RPI - Lamb: Lamb & Date Meatball Tagine

The Lowdown:

Every now and then something beautiful comes from a mistake. We've all had these moments, and we all love these moments. This meal was one of those moments. It started out as a disaster. Very rarely do I create something that I don't like. I'm not saying I'm a garbarator, but I like most foods and will eat just about anything (other than eggplant and durian). The meatballs.. well, I hate to admit it, but they were lacking something. Perhaps the dates made them too sweet (probably because I was too lazy to chop them up fine enough). Or perhaps it was the lack of spiciness. Either way, they were destined to be doomed. The countdown was on, and their fate was looking rather grim.

Then it came to me. Why not stew them in a tagine? They are all ready Moroccan spiced, so it made perfect sense.With the kick of the cayenne pepper, and the robust flavours of the tagine, the meatballs were much more well-rounded. Fear not; no food was wasted in the making of this blog, and I ate happily every after. Everyone loves a fairytale ending.

If I could change one thing about this, it would have been to remove the tomatoes and substitute them with something else. I'm not quite sure what, but although I enjoyed it, I found it to be a bit too similar to an odd pasta sauce. Oh well, live and learn.

The Playlist:

Meatballs
2 lbs Lamb, ground
1/2 cup Dates, finely chopped
1/2 Onion, finely chopped
1 Egg
3 cloves Garlic, minced
3 tbsp Chickpea flour
1/2 tsp Coriander, ground
1/2 tsp Ginger, ground
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp White pepper
Pepper, to taste

Tagine
2 tbsp Oil or lard
5 Tomatoes, chopped
1 large Onion, chopped
5 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 cup Dried apricots, halved
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
2 tsp Black pepper, fresh ground
2 tbsp Ginger, minced
1 tbsp Turmeric
2 tsp Cinnamon, ground
1 Cinnamon stick
2 tbsp Paprika, Spanish
2 cups Stock (beef or lamb)
1 tbsp Lemon juice

The Skinny:

1. Preheat oven to 350*.
2. In large mixing bowl: mix all ingredients together until everything is bound together. Roll into 8 - 12 balls, ensuring that they are firmly pressed together.
3. Place on a greased baking sheet and cook for 30-40 minutes.
4. In heavy pot: heat oil over medium-high and saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add tomatoes, cover, and simmer until tomatoes have lost their shape. Add remaining ingredients, turn heat down to low, and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Remove meatbalss from the oven and put the desired amount into the tagine. Cover and allow to simmer for 1 hour.
6. Serve as a stew or with rice.

Stay Rad -h
Featured on: Premeditated Leftovers, 33 Shades of Green, Chef in Training, Food Renegade, 

Hearty Paprika Lamb Stew (Lamb golyas)

The Lowdown:

Yup, it's official. The weather sucks. Really, after hearing about the east coast, I will not complain. On to the next point: the benefits of cold, wet, dreary, sunless, winters. Wow, that's definitely one way to make it seem like there are no benefits. But, as we all know, there are are few. I'm not going to get into the others, because they are not food related (ahem, keeping each other warm at night). Rather, not food related in a PG sense (fondue experiments?) The benefit I am referring to is, none other than, satisfying those cravings for warm, rich, savoury stews and soups. Slow cooked, low heat, well spiced, decadent aromas whafting from the kitchen goodness.

I love having seasons. Right now we are on the verge of crossing over from BBQ season to crock pot season. A true man would probably say that the mighty BBQ supercedes the conventional rules of cooking seasons. Therefore, being a true man, I'm going to say it; "the mighty BBQ supercedes the conventional rules of cooking seasons. Now hear me roar." Now that we've got that out of the way, I also love crock pot season -- and that's no crock. I love sneaking "tasters" throughout the day, knowing full well that it hasn't reached its potential. Enjoying the warth and heartiness it provides, but knowing that it's only going to get better. Or if it tastes horrible, scrap it while nobody's looking and order in pizza. Genius.

 

The Playlist:

2 lbs Lamb, 1" cubes
4 tbsp Lard (Goose fat or bacon fat will do)
2 tbsp Flour
2 Onions, chopped
4 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Parsnips, chopped
4 Tomatoes, chopped 
2 cups Red Wine
3 cups Beef stock
4 tbsp Smoked paprika
Pepper, a generous amount
2 Bay leaves
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1-2 cup(s) Sour cream
Salt, to taste

The Playlist:

1. In large heavy pot: heat lard until spattering, then add lamb and brown on each side. While lamb is browning add flour & pepper and mix quickly to ensure no clumps form. Add onions and garlic and cook for 3 minutes.
2. To pot: remaining ingredients, with the exception of the sour cream. Turn heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 2 - 3 hours.
3. Remove from heat and add the sour cream. Serve warm. 

Stay Rad -h
Featured on: Premeditated Leftovers, 33 Shades of Green, Chef in Training, Food Renegade, 
  


 

Homemade Hearty Beef Stew

Confession: I always feel a little conflicted about posting very "meaty" recipes. 

Those who know me know that I am an "ethical" eater. That is, I try to eat most of my food small organic, small scale, seasonal, and local. That can be tricky with meat.

Or at the very least, it complicates things a little more. It not only needs to be all of the above, but pastured and NOT grain fed, as well.

Side Note: I've noticed in the grocery store lately that producers are advertizing their meat as "grain fed" - particularly the beef and chicken. If you get anything out of this post get this... 

Grain fed is not a good thing. 

Animals are not meant to eat grain. Sure, they aren't being fed the chicken litter off the chicken barn floor or left over beef bits (yes, that is what conventional meat is fed) = a whole lot of excess antibiotics, hormones, and possible health risks for you; but grain isn't much better. It's likely genetically modified or engineered, grown on mass scale with chemical inputs, and shipped all over the world. You are eating all of that when you eat your grain fed meat. Not to mention what that kind of diet does to the animal who consumed it to begin with. 

Instead: Google a few hits, make a few phone calls and find which producers and/or sellers in your area are raising organic pastured animals. Pastured is key. Pastured is a way of living - both for the eater and the animal. It fosters the essence of the cow, or pig, or chicken, or goat, or bison, or lamb, or whatever your poison is. For more information on pastured meat, click here.

Back to reality: Right. So, organic, small scale, seasonal, local & pastured meat. Tall order. And the guilt that comes with posting about meat. 

We need to cut down our meat consumption for a sovereign food system. And when I post about meat - particularly without the above premise - I feel like I'm not doing the world any good. Does posting my meaty meal encourage more meat consumption rather than less? Or does it encourage a holistic, and natural way of eating seasonally? Am I thinking this through too much? Ah!

So meat: Eat less. When you do eat, eat pastured. And don't think I'm obsessing.... I might be obsessing. Just a little.

Homemade Hearty Beef Stew

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Lb Chuck Stew Meat, cut into 1-2" pieces.

3 Small-Medium Turnips, peeled & chopped into 1" pieces.

3 Carrots, chopped into 1" pieces.

8 New Baby Red Skin Potatoes, cut in half.

3 Stalks of Celery, chopped.

1 Onion, chopped into 2" thick slices.

5 Garlic Cloves, peeled.

2 C Beef Stock.

28 oz. Canned Tomatoes.

1 C Dry Red Wine.

Italian Seasonings (i.e. Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, etc...).

1 Bay Leaf.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

 Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

What to Do:

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the beef pieces - you may have to do this in batches. Brown well all over. Remove from the pan and put in a large stock pot.

Once the beef is browned, turn the heat down to medium. Add a couple glugs of olive oil to the pan and add the carrots, celery and onion - this is the base of the stew (and many other dishes), it's called a Mirepoix (meer-pwah). Stir well to coat. Cook for about 5 minutes or until just starting to get a bit of color on the vegetables, stirring occasionally.

Add the tomatoes, seasonings, bay leaf, and wine. Season with salt and pepper. Allow the wine to reduce for about 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into the stock pot along with the beef stock, turnips, and garlic cloves.

Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and allow to slow cook the mixture for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

In the final half hour of cooking, add the potatoes and make sure they're covered with the liquid.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a great big hunk of honey'd corn bread.

Eat.

What do you obsess over? 

What do you think about my meat issue? Have you ever thought about this "grain fed" business? What kind of "happy" meat or vegetables are available near you?

This post is linked up with Cast Party Wednesday; This Chick Cooks; Full Plate Thursday; Tastetastic Thursday; Fight Back Friday; Fresh Bites Friday; Seasonal Inspiration Saturday;

Hungarian Golyàs w/ Seared Cabbage

The Lowdown:

If any of you know a west coast winter, you know how it can get you down. There's more grey outside than a 1950s photograph. Yes, I did look it up, photos were still greyscale in the 50s. The constant rain (and I mean rain-rain, none of this drizzle-ma-nizzle shit) left me two options. I could either start building my ark to drift away to somewhere with better weather, or I could cook a classic, well-loved, home-style meal to get rid of the blues. For starters, I'm no Tim the tool man Taylor. Nor am I a sailor. If I can rhyme one more time this blog post wont be a failure? Chalk it up, I'm a horrible rapper.

I digressed. The point I was intending to make, is that it is an excellent day for a nice warm-your-soul meal. That being said, we all have our own special meals. However, that ends here, because this is my blog. You will obey me when I say, "golyàs is a great anti-winter food." If the brainwashing didn't quite work, just keep reading anyway because you're entertained...?

Golyàs or goulash as it is commonly spelled, is a traditional Hungarian peasant meal that was left heating over a fire so that that the herders could grab a quick meal whenever. Like most peasant dishes, whatever they had is what was used. Luckily for me, that is a bonus, because my fridge literally had one carrot in the crisper. So this is my version of a very vegetable-less goulash.

The Playlist:

(Printable Recipe)

1 kg Beef sirloin tip roast, cubed (1-2")

3 Onions, coarsely chopped

5 Garlic cloves, diced

4 tbsp Paprika (Hungarian)

1 tbsp caraway seed, ground

1-2 Bay leaves.

Salt & Pepper

2-3 cups Water (or beef stock)

2 tbsp Oil (for browning onions)

1 Cabbage, quartered

Water (or chicken stock, I prefer the flavour of cabbage though).

2 tbsp Olive oil (for searing cabbage).

OPTIONAL:

1 Parsnip, peeled & chopped

2 Potatoes, peeled & chopped

1 Green pepper, chopped

2 Tomatoes, chopped

The Skinny:

1. Heat oil in a large pot on medium heat (cast iron preferably).
2. Brown onions and garlic in oil.
3. Add the beef, paprika, and ground caraway seeds.
4. Cook the beef until all sides are browned.
5. Add enough water (or broth) to cover the beef cubes.
6. Add the salt, pepper, and bay leaf.
7. Cover with a lid and let simmer on medium-low for an hour to two hours (a simple trick that was passed on by my Oma to my father was to place a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper between the lid and the pot so that none of the moisture escapes).
8. If adding any vegetables, put them in the pot, add more water if desired, and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes to an hour. If the sauce is too thin, remove the lid and allow it to cook off.
9. Put cabbage quarters into a large skillet.
10. Add enough water to cover approximately 1 inch of the bottom of the skillet.
11. On high heat bring to a boil.
12. Cover and let boil for 2-3 minutes per flat side.
13. Remove cabbage quarters (they should retain their shape, and all leaves should remain intact).
14. While excess water is draining from the cabbage, heat oil in a non-stick pan on medium-high heat.
15. Once oil is hot enough, add cabbage and sear each side until browned.
16. Salt and pepper to taste. 
17. Serve with rice, mashed potatoes, csipetke, or by itself as a stew.