Yiouvetsi me Kima Arnisio: Ground Lamb with Orzo Pasta - Yiouvetsi

In Greek: γιουβέτσι με κιμά αρνίσιο, say: yoo-VET-see meh kee-MAH ar-NEE-seeyoh

Yiouvetsi dishes are most often made with chunks of meat - beef and lamb are the most popular, but this recipe with ground lamb is a delight and easier on the budget.

Yiouvetsi is a type of pot used in Greece, but this can be made in any oven-proof baking dish or pan.

The recipe calls for the traditional kritharaki (orzo pasta), but works well with other types of pasta.

Ingredients:
1 pound of ground lamb
2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium yellow or white onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cans of chopped or crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup of water
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups of orzo pasta (or other small pasta)
4 cups of boiling chicken broth or stock
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
grated kefalograviera (or other hard salty cheese) - optional
Preparation:
Over medium heat, brown the lamb in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, using a fork to separate the meat out into small pieces. (Note: because ground lamb is softer than ground beef, take care not to mash it when breaking it up.)

When meat is browned just to the point where it doesn't look red, transfer to a colander and drain.

Over medium heat, sauté chopped onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the onion turns translucent, stir in drained lamb, tomatoes, 1/2 cup of water, celery, bay leaf, 1 rounded teaspoon of sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. When it reaches a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer, cooking for 20 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper to your preference.

In a saucepan, bring chicken broth or stock to a boil.

Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).

Remove bay leaf, and transfer the meat mixture to a greased baking or oven-safe casserole dish. Add boiling stock or broth, and stir in the pasta.

Cook uncovered in the oven at 390°F (200°C) for about 40 minutes, until the pasta is done and almost the liquid has been absorbed. Stir once or twice during cooking.

Remove pot from the oven and cover with a cotton towel for 20 minutes (to absorb excess moisture).

Stir in the fresh parsley just before serving, and add an optional topping of grated cheese.

Yield: 4 - 6 servings of ground lamb with pasta

Alternative with Ground Beef: Leave out the celery, bay leaf, chicken broth or stock and substitute with 4-5 whole cloves, 1 stick of cinnamon, and beef broth.

Ground Meat with Pita Bread

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 pound ground meat (pork or lamb)
2 spoons lemon juice
1/2 tspn dried oregano
1/2 tspn ground cumin
1/2 cup cucumber, diced
1/4 cup non-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh spearmint, chopped
2 pitas
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
1/2 cup diced tomato Oil for cooking

METHOD
Add the onion and the garlic on a skillet, add some oil and cook until soft over low heat stirring constantly. Place in mixing bowl with lamb, lemon juice, oregano and cumin and mix thoroughly. Shape into 2 patties. Place on rack of broiler and broil 3 to 5 minutes on each side, turning once, or until desired doneness. Combine cucumber, yogurt and spearmint in small bowl and mix. Cut around edge of each pita bread and pull open to form pocket. Fill each pita with half the lettuce and tomato, 1 lamb patty and half the yogurt mixture.

Taken from www.recipesource.com, slightly varied

Onion Stuffed with Ground Meat and Pine Nuts

Ingredients
6 medium unpeeled Onion
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 minced Garlic
10 ounces lean ground pork or beef
1 cup chopped fresh dill
2/3 cup coarse bulgur
1/2 cup dry Red Wine
1 tlbsp. tomato paste, dissolved in 2 tlbsp. warm water
1 tsp. Aleppo pepper or pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup grated hard myzithra, kefalotyri or pecorino
Romano cheese
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 cups grated ripe tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup beef stock, chicken stock or water
Salt
Pepper
3 tlbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley


Preparation
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut a length-wise slit on each onion all the way to the center d add to the pot. Add 2 tablespoons salt and simmer over medium heat for 25 minutes, or until ¬soft. With a slotted spoon, transfer the onions a colander and rinse under cold running water. With a very sharp knife, trim off the top and bottom of each onion and peel off and discard the n and the second layer if it is tough. Gently h out the center of each onion, leaving about r outer layers, and chop the centers. Carefully rate the remaining onion layers and place m on paper towels to drain. (The onion layers be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated with the chopped-onion centers in a separate container for up to 2 days.) In a large skillet, heat the oil and sauce the chopped-onion centers over medium heat for 3 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add the pork or beef and sauté, stirring, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in the dill, bulgur, wine, tomato-paste mixture ¬and pepper or pepper flakes and remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese, pine and salt to taste and let the filling slightly. Taste and adjust the pings, then stir in the eggs. Reheat the oven to 4oo°F. Place about 2 tablespoons filling on each onion layer and roll up to enclose the filling. (The inner layer will need less stuffing, the outer e.) Arrange the stuffed onions close together and seam side down in a 13-x-9 inch baking dish. Make the sauce In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sauté the tomatoes with the bay leaf and oregano for 5 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken. Remove from the heat, add the wine and pour the sauce over the stuffed onions. Add enough stock to come two-thirds of the way up the onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place the onions in the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake, basting the onions frequently with the sauce, for 45 minutes, or until the onions are soft and the sauce is thickened. Let stand, covered, at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or until cool, to let the flavors develop. Baste the onions again with the sauce and reheat in a preheated 375°F oven for about 15 minutes, basting twice. Remove the bay leaf, sprinkle the onions with the parsley and serve.

Blue Cheese Meat Loaves with Buffalo Sauce

Try this using ground lamb or ground goat...

Classic meat loaf just for two is updated with bold new flavors.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (1 oz)
2 tablespoons Progresso® Italian style bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
1 tablespoon purchased buffalo sauce or buffalo wing sauce

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, mix beef, cheese, bread crumbs, parsley and onion. Press mixture evenly into 4 adjoining ungreased regular-size muffin cups at least 1 1/4 inches deep.
2. Bake 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix salsa and buffalo sauce.
3. Remove muffin pan from oven; drain off fat. Spoon about 1 tablespoon salsa mixture over each loaf in pan.
4. Return to oven; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until meat thermometer inserted in center of loaf reads 160ºF. If desired, sprinkle loaves with additional parsley.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.

Greek Tacos

This is a surprising twist on tacos, and can be made more authentic by using ground lamb in place of the turkey.
30 Minutes to Prepare and Cook
Ingredients
1 pound ground extra lean turkey or Lamb
1 can (14.5oz) no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tsp Greek seasoning*
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 can (2.25oz) sliced black olives, drained
1 package (12) taco shells
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup red onion
*see instructions for Greek seasoning recipe

Directions

Makes 12 tacos (nutrition info is per taco)
In large skillet, cook turkey over medium heat until no longer pink, drain. Stir in the tomatoes (with juice, don't drain), Greek seasoning, garlic and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 8-10 minutes or until thickened. Add spinach and olives, cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until spinach is wilted.
While mixture is cooking, place taco shells on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees fro 3-5 minutes or until heated through. Spoon about 1/4 cup turkey mixture into each shell, top with feta cheese and onion.
*If you can't find Greek seasoning, make one tablespoonful by combining 1/2 teaspoon each dried oregano, dried marjoram, garlic powder, lemon-pepper seasoning, ground mustard, and salt. Add all ingredients, stir well, and measure out 2 teaspoons of mixture for recipe. Store the remainder in a zip-top bag for next time!

Number of Servings: 12

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user HAPPYTIGER.
Number of Servings: 12

Wyoming Lamb Stew

From Taste of Home
SERVINGS 6
PREP 30 min.
COOK 120 min.
TOTAL 150 min.

INGREDIENTS
5 bacon strips, diced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 lamb shanks (about 6 pounds)
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
2 cans (4 ounces each) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
2 medium onions, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
DIRECTIONS
In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels to drain, reserving drippings. Set bacon aside.
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, salt and pepper; add lamb shanks, one at a time, and shake to coat. In bacon drippings, brown shanks on all sides; drain. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover and bake at 325° for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until the meat is very tender; skim fat. Garnish with bacon. Yield: 6 servings

Three-Onion Lamb Stew With Dumplings

Yield: 6 servings

1 pound lamb stew meat, cut into bite-size chunks
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, sliced
2 large shallots, peeled and chopped
1 leek, white part only, sliced
2 tablespoons plus 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
3/4 cup dark lager or stout beer
2 tablespoons beef base or bouillon granules
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups water
Salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
11/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1/4 cup milk

1. Prepare the stew. Use paper towels to dry the lamb. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Working in batches, add the lamb and sear on all sides. Transfer the meat to a plate and set aside.

2. Reduce the heat to medium. Add onion, carrots and celery and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, until onion begins to soften. Add shallots and leek; sauté for another 5 to 7 minutes, until leek is tender.

3. Add 2 tablespoons flour and stir to coat the vegetables. Add potatoes, beer, bouillon, tomato paste, thyme and water. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding water if necessary. Taste the stew and season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Make the dumplings. In a small bowl combine 1 cup flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a second small bowl, mix egg and milk. Gently stir milk and egg into the dry ingredients, being careful to mix only until just combined.

5. Drop spoonfuls of the dumpling mixture directly into the stew, repeating until all the dumpling mixture is used. Cover the stew and let the dumplings steam for 10 minutes.

Per serving: 396 calories; 11g fat; 3g saturated fat; 99mg cholesterol; 28g protein; 43g carbohydrate; 3g fiber; 416mg sodium.