the remaining grilled lemons on the platter with the chops.
Lamb’s bold flavor works in so many different dishes. The key is accentuating and highlighting it while keeping things simple. Cultures around the world have their take on traditional lamb stew as well as chops, shanks and ground lamb.
Here’s a go-to recipe from our General Manager, Chris Maher, from Nagi Maehashi of Recipe Tin Eats.
Ingredients
4 lamb shanks, around 13 oz each
1 tsp EACH cooking/kosher salt and pepper
2 – 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 onion, finely diced (brown, yellow or white)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup carrot, peeled, finely diced
1 cup celery, finely diced
2 ½ cups red wine (full bodied good value wine, not expensive!)
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock, low sodium (or water)
5 sprigs of thyme (preferably tied together), or 2 tsp dried thyme
2 dried bay leaves (or 4 fresh)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Pat lamb with paper towel to dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 Tbsp oil on high heat in a large oven-safe pot on the stove. Get it hot before adding meat.
Sear lamb until brown on all sides – about 3-5 minutes each side. Set aside. Lower heat to medium and wait a moment. Add remaining olive oil. Add diced onion and garlic. Stir.
Cook for 5 minutes. Add seasonings. Add carrot and celery. Cook 5 minutes more until carrot begins to soften.
Add red wine and scrape any brown bits from the sauce pan up with the liquid. MMMM Tasty stuff!
Add stock, paste and tomatoes. Stir until heated through. Add shanks back to the pot.
Cover the pot and transfer to preheated oven for 2 ½ hours. Remove pot from oven. Take lamb out and set aside.
Strain veggies out of the sauce into a bowl. (Reserve veggies for other tasty things like pasta.)
Put strained sauce on the stove back in the pot and cook for 10 minutes more over medium high heat to reduce and thicken. Taste, add salt if needed.
Serve shanks on a grain or potatoes, covered with sauce. Peas are good too.
Craving something cozy, yet light? Here’s a recipe for Lohikeitto (low-hee-kay-eat-o), a Finnish salmon soup that takes only about a half hour to make. Stick with the traditional ingredients or add in some of our springy suggestions that give it a fun flavor twist.
1 lb skin-on salmon filet, de-boned/skinned and cut into small chunks
1-2 Tbsp Local Spicery’s Bada Bing Bouillon Ooh Mommy Umami
1 cup heavy cream
¼ tsp ground allspice
Pinch of dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
Salt and fresh pepper to taste
Optional: ½ cup thinly sliced fennel, ¼ cup chopped parsley
Directions
Prep your veggies, reserving any peels, leek stalk, carrot tip/top. Remove skin from salmon and place with veggie scraps and Bada Bing Bouillon Ooh Mommy Umami in a large saucepan with 5 cups water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a soup pot and sauté leeks for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until soft.
Strain broth and add to saucepan with leeks, potatoes, carrots, fennel (if using) and half the dill. Cook another 10 minutes or until potatoes are just tender.
Add salmon to soup along with cream and allspice. Gently simmer on low heat a few minutes until cooked through. Add remaining dill, parsley (if using) and salt and pepper to taste. Close lid and wait another 10 minutes before serving.
Here’s a great recipe that’s easy enough for dinner any night of the week, and fancy enough that you’ll get rave reviews on a special occasion.
Saltimbocca is a traditional Roman dish featuring prosciutto wrapped around veal and sage leaves, cooked in butter and white wine. We’re using chicken as the main protein since it’s easier to find. “Saltimbocca” comes from the Italian phrase saltare in bocca, meaning “to jump into your mouth.” One bite and you’ll know why.
Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, butterflied and lightly pounded – about 6 oz each
8 large sage leaves
4 thin slices prosciutto, cut in half lengthwise
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, for dusting
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
¼ cup dry white wine – like pinot grigio
¾ cup chicken stock
4 smashed cloves garlic
1 small shallot, minced
Salt and pepper
Fresh lemon slices for garnish
Directions
Season chicken breast halves with a little salt and pepper (go easy – prosciutto will give the dish plenty of salt). Put two sages leaves on each one and carefully wrap prosciutto slices around, pressing as you go and using toothpicks to make sure the prosciutto stays in place.
Place flour on a plate and dredge chicken. Set dredged chicken aside on another plate.
In a large skillet over medium-high high heat, add olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter. Add two wrapped breasts, turning as prosciutto gets crispy. Cook until nearly cooked through, turning as prosciutto shrinks and gets crispy – about 4-6 minutes.
Transfer chicken to a plate and repeat with remaining pieces.
Pour off excess fat. Add garlic and shallot, cook 2 minutes. Add wine, deglazing pan by scraping off the bits. Reduce wine by half, about 2-3 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil. Cook/reduce by half – about 3-4 minutes. Add in butter and stir/swirl to emulsify sauce. Remove garlic.
Add chicken back to skillet and simmer over moderate heat until chicken is fully cooked through, about 2-3 minutes more or as needed to reach 165° internal temperature. Adjust salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to plates and pour sauce on and around before serving. Garnish with lemon slices and serve with your choice of side.
If you’re wondering how to get more wine and chocolate into your savory creations, here’s a recipe including a creative sauce using both. When it comes to savory dishes, chocolate is a bit player that helps pull all the flavors together instead of the star of the show. You want to use just enough to balance the other ingredients.
Learn more about chocolate’s place in cooking by checking out our The Union article.
Ingredients
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 medium white onion – ½ minced and ½ sliced into rings
½ medium red pepper, diced
2 cups water
1 tsp Better than Bouillon
1 cup green lentils, well rinsed
4 garlic cloves, minced – divided in half
1 bay leaf
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp cocoa powder
¼ tsp chili powder
1/3 cup red wine
½ cup ketchup
1 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce – vegan if desired
1/8 tsp liquid smoke, or smoked paprika
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt/pepper to taste
4 – 6 hamburger buns
4 – 6 leaves lettuce
Directions
To a small saucepan, add 2 Tbsp olive oil, minced onion and red pepper. Cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add water, 2 cloves minced garlic, bay leaf, Better than Bouillon and lentils. Bring to a low boil, stir. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, or until tender. Set aside to drain, removing bay leaf.
Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 cloves minced garlic, cumin, cocoa powder and chili powder and stir for 1 minute.
Add red wine and simmer 2 minutes. Whisk in ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire and liquid smoke/smoked paprika and simmer 2 minutes more.
Remove from heat. Stir in brown sugar and vinegar and let cool slightly. Add sauce to lentils to achieve desired “sloppiness.” Serve scoops of sauced lentils onto toasted burger buns, garnished with lettuce leaves and sliced onion.
Here’s a recipe inspired by the classic tomato caprese salad – with a twist – using dukkah (pronounced doo-kah), It’s a versatile centuries-old spice blend with Middle Eastern origins that you can use to crust proteins like fish or chicken, stir into soup, or top a salad – like we do here.
Ingredients
Dukkah:
1/3 cup combined unsalted shelled pistachios, unsalted raw hazelnuts and almonds
2 Tbsp hulled sesame seeds, lightly toasted
1 ½ tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
Salad:
1 ½ pounds heirloom tomatoes, sliced into rounds ¼ inch thick
1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced
2 Tbsp fresh mint, hand-torn into small pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small shallot, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt/pepper to taste
6 Tbsp dukkah, or more to taste
Directions
Make Dukkah: Heat a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add nuts and toast about 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously, until lightly browned. Transfer to a food processor.
In same skillet, toast cumin, fennel and coriander seeds for about 1 minute until they release their scent. Remove seeds from skillet and allow to cool a few minutes. Add to food processor.
Add sesame seeds, salt and cayenne to food processor. Grind until spices look like coarse sand, some nut chunks can be as big as 1/8 – ¼ inch.
Make sure dukkah is fully cooled. Store in airtight container in a dry place for up to 3 weeks.
Note: You can also use a mortar and pestle to make dukkah.
Make salad: In a small bowl, combine garlic, shallot, lemon juice and several pinches salt. Add olive oil in a steady stream while whisking to combine. Set aside.
Arrange tomato and mozzarella slices slightly overlapping on a large serving plate or four smaller individual plates. Drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle on dukkah and fresh mint.
