Parsley

Spring has arrived in Missouri along with SO MUCH rain!!  My herb garden got a great start with the wet cool weather.  My parsley wet wild.  I thought about making a sesame seed pesto for chicken but a pork roast called to me instead.  So, the parsley was cut and put into my ancient food dehydrator.  The chicken will have it's day soon enough.

Lamb, Lime and Mango Salad

Ingredients:
Lamb:
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 sprigs cilantro, stemmed (reserve stems)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
12 ounces lamb steak, trimmed of fat
Salad:
1 head frissee lettuce, inner leaves washed and dried
1 small ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1 small avocado, peeled and diced
4 large green onions, including green parts, diced
Dressing:
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon Soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced, fresh red Thai or jalapeno pepper
2 teaspoons packed brown sugar

Instructions:
To Prepare the Lamb:
In a food processor, combine the garlic, cilantro stems, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons oil. Spread the paste on both sides of the lamb and marinate for ½ hour. Warm remaining oil in a large, heavy skillet, cooking the steak on each side 3 to 4 minutes for medium rare. Remove from pan and let cool.

To Prepare the Salad:
Cut the lamb into strips. Divide the lettuce leaves among 4 plates and arrange the mango, avocado, green onions, and strips of lamb on top.

To Make the Dressing:
In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

To Serve:
Drizzle the salad with the dressing and scatter the reserved cilantro leaves over the top.

Honey-Orange Glazed Lamb Steaks With Sage

YIELD: 4 servings (serving size: 3 ounces lamb)
COURSE: Main Dishes
Ingredients
2 (10-ounce) lean center-cut lamb leg steaks (about 1/2 inch thick)
Vegetable cooking spray
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
Fresh sage leaves (optional)
Preparation
Trim fat from steaks. Place steaks on a broiler rack coated with cooking spray; place rack on a broiler pan.
Combine honey and next 4 ingredients in a bowl; stir well. Brush half of honey mixture over steaks; broil 3 inches from heat for 4 minutes. Turn steaks over, and brush with remaining honey mixture; broil for 4 minutes or to desired degree of doneness.
Garnish with fresh sage leaves, if desired.

Grilled Lamb Loin with Zinfandel Sage Morel Sauce

Gold Country Wine Pairing Recipe
http://goldcountry.winecountry.com/about/food/recipes/2006/02/GrilledLambLoin_020806.html

Recipe developed for Amador Foothill Winery by
Matt Pinsonneult, Chef, Sierra Nevada Tap Room and Restaurant Chico, CA
Heady Zinfandels, like those of the Sierra Foothills, pair beautifully with late-winter meats and mushrooms. This recipe takes fresh spring lamb and marries it with a luscious Zinfandel sauce complemented by the earthiness of sage and morel mushrooms.
Ingredients
8 oz. lamb loin
Marinade
2 Tbs olive oil
fresh minced rosemary
sage
garlic to taste
Coat the lamb loin with olive oil, herbs, and garlic.
Marinate for 2 hours at room temperature.
Sauce:
2 oz. fresh morel, sliced thin (or substitute shitake or oyster mushrooms)
1 cup Amador Foothill Zinfandel
1 tsp fresh sage, minced
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp black pepper
2 Tbs sweet butter
Grill the lamb to taste so it will be done when the following sauce is ready:
In a small saucepan, combine morel, Zinfandel, sage, rosemary, and black pepper in the amounts listed above. Cook over medium heat, reducing the volume by one-third. Add butter and simmer until sauce thickens, stirring constantly. Slice the lamb thinly and serve over a bed of the sauce. Serves two.
Accompany dish with roasted new potatoes, fresh seasonal vegetable and Amador Foothill Zinfandel.

Grilled Chihuahua style leg of lamb

Grilled Chihuahua style leg of lamb: Pierna de cordero a la parilla by Karen Hursh Graber © 2008

This northern Mexican recipe, which typifies the outdoor cooking characteristic of the region, is adapted from Larousse de la Cocina Mexicana by Alicia Gironelli. One end of a leg of lamb is thicker than the other, going from about 1 - 2 ½ inches thick, making it easy to satisfy the different tastes for rare, medium and well done in the same cooking time.
Ingredients
1 boneless, butterflied leg of lamb, about 4 pounds
6 cloves garlic
¼ cup each chopped fresh parsley, cilantro and hierba Buena (mint)
4 dry arbol chiles, crumbled
½ cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Start the fire if using charcoal or wood to grill. The coals should be covered with white ash when they are ready for grilling the meat. If using a gas grill, set the flame to medium high. Grease the grill and place it about 4 inches from the heat source.

Place the lamb, opened like a book, on a large platter. Combine the remaining ingredients and rub the lamb on both sides with the mixture. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Grill the lamb for 10 minutes, turn and cover with a grill cover or foil tent. Grill for another 10 minutes. Remove cover and insert an instant read meat thermometer into the thickest part of the lamb. It should register 140ºF for medium rare. Let it sit, covered, for 10 minutes before cutting, during which time the internal temperature of the meat will rise to 145º, considered the minimum safest temperature for red meat. The current trend is for very rare lamb but, if everyone likes it well done, cook until it reaches 150º. Serves 6-8.

CYPRUS EASTER SOUVLA

5 kilos/11 lbs lamb shoulder/neck cut in (7.5cm) 3 inch chunks
5 medium size onions
1 whole fresh garlic bulb
2 cups canola oil
1/4 cup water
zest and juice of 3 fresh lemons
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground rosemary
1 tablespoon ground Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
3 tablespoons ground/powder (for better absorption & flavor) salt
5 ounces lamb fat
2 ounces bacon fat
Marinade:
In a blender, mix onions, garlic, lemon zest and juice, and water. In a pan, heat 1 cup of canola oil until just starting to slightly smoke, then very slowly pour into separate bowl with cumin, rosemary, Spanish paprika and crushed red pepper while constantly stirring. Once mixed, pour immediately into blender with onion, garlic, lemon zest and juice, and water combination and continue to blend.
Put meat into a big enough bowl, then pour the above marinade over it and mix together. Let it sit for no more or less than 6 hours.
Cooking:
When ready to cook, discard the marinade and wipe the excess off the meat with a clean towel. Pass meat evenly through 0. 8meter/2. 5foot long and (2cm) 1/4 inch thick metal skewers so that it won't slip down while on the rotisserie (foukou).

Prepare charcoal in the "foukou" to high heat. If you can hold your hand where the meat will be for no more than 2-4 seconds before having to move away, then it's "high heat". 6-8 seconds is medium heat, while 10 seconds or more is low.
Set the meat on the rotisserie over high heat, and high speed. You do this first so that to sear the outside of the meat and seal in the juices and flavor. When you notice the meat starting to change color, dust it with 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt. If you mix in MSG with your salt (2 parts salt to 1 part msg) the flavor of the meat will double!
When the meat just starts to turn brown, remove skewers and lightly wrap meat with aluminum foil (to make the meat tender & juicy), then put the skewers back on over high heat and low rotisserie speed until you can measure an internal temperature of 65 °C (150 °F).
Remove aluminum foil, and raise meat until over "medium high" heat.
Melt lamb and bacon fat with 1 cup of canola oil in a microwave and brush onto the meat, then dust on the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt.
Remove and serve when color is golden brown.

Honey and Mint-Marinated Lamb Skewers

Ingredients
Marinade:
5 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 Tablespoons honey
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
Salt and pepper
3 pounds lean, boneless lamb, cut into 1" pieces
36 skewers
Lemon Feta Dip:
2 (8 ounce) containers feta cheese
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 finely minced jarred pepperoncini
1 Tablespoon pepperoncini juice
Method

Whisk together marinade ingredients, add lamb cubes and marinade overnight. Discard marinade and thread marinated lamb on skewers; preheat broiler. Place kabobs on oiled broiler pan and broil about 8 minutes, turning skewers as needed until browned and caramelized. Serve with Lemon Feta Dip: Combine all the dip ingredients in a blender or food processor, puree until smooth. Transfer to a serving dish, cover and refrigerate until serving time.
Notes:

These hearty bites are nice addition to the appetizer offering of any party. These kabobs can be marinated and skewered up to a day ahead. At party time just pop them under the broiler for a few minutes and they're ready to serve. The dip is a tasty accompaniment that can be made ahead as well.
Number of Servings: 36 skewers