Lamb is a meat that is well-deserved love of gourmets all over the world. Soft, juicy, aromatic, it is combined with many spices and herbs, suitable for all types of heat treatment. Soups, pies, roasts are made from it, lamb is baked and fried, stewed and boiled. This is a versatile meat that is really easy to prepare.
How to choose lamb
When buying lamb, like any other meat, first of all, you should pay attention to the aroma. The repulsive musky smell attributed to lamb occurs only in the meat of older animals, male producers, and if the carcass has been improperly cut. The smell of a good cut is appetizing, with notes of grass and milk and without any hint of mustiness, without sourness and rancidity.
The best lumps are pink, with white and hard fat, even better - marbled, in which the fat layer is evenly distributed between the muscle fibers. The older the animal, the darker, which means the tougher its meat.
And, of course, on a good piece there are no "petrol" stains, no yellow rancid fat, no dark spots, indicating improper storage of the product. The meat is firm, not sticky or too moist.
It is known that there is the best cut for every type of heat treatment. So for baking - no doubt - a leg or a shoulder blade is ideal. At the same time, there are subtleties here too - the leg consists of different types of muscle fiber and therefore requires more experience in handling, but with the right approach it turns out fragrant and with a golden crust. It is easier to bake the shoulder part - it is fatter, the meat is baked evenly, it turns out juicy and tender. Meat with bone should be cooked longer, it is more difficult to cut it in portions, but it is much more flavorful.
The shoulder, brisket, drumsticks and ribs are well suited for stewing and boiling. The meat on these cuts is the most fibrous, sometimes even sinewy. Meat from the thigh and neck, shoulder and loin is suitable for grilling or frying, cooking minced meat. Lamb rack is traditionally baked. Saddle, loin, shoulder, square are cut into chops.
Lamb is sold as a steam room, as well as chilled and frozen. Frozen cuts should be laid out in advance on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator so that they thaw slowly. Fresh meat is taken out an hour before planning to start cooking. The prepared mutton is washed under running water and dried with kitchen paper towels.
This meat goes well with rosemary, thyme, capers, mint or red currant jelly, garlic, olives, anchovies, lemons, ginger, curry paste, chili and caraway seeds. A good side dish is potatoes, rice, green peas, caramelized vegetables.
Shawarma with lamb
A classic oriental dish that has become popular all over the world, shawarma, shwarma or shawarma is traditionally prepared with lamb. If you make a homemade shawarma, you will be surprised how tasty, fragrant and tender it can be. You will need:
- 1 ½ - 2 kg of lamb (shoulder blade on the bone);
- 4 heads of onions;
- 2 ½ teaspoons of finely ground salt;
- ½ teaspoon of ground white pepper;
- 3 tbsp. spoons of a mixture of spices ras el-khanut;
- ½ a head of white or red cabbage;
- 1 lemon;
- 30 g parsley;
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of vegetable oil;
- 4 tbsp. tablespoons of fatty natural yogurt;
- 1 ripe pomegranate;
- 6 cakes.
Peel the onion and roughly chop 2 heads. Place in the bowl of a food processor along with 2 tablespoons of salt, ras el hanut seasoning, and white pepper. Grind in mashed potatoes. Chop the remaining onion into thin half rings and place on the bottom of a baking dish. Sprinkle lightly with oil. Rinse and dry the lamb, rub with onion puree and place in a mold. Cook in an oven preheated to 240 ° C for about 30 minutes. When the meat is browned, pour some boiled water into the mold and cover with a lid or foil. Reduce heat to 200 ° C and cook meat for another hour. Remove the lid, pour in more boiled water, reduce the heat to 180 ° C and simmer for another hour. Repeat the procedure, but reduce the heat more and more. After 3 ½ hours, the lamb will be so soft that it begins to flake off of the bones. Remove from oven, leave for 15-10 minutes, then cut into pieces.
Finely chop the cabbage, sprinkle with salt, squeeze the juice from the lemon. Shake the cabbage so that more juice comes out of it. Season with vegetable oil and add parsley. Stir. Peel the pomegranate and place the seeds in the salad.
Place the cabbage filling, lamb and some yogurt on each tortilla. Roll into shawarma and enjoy the great taste.
Ras el-khanut seasoning is a famous oriental spice mix. It contains the following ingredients in the following proportions:
- 3 cinnamon sticks;
- 1 nutmeg;
- 3 dry rose buds;
- 3 strings of matsis;
- ½ teaspoon of anise;
- 3 boxes of turmeric;
- a pinch of cayenne pepper;
- ½ teaspoon dried lavender;
- 1 teaspoon of ground white pepper;
- 2 cm of dried galangal root;
- 1 teaspoon of ground ginger root;
- 2 cloves cloves;
- 6 peas of allspice;
- 5 boxes of cardamom;
- 1 tbsp. spoon of sesame seeds.
Grate the nut on a fine grater, chop the cloves, add the remaining seasonings to the mortar and grind into the spicy mixture.
Lamb stewed in milk
Follow this step-by-step recipe for tender meat in a wonderful thick milk sauce. You can serve it with ordinary fluffy mashed potatoes or boiled rice. You will need:
- 3 kg lamb (shoulder);
- 50 g butter;
- 1 tbsp. a spoonful of vegetable oil;
- 2 liters of cow's milk fat content not less than 2.5%;
- 2 bay leaves;
- 1 head of onion;
- 6 cloves;
- 2-3 sprigs of thyme;
- a pinch of ground nutmeg;
- a strip of orange peel;
- salt and black pepper.
Cut the meat into 2 ½ - 3 cm cubes. Season with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a brazier and fry the lamb until golden brown, dust with flour if desired, then the sauce will be thicker.
Insert cloves into the head of the onion. Pour milk into a saucepan, add bay leaf, put onion, thyme sprigs, orange zest, season with nutmeg and salt. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Strain and pour into a pot of meat. Simmer over medium heat for about an hour or more, until the meat is so tender that it crumbles under the teeth of a fork.
Lamb chops with spiced potatoes
These brown lamb chops work well with spiced potatoes. The trick here is in the spicy additions - caraway seeds, mint and canned lemons. You will need:
- 8 lamb chops;
- 1 ½ kg of young small potatoes;
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of olive oil;
- 1 clove of garlic;
- 2 canned salted lemons;
- 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds;
- 50 g mint greens;
- salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Wash and peel the potatoes well. Boil until tender, drain the water. In a frying pan, heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil, chop the lemons coarsely, chop the garlic and put together with the potatoes in the pan, sprinkle with caraway seeds, stir and keep on the lowest heat.
Heat another non-stick skillet over high heat. Rub the lamb chops with butter, season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes on each side, if you like well done meat, keep longer. Season the potatoes with chopped mint and serve with the chops.
Roasted lamb ribs with rosemary
The meaty ribs go well with the Mediterranean flavors. Tiny cherry tomatoes are a good addition to a simple and hearty meal. Take:
- 3 tbsp. tablespoons of olive oil;
- 8 lamb ribs;
- 1 kg of small young potatoes;
- 4 sprigs of rosemary;
- 4 cloves of garlic;
- 250 g cherry tomatoes on the branches;
- 1 tbsp. a spoonful of balsamic vinegar;
- salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat half of the olive oil in a Dutch oven. Rub the ribs with salt and pepper and fry until golden brown. Set aside. Add the remaining oil and fry the peeled and dried potatoes. Instead of young potatoes, you can use regular potatoes, but you should cut them into pieces. Add peeled garlic cloves, rosemary, and sautéed meat.
Preheat oven to 200C and bake the ribs for 20 minutes. Place the tomatoes on top and sprinkle everything with balsamic vinegar. Bake for another 5-7 minutes. Serve hot.
