Cumin Lamb Casserole Recipes

MAMA'S OH-SO-SAVORY LAMB AND EGGPLANT CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Place eggplant in a colander set in a bowl or the sink; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and toss to coat. Let eggplant stand for at least 1 hour. Rinse off the bitter liquid and excess salt and drain well.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion and celery; cook and stir until onion has softened and turned translucent and celery is fragrant, about 5 minutes.
• While vegetables are cooking, combine ground cumin, oregano, rosemary, paprika, mint, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl or mortar and pestle and mix well; this is the lamb seasoning (see Cook's Note). Set seasoning aside.
• Stir eggplant cubes and garlic into the vegetables in the skillet, mixing well, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and sprinkle with half of the lamb seasoning mixture. Reserve remaining seasoning. Stir gently and cook for 5 minutes more.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 2-quart casserole dish.
• Pour chicken broth and half the can of tomato sauce into the skillet and simmer for 10 minutes; add a little water if the sauce starts to get dry. Transfer the sauce to the prepared casserole dish.
• Return the skillet to the stove over medium-high heat and heat the reserved tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Place ground lamb into skillet and sprinkle with remaining seasoning mixture. Brown lamb in the hot oil, stirring frequently, until the meat is evenly browned; it should look like imperfect meatballs.
• Gently transfer the lamb to the casserole dish, pushing it down into the vegetable mixture so that it is at least partially submerged. Stir fresh lemon juice into the remaining tomato sauce and pour the sauce over the casserole.
• Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending upon how tender you like your vegetables.

PLUM LAMB CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat butter in a large pot over medium heat until melted. Add onion; cook and stir until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Season flour with salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge lamb chops in flour mixture on both sides.
• Layer lamb chops with onion, carrot, and celery in a casserole dish.
• Mix stock, plum jam, tomato sauce, and Worcestershire sauce together in a small bowl. Pour over lamb in the casserole dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lamb is tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.

CUMIN-AND-COFFEE ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 475°F. Stir yogurt, cumin, brown sugar, espresso powder, and cloves in small bowl until sugar dissolves. Place lamb, fat side up, on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread 1/3 of yogurt mixture evenly over. Turn lamb over. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread evenly with remaining yogurt mixture.
• Roast lamb until thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 130°F for medium-rare, about 25 minutes. Transfer to platter. Let rest 10 minutes. Slice thinly and serve.

LAMB CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Lightly seal the lamb forequarter pieces with some oil in a large frying pan and then remove from the pan.
• Using same pan add onion, garlic and carrot and lightly fry until onions are clear.
• Add the tomato base (pasta sauce), stock and water and stir. Add oregano, salt and paper. Add the lamb forequarter pieces again and mix through.
• Remove from heat and transfer into casserole dish.
• Add peas.
• Add more water and tomato base (pasta sauce) if needed. The lamb forequarters should be almost covered.
• Bake in oven for at least two and a half to three hours at 180°C Check after one and a half hours, stir through, add water/base if necessary.
• Serve with boiled potatoes.

CUMIN LAMB STIR-FRY

Steps:

• In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast cumin seeds and peppercorns until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and crush lightly.
• Slice meat across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick strips. Toss meat with crushed spices, ground cumin, salt and dried chiles.
• Peel onion and halve it through the root end. Trim the ends and cut each half lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cut white and light green parts of scallions into 2-inch lengths. Thinly slice scallion greens; keep separate.
• Heat a very large skillet or wok over high heat until screaming hot, about 5 minutes. Add oil. Toss in onion and the scallion bottoms. Cook, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are lightly charred but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Add lamb and chiles to skillet. Cook, tossing quickly, until meat begins to brown. Add garlic, soy sauce and sherry. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and lamb is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Toss in onions and scallion bottoms. Remove from heat and mix in cilantro and scallion greens. Serve hot, over rice.

TRADITIONAL LAMB STEW

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, brown meat in 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Remove with a slotted spoon; set aside. Add the onions, carrots and remaining oil to pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until onions are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes, broth, salt, pepper and lamb; bring to a boil. , Remove from the heat. Cover and bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until meat and vegetables are tender., With a slotted spoon, remove meat and vegetables to a large bowl; set aside and keep warm. Pour pan juices into another bowl; set aside. , In the Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in pan juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the parsley, chives, thyme, and meat and vegetables; heat through.

CHILE-CUMIN LAMB MEATBALLS WITH YOGURT AND CUCUMBER

Steps:

• Chile sauce:
• Toast chiles, red pepper flakes, and cumin seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until fragrant and cumin seeds are golden, about 3 minutes.
• Let cool. Working in batches, finely grind in spice mill, then transfer to a blender. Add vinegar, paprika, and garlic to blender and blend until smooth. With motor running, gradually stream in oil and blend until combined. Transfer to a large bowl; season with salt.
• Do ahead: Chile sauce can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
• Meatballs and assembly:
• Pulse onion, chopped garlic, parsley, oregano, sage, fennel seeds, coriander, cumin, and 1 tablespoon salt in a food processor, scraping down sides as needed, until finely chopped. Add egg, lamb, and flour and pulse until evenly combined. Form lamb mixture into 1 1/2" balls.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high. Working in 2 batches and adding another 1 tablespoon oil to skillet if needed, cook meatballs, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides and cooked through, 5-8 minutes. Transfer meatballs to paper towels to drain.
• Transfer all meatballs to bowl with chile sauce and toss to coat. Toss cucumber in a medium bowl with lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon yogurt into bowls. Evenly divide meatballs among bowls; top with dressed cucumber and mint and sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
• Do ahead: Meatball mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

LAMB AND BARLEY CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cut chops into uniform pieces about one-and-a-half inches square (trim as much fat as possible). Toss lamb with juice of one-and-a-half of the lemons and a generous grinding of black pepper. Set aside to marinate for two to three hours. Reserve the rest of the lemons to cut into wedges as a garnish for the finished dish.
• Heat oil in a three-quart casserole. Dry lamb pieces and sear over high heat until lightly browned. You will probably have to do this in two or three shifts. When all the lamb is browned, set it aside and pour the fat out of the casserole, leaving only a thin film on the bottom.
• Lower heat to medium-low and add onion, carrots and celery. Cook for about eight minutes, until the vegetables are tender but not browned. Add salt, garlic, fennel seeds and rosemary and cook a minute or two, until the garlic is soft but not brown. Return lamb to the casserole.
• Add the stock and wine and bring to a boil, stirring to free any particles of meat or vegetables clinging to the bottom or sides of the casserole. Lower heat to a simmer and stir in the barley. Make sure all the barley is submerged in liquid. Add the bay leaf.
• Cover the casserole and cook over very low heat for one hour. The meat should be tender and the barley cooked. Almost all the liquid in the casserole should be absorbed by the barley. If the ingredients are too moist, uncover the casserole and continue cooking over low heat for another five minutes or so.
• Check seasonings. Transfer meat and barley to a serving platter, surround with lemon wedges and dust with parsley.

CUMIN LAMB CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180C.
• Put lamb, potatoes, olive oil, cumin seeds, salt and pepper in a large plastic bag and jiggle it about till it's well mixed. I use the bag the lamb came from the butcher inches You can do this in a dish but then you have to wash the dish and your hands.
• Pour it all into a large casserole dish or dutch oven with the water.
• Slice the tomatoes and overlap them on top, they stop the meat drying out.
• Sprinkle salt on the tomatoes. You can also add shredded parsley or lemon zest now if you want to.
• Top the whole thing with little pats of butter, put the lid on the pot, and place in oven for 1 1/2-2 hours
• Swish the pan every half hour to rewet the ingredients.
• If it's still watery, take the lid off and return to the oven for another half hour.