Hummus and Pakistani Lamb (Mutton) Stew

Peeled and de-seeded cucumbers, tahini, lime juice, strained yogurt, olive oil and chickpeas blended until smooth. Cool and refreshing, this hummus was a perfect accompaniment to the spicy Pakistani stew.

The stew was cubed lamb, diced de-seeded tomatoes, diced onions, yogurt, garlic powder, ginger, cracked peppercorns, whole cloves, black cardamon pods, cinnamon, cumin seeds, crushed coriander seeds, red chilies, salt, oil, and fresh cilantro. Served over basmati rice seasoned with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and green cardamon pods along with creamy garlic potatoes and spinach salad with onion cream dressing and naan.

Roast leg of lamb with honeyed figs - Crockpot

6 garlic cloves, halved
flake salt and fresh cracked pepper
2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 tsp paprika
2 tbls olive oil

9 fresh figs, stemmed and chopped 

1 cup red wine 

2 tbls balsamic vinegar 

2 tbls honey

1 boneless leg of lamb (3 1/2 pounds)

Last 1/4 cup of coffee from brew pot

With a small knife, cut 12 small slits in the lamb, pour in olive oil and place 1/2 clove garlic in each slit. Pour on the coffee.




Chop the figs and then drizzle with wine, vinegar and honey. Arrange  on top. Then sprinkle lamb with salt, pepper, and paprika. Set the crockpot on high allow to cook for 6 hours.

Layered over smashed potatoes,
carrots, and celery.

Served with buttered rye bread
from B.Ferrante's Bakery.

Super Gyro Shawarma

Art by Anna Rettberg

So by now I should be able to post this and not worry about posting *Spoiler Alert*, right? If you haven't seen it yet, stay till the very end. You never leave a Marvel movie till the projector shuts off. If you stayed, congratulations, you're awesome! I decided to try my hand at making some Super Gyro Shawarma...

2 lbs  lamb fillet (picked up from African Market Halal in the Westside)
3 1/2 oz. tallow, suet or lard
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp each of nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, ground cloves, allspice, finely ground pepper, mistika (pestle ground gum mastic also called arabic gum), and sea salt

Cut the lamb fillet and fat into very thin strips.

Mix the seasoning together with the vinegar and the olive oil.

Combine the lamb and fat strips in a bowl with the seasoning mixture and let marinate overnight, or at least for three hours.

Homemade pita bread

Heat a large skillet, set to high. Add the lamb and fat strips and cook over high heat until the fat melts and the lamb strips turn brown.

Serve with lemon juice thinned tahini sauce, thinly sliced red onion, thin strips of lettuce, hummus (red pepper hummus from the Lexington Co-op), tomatoes, tzatziki, and cracked pepper all rolled in a warmed fluffy pita bread.

Monster Robot Meatloaf

 My family is crazy for my monster meatloaf. It's a blend of three of the following: pork, bison, beef, elk and lamb. Then ketchup and bread crumbs and dried oregano is added. It's all mixed well. Usually it's pressed into an 8x8 pan and baked, but Leto begged in her best robot voice for a Monster Robot Meatloaf. This was my first attempt. Will try variations on the theme in future loafs.

This guy was baked at 400 degrees until he reached 170 to 175 degrees and was served with salad and mushroom medley.

Lamb Shanks and Potatoes in Onion Soup

Layer in a crockpot lamb shanks from Spars, whole well washed potatoes, two chopped onions, and 3 cups stock. Set on high and serve 5 hours later.

There is a restaurant here in Buffalo that used to be the go to place for families. A diner that catered to everyone, not just the beer drinking tv watching crowd.


They did some major remodeling that did away with all of that including it's outstanding floor staff and change ups in the kitchen meant less of the favorites, like the lamb shank.

Although the lamb shank was done in cacciatore style there, I went for a simple stripped down version, which pleased my six year old to no end as she just loves onion soup.

Schiacciata all Sicilianna

 When I looked for authentic Sicilian recipes for the last International Dinner, I came across this recipe. The amazing thing is that when I Googled images to see it's construction I discovered that the making of Schiacciata all Sicilianna is not a straightforward affair. I found them folded like a stromboli, or a calzone, tucked in like a pasty, built like a pie, or laid out like a very long pizza. But then I started to find 7 pages in my search that chefs in the country side roll them like a cinnamon bread. It's swirling center was so lovely I decided to go with the roll.

I also discovered that the ingredients varied wildly. I finally decided to do a variation on my monster meatloaf. With a blend of ground chuck, ground lamb, and pork, though in this recipe I used well browned crisp bacon which was crumbled and the dripping were used to fry up the onions and garlic, I found the perfect filling for my roll.

The dough was 2 cups flour, 1 cup warm water, 1 1/2 tsp yeast, 3 tbls olive oil, 1 tbls sugar, and 2 tsp salt. I used a white whole wheat flour which was very easy to work with. In the first photo you see my husband rolling it all together while I worked on the Taralli. The roll's ends were tucked under and the whole thing was laid out onto a greased pan and baked at 380 degrees for about 30 minutes. The time will depend on the roll's thickness and filling as well as the type of flour used in the dough. I think 30 minutes is a good point to start checking on it. It should have a nice golden brown and crunchy exterior when finished. This was very savory and I enjoyed it with several glasses of wine!