Yogurt Marinated Spiced Lamb Recipes

ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH YOGURT MARINADE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C. Place the lamb in a roasting pan and make a bunch of slits all over it. This will help the marinade flavor the meat well. Season it ith salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin powder. Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the yogurt marinade over the lamb and toss to coat. Cover the pan with parchment paper and then with foil. Bake for 4-5 hours or until the lamb is falling off the bone. Serve with bread, rice, and Briam roasted vegetables. Kali Orexi!

YOGURT-MARINATED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• 1. In a 2-gallon resealable plastic bag, combine the yogurt, olive oil, mint, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the lamb, turning to coat evenly, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• 2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the lamb fat side up in a roasting pan and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 145° for medium rare, about 1 1/2 hours. Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

YOGURT-MARINATED ROAST LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Marinade: Use a spoon to peel the ginger. Peel garlic and onion. Roughly chop onion and ginger, followed by half of the parsley and cilantro, including stems. In a blender, add the ginger, onion, garlic, herbs, ⅓ of the yogurt, and salt. Purée until smooth. Add the remaining yogurt and purée again to combine. Set aside.
• Lamb: Place lamb on a flat surface. Use a sharp knife to poke holes in the lamb at 1½-inch intervals; this will help the lamb absorb the marinade. Flip over and repeat on the other side. Fit a brining bag into a large container (or the roasting pan you'll be using, if it fits in the refrigerator). Then place the lamb into the bag and pour in the marinade. Massage the marinade into the lamb so all of the meat is covered, then seal the bag. Refrigerate for 1-2 days (longer marination will yield more tenderized lamb).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer the lamb and all of the marinade into a roasting pan. Lay parchment paper over the lamb to cover, then cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for 1 hour. (Total roasting time will be 3 hours.)
• After 1 hour, remove lamb from oven. Gently remove foil and parchment. (The yogurt will have separated into curds and whey, which is normal.) Use tongs to flip the lamb over, then cover with parchment and foil again. Place back into the oven for 1 hour. After the second hour of roasting, flip the lamb again and place back into the oven, uncovered, for 1 final hour.
• After a total of 3 hours of roasting, remove lamb. Pierce the lamb with a sharp knife to check for doneness. If there isn't a lot of resistance, it's done. Flip lamb over, spoon yogurt solids on top, and let rest, 30 minutes.
• Almond Relish: Roughly chop the almonds, place in a medium bowl, and set aside. Pick the leaves off the remaining cilantro and parsley, bunch together, and finely chop. Add herbs to the almonds. Add enough olive oil to cover, about ½ cup, and mix. Juice 3 of the 4 lemon halves into the relish, mix, and add salt to taste. Use the juice of the remaining lemon half to taste.
• Assembly: Use tongs and a meat fork to transfer lamb to a serving platter. Spoon relish over the lamb, and serve.

SPICED ROAST LAMB

Steps:

• Stir together the marinade ingredients and season with ½ tsp ground black pepper and 1½ tsp flaky salt. Slash the lamb several times on both sides, then massage the marinade all over it. Seal into a large food bag or non-metallic container and chill overnight (or at least for a few hrs). Let the lamb sit at room temperature for 1 hr before roasting.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Put the lamb into a foil-lined roasting tin and roast for 20 mins. Turn the oven down to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and roast for 1 hr 20 mins for meat that's pink near the bone. Cover loosely with foil halfway through cooking or once the marinade has charred and the meat looks golden.
• Leave the lamb to rest for 20 mins before carving, then serve with lentil & tomato and cucumber salads (see related recipes).

LAMB CUBES IN SPICY YOGURT MARINADE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except the meat in a medium bowl.
• Place the meat in a shallow glass or ceramic dish in one layer.
• Pour marinade over and turn meat to coat well.
• Marinate at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
• Drain meat.
• Thread on 6 skewers and grill 10 to 12 minutes, turning to cook all sides.

SPICED MARINATED LAMB CHOPS WITH GARLICKY YOGURT

Steps:

• Combine yogurt, lemon juice, and garlic in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1/2 cup yogurt mixture to a small bowl and set aside for serving. Stir cumin, coriander, turmeric, and allspice into remaining yogurt mixture.
• Season lamb chops with salt and pepper. Using your hands, evenly coat all sides of chops with spiced yogurt mixture (avoiding the bone if they are frenched). Let chops sit at room temperature 30 minutes, or cover and chill up to 12 hours.
• Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Wipe off excess marinade from lamb chops and cook half until nicely browned, about 3 minutes per side (the yogurt in the marinade will help them take on color quickly). Remove chops from skillet and pour off fat (no need to wipe it out). Repeat with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and remaining chops.
• Serve lamb chops with reserved yogurt mixture alongside.

GRILLED YOGURT-MARINATED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Mix 1 cup yogurt, 1 teaspoon Tabil Spice Blend, and 1 minced garlic clove in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill. Whisk remaining 1 cup yogurt, remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons Tabil Spice Blend, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp. salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, oil, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add lamb; turn to coat. Cover and chill overnight, turning occasionally.
• Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Grill until meat is cooked to desired doneness, 10-15 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, grill lemon halves, cut side down, until charred, about 5 minutes. Thinly slice lamb against the grain and arrange on a platter; garnish with lemons. Serve with reserved yogurt sauce.

LEG OF LAMB IN A SPICY YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Remove all the fat from the outside of the leg and the white skin, or ask your butcher to do it.
• Put the leg in a baking dish, stainless steel or glass is preferred because of the yogurt marinade.
• Put in your blender or food processor the almonds, onions, garlic, ginger, green chilies and about 3 tablespoons of the yogurt, process to a paste.
• The remaining yogurt you put in a dish, beat lightly until smooth, add the paste and the cumin, coriander, cayenne and garam masala, mix.
• Stab the lamb all over, making good deep cuts.
• Now the fun begins, using your hands push generous amounts of paste in the natural openings of the lamb, then in the cuts you made.
• Spread remaining paste all over and around the lamb, the side that will be up should get a thick layer.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
• When ready to bake, remove the lamb from the fridge and give it enough time to get to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat the oil in a small pan on a medium flame, when hot add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and peppercorns, when the cloves swell, this just takes seconds pour the hot oil and the spices over the lamb.
• Cover the dish with its own lid or tightly with aluminum foil, bake covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil and bake for another 45 minutes or longer if you prefer.
• During this time baste the meat regularly with the sauce.
• Scatter, or make nice pattern, the sultana’s and almonds over the top of lamb in the yogurt paste.
• Bake for another 5-6 minutes.
• Remove the dish from the oven; leave it a warm place for 15 minutes or so.
• Take the leg out of the pan, spoon the fat from the top of the sauce, strain the sauce and discard the whole spices.
• Serve the leg on a platter with the sauce poured around it.