Chef On Call

Lamb Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Barley

I made this dish for dinner last Thursday on a damp, rainy day. It was perfect; warm and comforting with a great blend of spices. I ground my own cardamom from pods that I had and the smell and taste from them was amazing! I am going to have to use cardamom more often. This recipe comes from Barbara Lynch's new book, Stir. I have made a couple of recipes from this book so far and everyone has been a winner.

1 tbs ground cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbs canola oil, plus more as needed
2 lbs. boneless leg of lamb, trimmed, cut into 1-2 inch chunks
salt & pepper
2 medium carrots, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 cup dry red wine
4 cups beef broth
15 prunes
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup barley

1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled & diced

In a small bowl, combine the cumin, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes.
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the oil and let it heat up. Add the meat and let it brown very deeply on one side before turning it to brown all sides; this browning step, crucial for great flavor, can take as long as 10 to 15 minutes. Be sure there is space between the pieces or the lamb will steam instead of brown; sear the lamb in batches if necessary.
Transfer the lamb to a platter as it browns, and season it well with a few pinches of salt and a few grinds of pepper.Add a little more oil to the pot, if needed, then add the carrots, onion ,celery, and garlic. Season with a good pinch of salt and cook, stirring up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Reduce the heat if necessary and cook until the vegetables are lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the spice mixture and red wine, stir and cook over medium heat until the wine has reduced by about half. Add the beef broth and return the lamb to the pot, nestling it into the liquid. Cover the pot with the lid slightly askew and cook over medium-low heat for 1 hour. Add the prunes and raisins, cover, and cook for another 30 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, barley, and 3 cups water to the pot, cover and cook until the potatoes, lamb, and barley are tender, another 45 minutes to an hour, adding up to 1 more cup water if needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in bowls.

Quick Tip #1-Cheese Rinds

I'm starting a feature of tips that can help your cooking. It might be a time saving technique or a unique way to use an ingredient.

Today's tip involves the leftover rinds from hard cheese such as Parmesan and Pecorino Romano. When I get down to the end, I stash the piece in a ziploc in the freezer. I use the pieces of rind to flavor soups and stews. It adds a nice depth of flavor and a salty note. Give it a try!

Buffalo Turkey Meatballs-Wings without the Bone

Thanks to Paula from The Cookbook Junkie for posting about this recipe on Friday. I jumped on the chance to make this as a snack while we watched football yesterday. These were great! I substituted ground turkey for the ground chicken and used a small scoop to form the meatballs. I ended up with 24 meatballs. These could be formed and frozen ahead of time and then just cooked for a little longer. I added some extra hot sauce directly to the meatballs for more flavor. Feel free to use bottled blue cheese dressing; that's what I did. This is a great easy recipe for appetizers for the holidays.

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book Copyright 2008

1 pound ground white meat chicken or ground turkey
1/2 small onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup hot sauce (such as Frank’s)
3 scallions, green and white parts thinly sliced
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
A couple of handfuls celery sticks
A couple of handfuls carrot sticks

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken with the onion, garlic and parsley, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Flatten out the meat in the bowl and score it into four portions using the side of your hand. Shape each portion into four balls – you should have sixteen meatballs in total. I used my scoop and got more.

Arrange the meatballs on a nonstick sheet pan and drizzle them with EVOO. Place in the oven and bake until the meatballs are cooked through and golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

While the meatballs are baking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the hot sauce and whisk to combine. Toss the baked meatballs in the hot sauce to coat.

Mix together the buttermilk, sour cream, blue cheese and most of the chopped scallions.

Transfer the meatballs to a serving platter and spike each one with a toothpick or serving fork. Place the bleu cheese dressing in a small serving bowl and garnish with the remaining scallions. Serve the meatballs with the bleu cheese dressing, celery and carrot sticks alongside.