Grilled Chopped Lamb-steaks With Rosemary And Pine Nuts

• 4 oz toasted pine nuts
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 fl oz salad oil
• 3 oz onion, chopped fine
• 5 fl oz milk
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 cup Chopped parsley
• 1 1/4 tsp 
• 12 bacon strips
• 3 1/4 lb ground lamb
• 4 oz Soft, fresh bread crumbs

  How to make it

  ---

  • Sauté the onion in oil until tender.
  • Do not brown.
  • Cool thoroughly.
  • Combine all ingredients except bacon in a bowl.
  • Mix gently until evenly combined.
  • Do not overmix.
  • Scale the meat into 5-oz portions.
  • Form the portions into thick patties, about 3/4 inch thick.
  • Wrap a strip of bacon around each patty and fasten with picks.
  • Grill or broil the patties under moderate heat until done, turning once (see note).
  • Remove picks before serving.

Lamb with macadamia nuts, currants and Tuscan cabbage

• 2kg leg of lamb, boned and rolled
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 bunch Tuscan cabbage, stems trimmed, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• ½ cup currants
• 1 cup raw macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
• 40g white breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
  
  

Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Saute the onion until soft and golden. Add garlic and cabbage and sauté until cabbage has softened. Add currents and macadamia nuts, and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from stovetop and place in a medium sized bowl, then set aside to cool. Stir through breadcrumbs and egg. Fill lamb with macadamia mixture and secure tightly with string. Place lamb into a baking dish and cook for 1 hour at 200C. Remove and rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serve with baked vegetables. Serves 6.
• Recipe & photo courtesy of Australian Macadamia Society

Roasted macadamia filled peaches with mascarpone

165g    Demerara Sugar
80g      Raw Macadamias, roasted and finely chopped
80g      Cold butter, finely chopped
8          Ripe peaches, halved and stone-free
80g      Amaretti biscuits, crumbed
            Mascarpone or cream to serve

Combine sugar and macadamia nuts in a bowl, add butter, and, using fingertips, rub in butter until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs then cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Fill each peach cavity with about one tablespoon of butter mixture and top with crumbled amaretti biscuits. Place peaches in a greased baking dish, roast at 180C for 15-20 minutes or until peaches are just tender. To serve, spoon peaches and cooking juices into 8 bowls and serve with mascarpone. Serves 8.
. Recipe & photo courtesy of Australian Macadamia Society

Gina's Spicy "Chicken" Corn Chowder

I made this Chowder for a "Relay for Life" fundraiser where I work.  It was a hit.  I made a couple minor changes to the recipe.  I did not use the Bay Leaf, changed heavy cream from one (1) cup to two (2) cups and added two (2) cups of chopped chicken breast meat.  The next time I make it, I will top the bowls with shredded pepper jack cheese.

Recipe courtesy The Neelys

Ingredients

• 4 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped
• 1 medium Vidalia onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small jalapeno, chopped seeds and ribs removed
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 large red potatoes, well scrubbed and small diced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 16 ounces frozen corn
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf

Directions

In a small saucepan over medium heat, saute the bacon until crisp and browned and the fat is rendered. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel and reserve. There should be about 4 tablespoons of bacon grease in pan.

Add the onions and red pepper to pan. Saute until tender and translucent, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the jalapeno and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour until thoroughly combined. Cook the flour until it reaches a slight blonde color, about 1 minute. Stir in thechicken stock and the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes; potatoes will become soft. Add the cream, corn, cayenne and bay leaf. Simmer for 15 more minutes. Pour into a serving bowl andgarnish with the reserved bacon

Lamb Merguez Sausage

Yield: About 24 (10-inch) links
4 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, diced
1 pound pork fatback, diced (see note)
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
1 1/2 cups diced roasted red peppers
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano (see note)
1/4 cup red wine, chilled
1/4 cup ice water
20 feet natural sheep or hog casings, soaked in water (see note)
1. Combine lamb, fatback, salt, sugar, red pepper flakes, garlic, roasted red peppers, black pepper, paprika and oregano. Toss to distribute seasonings. Cover and refrigerate until ready to grind.
2. Grind the mixture through a small die into a bowl resting in ice.
3. Add wine and water to the meat mixture. Mix with paddle attachment or a sturdy spoon until the mixture develops a uniform, sticky appearance, about 1 minute.
4. Cook a small portion of the sausage in a sauté pan. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
5. Stuff sausage into casings, and twist into 10-inch links. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate or freeze links until ready to cook.
6. Sauté, roast or grill the sausages until cooked through.
Per link: 610 calories; 54g fat; 19g saturated fat; 120mg cholesterol; 25g protein; 5g carbohydrate; 2g sugar; 0.5g fiber; 1,410mg sodium; 65mg calcium.
Notes: Attachments for grinding and stuffing are available for most KitchenAid stand mixers. Pork fatback and natural casings are available at specialty butcher stores like G&W Bavarian Style Sausage Co. in St. Louis or Frandeka Meats & Fish at Soulard Market. If fresh oregano is not available, substitute 2 teaspoons of dried oregano.
Adapted from "Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing," by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn (W.W. Norton & Co., 2005)

Hearty Chipotle Chicken Soup

• 8 Servings
• Prep: 15 min. Cook: 30 min.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 3 cups frozen corn
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
• 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Directions

• In a Dutch oven, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, cumin and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
• Stir in chicken; heat through. Garnish with sour cream; sprinkle with cilantro. Yield: 8 servings (3-1/4 quarts).

Crockpot Lamb Shanks Recipe

Lamb shanks are not very tender and require slow braising. The crockpot is a perfect choice to tenderize tough meat. These lamb shanks are flavored with garlic, onions, mushrooms, herbs, red wine, and tomatoes. To reduce the fat, refrigerate overnight, scrape off the congealed fat, and reheat before serving. The garlic cloves are extremely mild when cooked whole. If you like a stronger garlic flavor, mince some of the garlic before adding to the crockpot.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours, 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 sweet onion, sliced and separated into rings
4 lamb shanks
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp olive oil
10 whole, peeled garlic cloves, large ones cut in half
8 ounces mushrooms, brushed clean, large ones cut in half
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup strong beef broth
1 (14 ounces) can diced tomatoes (about 1-3/4 cups)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp ground allspice
1 small bay leaf, broken in half
Preparation:
Spread sliced and separated onion rings on bottom of crockpot.

Rub lamb shanks with Worcestershire sauce, then sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.

Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and brown the lamb shanks. Place browned lamb shanks, along with any browned bits from the skillet, in the slow cooker crock on top of the onions. Top with garlic and mushrooms.

In a bowl, combine red wine, beef broth, tomatoes, oregano, basil, thyme, allspice, and bay leaf. Pour mixture over the vegetables and lamb shanks.

Cook on low for 8 hours or until tender. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

Serve with pan juices and vegetables.

You may wish to make this a day ahead of time and refrigerate. This way you can easily scrape off the excess fat from the gravy before reheating and serving.

Yield: 4 servings