Avengers, Assemble!
Ok, this post doesn't have anything to do with The Avengers movie except for that very last bonus scene where they save the world (the Battle of New York) and then go and have some shawarma in a little place that Iron Man always wanted to try. Sadly, that's my first thought when I hear the word.
Here's hoping that this dish will create a new mind worm! Or not. My brain holds onto the weirdest darn things sometimes.
Anyway, Easter means lamb and lamb is often the meat used for shawarma. So there you go.
Beans were not included in this recipe but as it is often a component of Middle Eastern cooking, I wanted to incorporate some. Besides, a slow-cooking pot of lamb is a perfect vehicle for beans. I soaked some Great Northern beans in water last night. I also added a teaspoon of baking soda since I read that it helps to loosen the skins.
Today's cast--a boneless leg of lamb, garlic, shallot, olive oil and a whole lot of spices. I didn't have sumac so I was going to sub lemon zest. Except I didn't have a lemon either...pfffffttt.
One of the ingredients is cardamom. I recently bought some pods and I was eager to use them. In order to get the seeds out, I brought out my mortar and pestle. It's made of stone and it weighs a ton but I love using it to get the best out of spices.
I put the cardamom pods into the mortar and after a few firm taps, the pods split and the little seeds spilled out. Some of the pods needed to be peeled a bit to encourage them to give up their booty.
The seeds ranged in color from a nondescript brown to an almost cacao color. I smashed the seeds into a powder and then decided to do the entire marinade this way.
If I was using the full recipe, which was enough for a 9lb. leg of lamb, I definitely would have gotten out the Cuisinart, but since I was doing about a third of the recipe, this worked fine. Cardamom, smoked paprika, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, turmeric, coriander and cumin.
I added olive oil, garlic and shallots and gave everything a good grinding. The smell was incredible. Penzey's spices, I'm telling you. they make a difference!
I had forgotten about the shallots so I minced them fine and stirred them into the marinade which had become a lovely paste. I rubbed it all over the meat. Inside...
And outside! The lamb was covered with foil and put into the refrigerator to rest and soak up all the lovely spices.
In the meantime, I found that Great Northern beans are much less stubborn than chickpeas when it comes to holding onto their skins. These were ready to clean.
They looked like peanuts! I set them aside until I was ready to do the lamb.
I put the lamb into my Dutch oven on a bed of sliced onions. I poured in some chicken stock that I wanted to use and then added the beans to one side. The pot was covered and placed in a 350 oven for 2 hours. At the end of 2 hours I took the lid off and left it in for another 30 minutes.
I reduced the cooking time because the recipe called for a larger cut of meat than I had. I also added more liquid than the recipe called for because I wanted to make sure the beans cooked and didn't burn. The result is the lamb was tender but it should have been like pulled pork tender. There was also way more liquid so the end result was more stew-like. However, it was a delicious and wonderfully seasoned stew with tender lamb and beans!
We ate it with Israeli, AKA pearl, couscous--here it is, simmering away!
So the recipe, thanks to my interference, didn't turn out quite as I had planned but the guys really liked it anyway. Chris said it was delicious and "comforting." I will keep it simple next time. Turtle rating of 5 for great flavor and ease of preparation!
Here is the promised link:
Shawarma
Equipment recommendations:
Mortar and pestle
I suggest one that has an unpolished finish--the rougher surface means the grinding is more efficient.
Lodge
A Dutch oven is a great tool for frying, baking, browning and making soups and stews. It goes directly from the stovetop to the oven and it maintains an even temperature. It's a great investment! I recommend one that is enameled--they don't need to be seasoned and they are a lot easier to clean and maintain.
Here's hoping that this dish will create a new mind worm! Or not. My brain holds onto the weirdest darn things sometimes.
Anyway, Easter means lamb and lamb is often the meat used for shawarma. So there you go.
Beans were not included in this recipe but as it is often a component of Middle Eastern cooking, I wanted to incorporate some. Besides, a slow-cooking pot of lamb is a perfect vehicle for beans. I soaked some Great Northern beans in water last night. I also added a teaspoon of baking soda since I read that it helps to loosen the skins.
Today's cast--a boneless leg of lamb, garlic, shallot, olive oil and a whole lot of spices. I didn't have sumac so I was going to sub lemon zest. Except I didn't have a lemon either...pfffffttt.
One of the ingredients is cardamom. I recently bought some pods and I was eager to use them. In order to get the seeds out, I brought out my mortar and pestle. It's made of stone and it weighs a ton but I love using it to get the best out of spices.
I put the cardamom pods into the mortar and after a few firm taps, the pods split and the little seeds spilled out. Some of the pods needed to be peeled a bit to encourage them to give up their booty.
The seeds ranged in color from a nondescript brown to an almost cacao color. I smashed the seeds into a powder and then decided to do the entire marinade this way.
If I was using the full recipe, which was enough for a 9lb. leg of lamb, I definitely would have gotten out the Cuisinart, but since I was doing about a third of the recipe, this worked fine. Cardamom, smoked paprika, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, turmeric, coriander and cumin.
I added olive oil, garlic and shallots and gave everything a good grinding. The smell was incredible. Penzey's spices, I'm telling you. they make a difference!
I had forgotten about the shallots so I minced them fine and stirred them into the marinade which had become a lovely paste. I rubbed it all over the meat. Inside...
And outside! The lamb was covered with foil and put into the refrigerator to rest and soak up all the lovely spices.
In the meantime, I found that Great Northern beans are much less stubborn than chickpeas when it comes to holding onto their skins. These were ready to clean.
They looked like peanuts! I set them aside until I was ready to do the lamb.
I put the lamb into my Dutch oven on a bed of sliced onions. I poured in some chicken stock that I wanted to use and then added the beans to one side. The pot was covered and placed in a 350 oven for 2 hours. At the end of 2 hours I took the lid off and left it in for another 30 minutes.
I reduced the cooking time because the recipe called for a larger cut of meat than I had. I also added more liquid than the recipe called for because I wanted to make sure the beans cooked and didn't burn. The result is the lamb was tender but it should have been like pulled pork tender. There was also way more liquid so the end result was more stew-like. However, it was a delicious and wonderfully seasoned stew with tender lamb and beans!
We ate it with Israeli, AKA pearl, couscous--here it is, simmering away!
So the recipe, thanks to my interference, didn't turn out quite as I had planned but the guys really liked it anyway. Chris said it was delicious and "comforting." I will keep it simple next time. Turtle rating of 5 for great flavor and ease of preparation!
Here is the promised link:
Shawarma
Equipment recommendations:
I suggest one that has an unpolished finish--the rougher surface means the grinding is more efficient.
Lodge
A Dutch oven is a great tool for frying, baking, browning and making soups and stews. It goes directly from the stovetop to the oven and it maintains an even temperature. It's a great investment! I recommend one that is enameled--they don't need to be seasoned and they are a lot easier to clean and maintain.
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