Lamb Rogan Josh

My husband and I are both big fans of lamb protein and in various cuts, not just the pricey chops or loin.  We love ground lamb (our Lamb Ragout recipe will be coming soon to a blag near you) and lamb shoulder.  Usually we grill the lamb shoulder but then I stumbled on this Persian lamb recipe from Food & Wine. The deep, heavy spices and slow cook time make this a very rich and flavorful, hearty dish.

Forgive my blurry photo and sloppy plating...it was getting late and we were HUNGRY!

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces

Himalayan pink sea salt

2 onions, thinly sliced (3 cups)

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 bay leaves

One 14-ounce can tomato puree

1 cup coconut milk

1 cups water

1 teaspoon garam masala

Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Brown rice, for serving

On this third round of testing my husband picked up lamb loin chops but it words wonderfully well with lamb shoulder

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

In a large, enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil. Season the lamb with salt and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is browned, about 12 minutes; using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.

Browning in the lamb.

Add the onions to the casserole and cook over moderate heat until lightly browned, 4 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, curry, turmeric, cayenne and bay leaves and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato, coconut milk and water; bring to a boil. Season with salt.

The lamb returned to the casserole dish where it will cook for roughly another hour.

Return the lamb and any juices to the casserole. Cover partially and simmer over low heat until the lamb is very tender, 1 hour. Stir in the garam masala; cook for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice.

Chile Spiced Skirt Steak Tacos

When on earth have I NOT had limes in the house?  When?  

Everyone has their go to grocery item that always makes it into the cart.  For my mom, it was ALWAYS, ALWAYS celery.  No matter how many stalks already resided in the fridge, mom bought celery.  For me, its limes and lemons.  Always...

Not that this is an excuse, but this last week we had some pretty significant flooding in the area and my trip to the market was nixed.  So, no limes or lemons bought....or anything else for that matter.

Tonight, here I am trying to make a recipe to blog about and finding little in the pantry in the ingredient department.  My previous recipe ideas put on hold, I find the steak taco recipe. There is NO way I can't have everything at my finger tips.  Its my standard fare.  

We begin the construction of dinner...paprika...check.  Ancho Chile, check. Garlic, onion, check.  etc....How can I be out of LIMES?  How CAN I be out of limes!?!  HOW can I be out of limes?  While mind-boggling, its not to late to send my dear husband off to the store.  Buy limes,  LOTS and LOTS of limes.  Oh, and pick up a bottle of Zin...

Enough of my lime rant.  Lets get on to cooking some FABULOUS Skirt Steak Tacos and I do mean FABULOUS.  (Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2011, page 140) Only three minor substitutions in this recipe which can be seen below.  And, since starting this around 6 pm there was no way I was going to wait the two hours for the meat to marinade fully.  (We had two skirt steaks on hand.  Both went into the bag and one came out for dinner.  The other steak will be grilled another night and I'll get back to whether or not the extended marination made any significant difference)

The lime and spice combination on the skirt steak was delicious.  This will no doubt become a menu staple.  As for the wine pairing of Zin...meh.  I could take it or leave it.  But keep your hands off my taco!

Slightly over toasted tortilla but delicious

Chile Spiced Skirt Steak Tacos

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1 teaspoon ancho chile powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon light brown sugar Xylitol

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon vegetable oil Olive Oil

1 1/2 pounds skirt steak, cut into 5-inch strips

12 corn tortillas,gluten free Rice tortillas, toasted

Pico de Gallo, Avocado Salsaand shredded cabbage, for serving

In a large re-seal-able plastic bag, combine the paprika, ancho powder, garlic powder, onion powder, xylitol, chipotle, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Add the lime juice and oil and shake the bag to blend. Add the steak and seal the bag. Let the steak stand at room temperature for 2 hours.

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Grill the steak over moderately high heat, turning twice, until lightly charred on the outside and medium-rare within, about 10 minutes. Transfer the steak to a work surface and let rest for 10 minutes.

Thinly slice the steak and serve with tortillas, Pico de Gallo, Avocado Salsa and cabbage.

SUGGESTED PAIRING

Spicy Zinfandel