Adapted from the June/July, 2013 Fine Cooking

The heat is on here in the northeast, and in a sustained way I can’t remember experiencing before. Or maybe I just have a short memory for discomfort… though I tend to like summer weather, a sentiment I’m definitely not experiencing this time around. More likely it’s a combination of the temperature being higher than usual, and the fact that my foot and the lower part of my leg are encased in a spongy black material, the various panels of which are held in place by wide strips of industrial grade Velcro. (My torn tendon is healing but the 5-pound boot that’s helping it to get there must stay in place for at least another few months.) It’s a combination that can make the daily question of “What’s for dinner?” a particularly daunting one, especially when posed at the end of a torrid day as I limp home all flushed and sticky. Sometimes the answer is as simple as a salad, or if I’m feeling particularly wrung out, a few generous pats of goat cheese smeared across stalks of cold celery (and eaten right out of the fridge). Other times, though, something more filling is called for. On those occasions I tend to be drawn to the sorts of exotic dishes one might find in some far-flung destination where warm weather is a way of life. I suppose that’s one reason I was drawn to this dish for spiced lamb patties with apricot couscous.

Weirdly, lamb is something I’ve tended to stay away from in the past, and especially when the temperature rises. My trip to Morocco last December, however, seems to have changed that view, as it opened my eyes not just to the pleasures of lamb but also to how well-suited it is to warm weather eating—as long at it’s paired with the right ingredients. Although this dish (which I found in a recent edition of Fine Cooking) has more in common with Middle Eastern cooking than it does North African, it does bear certain similarities to the lamb dishes I sampled on my trip to Marrakesh in that it offsets the rich flavor of the meat with bright notes offered by things like lemon, olives, and a variety of dried fruit. Here that quality is achieved through the presence of three principal ingredients, namely dried apricots (which are mixed into the couscous accompanying the dish), plain yogurt (which is added to the meat before cooking and which also serves as a sauce to cut the richness of the meat), and fresh mint (which is added to the yogurt sauce, as well as sprinkled over the finished dish). Together these ingredients—the tart apricots, the tangy yogurt, the cool mint—provide the lamb with just the lift it needs to feel summery and bright, while still having the heft of a proper meal.

And none of the dish’s various elements require much time in the kitchen, which is a good thing since no one wants to stand over a hot stove when it’s this warm outside. Couscous, of course, is always simple, and this version requires nothing more than bringing some chicken broth, the diced apricots, and a little salt and cumin to a boil over high heat, stirring in the grain, then removing it from the heat and covering the mixture for 5 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed. And since the other elements require so little time to come together, once the couscous is cooked you can pretty much forget about it, simply fluffing the grain with a fork and adding a little olive oil and salt just before serving. I should also mention that while I played with the idea of some other accompaniments here—mashed cauliflower, say, or sautéed greens—ultimately I think the couscous is best. For one thing it just feels right in the company of the lamb and the yogurt. And for another, the sweet/tart note of the fruit gives the dish just the added zip it needs, not a mention a jolt of sunshine-y color.

As for the lamb, this is mixed with a tablespoon of yogurt (to help keep things moist), two large cloves of garlic (mashed to a paste with a pinch of kosher salt), and a little coriander, cumin, salt and pepper—a combination that imbues the meat with a subtly exotic spiciness. Once all the ingredients have been evenly distributed, divide the meat into eight patties, each about a ½-inch thick. These are then fried—and tuned once—over medium-high heat in a heavy skillet containing 2 tablespoons of hot olive oil (shimmering but not smoking) for between 5 and 7 minutes. The lamb is done when the exterior is browned and crispy and the centers are light pink. Be careful not to overcook the patties though as they’ll toughen up (a risk that comes with over-mixing the meat, as well, so be careful).

All that remains is to prepare the yogurt accompaniment, which simply requires stirring a little chopped fresh mint into some plain Greek yogurt. That said, when it came to serving the meal I did find myself wishing there was more sauce to spoon on to each plate, so instead of the quantities listed in the original recipe, I suggest doubling the ingredients—to 8 tablespoons of yogurt and 4 tablespoons of mint. The cool flavor and temperature of the combo is just what the lamb needs, so you’ll want to make sure you have enough for every delicious bite.

And with that the words “heat wave” begin to sound kind of appealing. Stay cool everyone.

Ingredients:
—2 cups lower-salt chicken broth
—3 ½ oz dried apricots, cut into medium dice (about ½ cup)
—Kosher salt
—1 tsp ground cumin
—1 1/3 cups couscous
—1¼ ground lamb
—5 tbs plain Greek yogurt, divided (TRG note: I recommend doubling the yogurt mint sauce, which would mean 9 tbs of the yogurt)
—2 large cloves garlic, mashed to a paste with a pinch of salt
—1 tsp ground coriander
—Freshly ground black pepper
—3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
—2 tbs finely chopped fresh mint; more for garnish (TRG note: I recommend doubling the yogurt mint sauce, which would mean 4 tbs of the mint)

Directions:
—In a 3 qt. saucepan, combine the chicken broth, apricots, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp of the cumin; bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the couscous, remove from the heat, and cover. Let sit until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes.
—Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the lamb, 1 tbs of the yogurt, the garlic, coriander, the remaining ¾ tsp of the cumin, 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper. Mix by hand, taking care not to overwork the mixture. Shape into eight ½-inch patties.
—Heat 2 tbs of the oil in a heavy-duty 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add the patties and cook, flipping once, until browned on the outside and barely light pink in the center, 5 to 7 minutes. (TRG note: be careful not to overcook or the patties will be dry and tough.)
—Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the remaining 4 tbs yogurt and the mint. (TRG note: I ended up doubling the yogurt sauce as I didn’t feel the recipe, as written provided enough. If you do this you will need 8 tbs of yogurt and 4 tbs of chopped mint)
—Fluff the couscous with a fork. Mix in the remaining 1 tbs oil and season with salt and pepper. Divide the couscous and patties among four plates. Add a dollop of the minted yogurt on the side and garnish with additional mint.

Serves 4

The post 07/17/13 • SPICED LAMB PATTIES appeared first on THE RECIPE GRINDER.

From the Jan., 2013 Bon Appetit

In its idealized state eating good food for me is not just about carving out a quiet space in which to savor something I love, but also a time to enjoy the company of friends, or myself, or even that TV series I can’t wait to tune into each week. I say idealized because while that frame of quietude may be the goal, as often as not I find myself wolfing something down while thinking about the various other tasks I need to do next. It’s an internally noisy kind of experience that’s the exact opposite of my food ideal, and often a source of some disappointment—like when the movie-version of your life fails to even remotely resemble the less well-acted, well-lit, well-directed reality. This pull is one I’ve been acutely aware of during the past week as I raced through various recipes I wanted to try (not surprisingly, none of which hit the mark), and as I’ve attempted on a number of occasions to sit down and compose this posting. Sometimes the noise of life—the schedules, the emails, the whatever it is that keeps us running—has a way of making creativity really challenging. Or at least it has that affect on me. So this is my attempt to say STOP!, to find a little window of quiet… and yes, to write something about these braised lamp shanks that makes some sense.

Let’s start with this: they’re wonderful, as is the recipe that helped me produce them. And this from someone who has never been a big fan of lamb… or for a long time didn’t think he was. That said, when I was in Morocco last December I found myself eating a fair amount of lamb, and liking it, which I suppose is one reason this recipe grabbed me when I came across it in the Jan. issue of Bon Appétit. On a superficial level it reminded me of the (many) lamb tagines I ate during my ten days there, though the truth is that the only real characteristic it shares with the classic North African dish is its slow cooking process. This, of course, is a key component of braising—a technique that has a number of advantages, not least of which is the wonderful flavor and texture it imparts on even the toughest cuts of meat, producing something that falls right off the bone.

The other thing this particular recipe has going for it (and that differentiates it from any of the lamb dishes I ate in Marrakesh) is the presence of two large fennel bulbs (sliced into 1-inch wedges)—an element that once cooked lends the dish a subtle, aromatic sweetness. As such it’s the perfect counterpoint to the potatoes, the carrots, the olives, and, of course, the meat that also make up the dish. And all of these ingredients benefit from the presence of the braising liquid, which in this case is a mixture of white wine (or dry vermouth) and chicken stock—with the former imparting a mild acidity to the finished product.

I’ll resist the temptation of walking you through the various steps involved in the actual cooking process, as the directions are listed below and require little annotation from me. I do, however, want to underscore the importance of searing the meat well prior to braising (it should be a deep brown color), as this step provides a wonderful caramelized quality to the meat while also imparting blasts of rich flavor into the braising liquid (the magical combination of fat and seasonings plus heat). It’s a critical process that’s aided by a fast cooking of the various base ingredients, namely fennel seeds, garlic, anchovies, thyme, and tomato paste, none of which is particularly distinct in the final tasting, but that together combine to deliver a depth of flavor to both the sauce and the shanks.

Having said that, the one tip I can offer is to work with a heavy pot that holds in the neighborhood of 7½ quarts (I used a 6½-quart size and had a hard time squeezing in my six pounds of shanks along with the braising liquid and the various vegetables). The other thing worth mentioning is that, as with any dish that involves slow cooking, most of the real work occurs in the early stages of the process (the chopping, the searing, the stirring), with the remainder completed in the oven. In other words, this is the perfect dish to make when you have a few friends coming over and don’t feel like racing around the kitchen while everyone is gossiping and telling funny stories in the other room. Also, as with any braised dish, the flavors will only deepen with an overnight stay in the fridge, so if you can, prepare the shanks the day before, then reheat them prior to serving (precise directions are included below).

Although the magazine suggests the dish as the perfect cold weather meal, I also think it’s great for these early spring days when the temperature outside is still cool-ish, but it’s only just drifting into dusk as you sit down to eat. it’s warming and filling in just the way you want, while also being bright and sunny. Time it right and all that noise will just fade into the background.

Ingredients:
—1/2 tsp fennel seeds
—6 lamb shanks (about 1 lb each)
—Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
—4 tbs olive oil, divided
—4 garlic cloves, chopped
—2 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained, chopped
—1 tbs chopped fresh thyme
—1 tbs tomato paste
—1½ cups dry white wine or dry vermouth
—2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
—2 bay leaves
—2 large fennel bulbs (about 1½ lbs total), cut into 1” wedges
—1 lb baby red-skinned potatoes, halved
—1/2 lb medium carrots (about 3), peeled, cut into 3” lengths, halved lengthwise, if large
—1/4 cup pitted, halved green olives (such as Picholine or Lucques), divided
—1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Special equipment:
—A spice mill (optional)

Directions:
—Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 325˚.
—Toast fennel seeds in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Let cool. Grind in spice mill or with a mortar and pestle.
—Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbs oil in a large heavy pot (about 7½ quarts) over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook lamb shanks, reducing heat as needed to prevent overbrowning, until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Transfer lamb shanks to a plate.
—Add remaining 2 tbs oil to pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Add ground fennel seeds, garlic, anchovies, thyme, and tomato paste and stir just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Bring to a simmer and cook until wine is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.
—Add broth and bay leaves. Return lamb shanks to pot, arranging shanks “head to toe” so they fit in an even layer (the meat should not be completely covered by the broth). Cover pot and transfer to oven. Braise for 1½ hours.
—Turn lamb shanks over. Add fennel, potatoes, carrots, and ¼ cup olives and tuck in around lamb shanks, submerging some in the liquid (they will cook whether they are submerged or not). Braise until meat and vegetables are fork-tender, about 45 minutes longer. (Note: Lamb can be made up to 3 days ahead. Let cool slightly, then chill, uncovered, until cold. Cover and keep chilled. Rewarm before continuing.)
—Using tongs and a slotted spoon, transfer lamb shanks and vegetables to a serving platter. Scatter remaining ¼ cup olives over and cover with foil to keep warm.
—Discard bay leaves from cooking liquid. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Skim fat from cooking liquid. Simmer liquid until it thickens slightly, 15 to 20 minutes (you should have about 1½ cups).
—Season sauce with salt and pepper and pour over lamb shanks and vegetables. Sprinkle with parsley.
—Serve with a loaf of crusty bread for sopping up the juices.

Serves 6

The post 04/30/13 • BRAISED LAMB SHANKS appeared first on THE RECIPE GRINDER.