Lamb Briouats

Ingredients

2T olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1½ tsp. whole cumin seeds, toasted* (or 1 ½ tsp. ground cumin)
1½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1-pound ground lamb
3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 package Phyllo /Filo dough, defrosted
½ cup butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.

2. In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil; once warm add the onions and sauté 4-6 minutes or until soft. Add the ground cumin, salt, pepper, paprika, and cinnamon. Stir until combined and cook for 1 minute.

3. Then add the meat, stirring and breaking the meat up into small pieces. Cook until meat is brown and cooked though; about 5 minutes more.

4. Add the beaten eggs and stir constantly until the eggs are cooked and there is no liquid left. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

5. Unroll the sheets of the phyllo dough on a flat surface and cover with a towel. Place 1 sheet on the counter and brush the sheet lightly with butter. Place another sheet on top. Using a knife or scissors, cut the dough into four 2-inch strips. Place all the strips except one under the towel so that they will not dry out.

6. Place a tablespoon of the meat mixture in the bottom corner of the stripe of dough. Take a left corner and fold it over to the right, making triangle. Continue folding the dough left, right up the column of dough ending with the cute little triangle shaped package. Brush the edge with butter and fold over to seal close. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with all the phyllo dough and meat mixture.

7. Place the baking sheet into the oven and cook until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

8. Serve warm.

** Toasting Seeds

1. Place the seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan continuously until the seeds become fragrant.
2. Remove toasted seeds from the pan and place in a spice grinder; grind to a fine grind.

TIPS & TRICKS

• You can substitute the ground lamb with ground beef or turkey.
• I like to make the filling the day before so that it is really cold.
• Briouats can be prepared then frozen. Place the briouats on a sheet pan in the freezer, once they are completely frozen place them in an air tight container until ready to use. Once ready to serve, remove directly from the freezer and bake in a 350º oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
• I double the filling since you have enough phyllo dough to make two recipes, or use leftover phyllo for another use.

Marinated Grilled Leg of Lamb

Ingredients

1 4- pound boneless leg of lamb, butterflied*
Rub:
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup loosely packed parsley leaves
4T fresh thyme leaves or rosemary
3T olive oil
salt & pepper

Pistou:
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup loosely packed parsley leaves
3 cups basil leaves
½ cup olive oil
salt & pepper

1.    *You can ask your butcher to butterfly the boneless leg of lamb for you or you can do it yourself by placing the leg of lamb on a cutting board, using a boning knife to “butterfly” the thickest part of the leg areas so that the overall thickness of the meat is 1 – 1½” thick. If necessary, trim any large pieces of fat off the meat. I then cut the leg into 2 pieces so that it is easier to handle. Set aside.

2.    In a bowl of your food processor, while running, add the garlic and process until chopped.  Add the parley and herbs; pulse until chopped. Add the olive oil and pulse until combined.

3.    Spread the rub all over the lamb. Place in a ziplock bag or sealed container. Refrigerate overnight.

4.    Approximately 1 ½ hour before want to serve the lamb, Remove the meat from the bag or container, place on a platter and let sit on your counter for 30 minutes. Preheat your BBQ grill. 

5.    Right before grilling, pat the meat dry using paper towels dry. Season with salt and pepper.

6.    Place the meat fat side up on the grill over “medium-high” heat. Let the meat achieve a nice sear before flipping it over, about 6 minutes.

7.    Flip to the other side. You may need to occasionally flip or turn the meat over if the fat should catch on fire and flare up.

9.    Remove from grill and place on platter. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 15-20 minutes.

8.    Continue cooking until the thermometer reads 125º-130º F for medium rare, about and additional 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat and the temperature of your grill.

10.    Slice the lamb against the grain i.e. with the knife slicing perpendicular to the direction of the grain in the meat.

11.    Place the sliced meat on a platter, and serve with pistou sauce. 

12.    Pistou: In a bowl of your food processor, while running, add the garlic. Process until chopped, add the parsley and basil, and pulse until finely chopped.

13.    Add the olive oil, pulse until smooth, season with salt and pepper. This sauce can be made 4 days ahead, but remove from refrigerator a hour before serving. 

TIPS & TRICKS

•    If you have the lamb butterflied by the butcher, make sure to ask to have it cut so that the overall thickness of the meat is 1- 1½ inches, this will make the cooking process much easier and insure that the meat is cooked evenly.
•    You can make the pistou directly after you make the rub, so that you don’t have to wash the food processor twice.
•    Left over grilled lamb makes the most fantastic sandwiches or tacos!

Rack of Lamb with Mint Chimichurri Sauce

Ingredients

Rub:
4 cloves garlic
2 cups loosely packed parsley leaves
1 cup mint leaves
4 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2T mustard
4T olive oil
4 racks of lamb, about 1½  pounds each
salt & pepper

Sauce:
4 cloves garlic
2 stalks green onion, cut into pieces
1½ cups parley leaves
½ cup mint leaves
1 tsp. lemon zest
½ cup lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
salt & pepper

1.    Preheat the oven to 450º F.

2.    Rub: In the bowl of the food processor while running add the garlic, then add the parsley and mint, and pulse until finely chopped.  Add the lemon zest, mustard, and olive oil and pulse until combined.  Set aside.

3.    Place the racks of lamb on a rimed baking sheet fat side up, and bones toward the center of the pan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Rub the lamb with the herb rub mixture from Step 2

4. Place the pan in the center rack of a 450º F oven and roast the lamb for 25 minutes.

5. Remove the lamb from the oven and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let rest for 15 minutes.  Then cut the racks into either single or double chops and serve with sauce.

Sauce:

6. In a bowl of your food processor, while running, add the garlic, green onion, parsley and mint; pulse just until rough chopped.  Add the lemon zest, juice and olive oil.  Pulse just until combined.  Season with salt and pepper.

7. Transfer to serving bowl.  Serve with the lamb.

Tips & Tricks

•    Having the food processor running before you add your ingredients gives your food a nice fine chopped appearance.
•    The rub can be made a day ahead.  The herb mixture doesn’t need to cover the whole rack. Keep it on the thick meat part of the rack.
•    Sauce can be used with beef and chicken. Will keep in refrigerator 2-3 days.