armenian baked semi-stuffed eggplant

The flavors in this are incredible!

Ingredients:
2 large eggplants (4 smaller eggplants can be substituted), cut in half lengthwise, stem trimmed
Olive oil

Meat Stuffing Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. paprika (or for a spicy version Hungarian Hot Paprika)
1 tbsp. whole coriander
1 large sweet onion, chopped finely
1 lb. ground lamb or beef
1 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (or 2 tablespoons dried)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Sauce:
1-15 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tsp. sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish: chopped Italian parsley, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Baked eggplant
Place eggplant halves, skin-side down in a baking pan so they fit snuggly. Brush only cut-sides of eggplant with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until soft and golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Prepare the meat filling while eggplant is baking:

Saute onions with spices
In a mortal & pestle, grind the coriander, then stir in the cinnomon, nutmeg, cloves and paprika. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and half of the spice mix. Cook over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, stirring often.

Meat filling
Add the ground lamb (or beef), and cook until meat is crumbled and no longer pink; drain any excess grease. Add parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Cook another minute or two. Remove from heat.

For the sauce, place the remaining spice blend in a mixing bowl with the diced tomatoes and their juices, tomato paste, lemon juice, sugar, and salt to taste. Mix well.

Baked lamb-stuffed eggplant
Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Pour the sauce mixture into the baking pan to surround the eggplants. Spoon the lamb mixture to cover the top of each eggplant. Cover the pan with foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Carefully lift foil and baste the eggplants halfway through baking.
Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, if desired.

Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Adapted from The Armenian Kitchen

lamb chop saucy

Tasty without any of the flavors overpowering anything else.

4 lamb loin chops
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup cognac
salt and pepper to taste

Remove loin chops from the fridge 20-30 minutes before cooking. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

In a cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil on high until hot. Place the loin chops in the skillet and cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Add the butter, cognac, garlic, and fresh herbs to the skillet and swirl/stir until fully melted. Simmer for an additional 1-2 minutes, turn the chops in order to soak up cognac butter sauce. For medium rare, the lamb is done.

Remove from heat, place on plate and drizzle with Cognac butter sauce. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired and serve.

Adapted from Kitchen Swagger

lamb shoulder braise two-ways

Lamb shoulder is a tough cut – and it keeps showing up in my farm share. Fortunately a low and slow cook does wonders.

Red Wine Braised Lamb

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds lamb shoulder chops, or more to taste
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 small yellow onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
half a bag of baby carrots
2 medium potatoes
2 sprigs of oregano
1.5 cups beef broth
1.5 cups red wine
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a dutch over over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper lamb chops. Sear lamb in hot oil until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove chops to a plate to drain, reserving drippings in the skillet.

Saute onion and garlic in reserved drippings until tender, about 4 minutes. Add carrots and potatoes and saute another few minutes.

Add lamb chops and drippings to the dutch oven. Add oregano sprigs on top of lamb. Pour beef broth and red wine over the lamb. Cover dish.

Bake for 3 hours.

Remove lamb to a serving platter.

Did not have enough liquid the first time to do this part: Carefully drain liquid from baking dish into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Beat cornstarch and water together in a bowl using a whisk to assure no lumps remain; stir into the liquid in the saucepan. Add Worcestershire sauce and cook until the liquid thickens into a gravy, about 5 minutes.

Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Saba Braised Lamb

4 lamb shanks
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 large onion, sliced
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup saba
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place lamb shanks into a large bowl; drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and rosemary. Toss the lamb shanks to spread oil and seasonings over the meat.

Spread onion slices and garlic cloves into the bottom of a heavy 9x12-inch baking dish. Lay lamb shanks over onions and garlic.

Bake lamb in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees.

Combine chicken broth and saba in a bowl. Pour mixture over the lamb shanks. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and place baking dish on a baking sheet.

Bake lamb in the oven until a knife pierces the meat easily, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat will be tender but not falling off the bone. Use tongs to turn the shanks over in the pan sauce. Increase temperature to 350 degrees.

Return shanks to oven and bake, uncovered, until meat is fork-tender and the sauce has thickened slightly, 10 to 15 minutes. Turn shanks over in the sauce after 10 minutes and check for tenderness; if still not tender enough, return to oven for 10 to 15 more minutes and test again.

Transfer lamb shanks to a bowl and keep warm. Strain pan juices into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Skim any excess grease from top of sauce. Taste and season with salt; stir in fresh rosemary. Serve sauce drizzled over lamb shanks.

From AllRecipes.com