Recipe Friday: Lamb Lovers Month

Ingredients for Spicy Lamb

1 T vegetable or canola oil
1 lb American ground lamb
2-3 tsp sambal oelek, depending upon how spicy you’d like
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp ginger powder
Kosher salt

Method

1. Puree sambal oelek, shallots, garlic, ginger, cilantro stems, coriander, turmeric, curry powder and 3 tablespoons water in a food processor until a smooth-ish paste forms.
2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the above paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 4-5 minutes. Whisk in coconut milk and broth and season generously with Kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 20 to 25 minutes. Add fish sauce and brown sugar, and cook for at least 5 more minutes. Pour soup through a fine mesh strainer and discard solids. Return soup to the pot and keep hot.
3. Meanwhile, cook eggs: bring water to boil in a medium saucepan. Lower heat to a rapid “hard simmer”. Carefully lower eggs into water and cook for exactly 6 1/2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove eggs from water and place in an ice bath (bowl filled with very icy water). Let eggs cool completely, then carefully peel and slice in half.
4. Meanwhile, cook spicy lamb: heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb and season with Kosher salt, breaking into small bite-sized pieces as it cooks, until no pink remains, about 6 minutes. Stir in sambal oelek, garlic powder, and ginger powder and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and set aside until soup is done.
5. Cook ramen noodles in boiling water until just cooked through (if you cook too long, they will turn to mush).
6. Divide broth between bowls. Add ramen noodles, spicy lamb, scallions, and garnish with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges. Devour immediately.

*You can also feel free to use another type of noodle-like thicker stir fry rice noodles or even spaghetti!

**If you have extra soup and lamb leftover, refrigerate and reheat for a future meal!

Cumin American Lamb Noodles

Recipe courtesy Platings & Pairings, for American Lamb Board

Ingredients

2 ½ T cumin seeds
1 T Sichuan peppercorns
1 package wide rice noodles, cooked (16 ounces)
2 T vegetable oil
1 T garlic, minced
1 T ginger, minced
1 lb American lamb shoulder, thinly sliced|
3 ea. green onions, roughly chopped
1 ea. yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 ea. serrano pepper, finely chopped, optional
3 T soy sauce
1 T chili oil
1 T sesame oil
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar

To Garnish

½ cup cilantro, minced
1 T sesame seeds
Chili oil, for serving

Method

1. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat and toast the cumin and sichuan peppercorns for about 2-3 minutes. Coarsely grind the spices in a spice grinder or mortar & pestle. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your noodles according to the package instructions. Reserve about 1 cup of your pasta cooking liquid. Drain the pasta, and set aside.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Turn the heat to high and add the sliced lamb. Stir-fry the lamb until just browned. Add the ground spice mixture, green onions, yellow onion, serrano pepper, soy sauce, chili oil, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and sugar. Let cook for about 5 minutes, adding a splash of water if the mixture becomes too thick.
4. Add the cooked noodles to the skillet, adding additional pasta cooking liquid if needed and toss to coat. Season with salt, if needed.
5. Serve garnished with cilantro and drizzled with chili oil. Enjoy!

Lamb Dumplings in Spicy Ginger Broth

Recipe courtesy Platings & Pairings, for American Lamb Board

Ingredients

½ lb ground American lamb
½ cup minced mushrooms (crimini or button)
1 T fresh grated ginge
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 T low-sodium soy sauce
1 ea. green onion, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 package fresh wonton wrappers
¼ cup sesame seeds
2 T vegetable oil

Ingredients for broth

1 T sesame oil
2 ea. medium shallots, thinly sliced
1 T fresh grated ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 T rice vinegar
1-2 T chili oil, for serving
Green onions, sliced, for serving

Method

1. In a medium bowl, combine the lamb, mushrooms, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, green onions, and a pinch of salt and black pepper.
2. To assemble: Add about 1 teaspoon lamb filling to each wonton wrapper. Brush water around the edges of the wrapper then fold the edges up around the filling and pinch to seal. Add sesame seeds to a small bowl or shallow dish. Brush the bottoms of the dumplings with water then dip in sesame seeds.
3. Heat 1 TBSP sesame oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the shallots and cook until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook another minute, until fragrant. Add the broth, soy sauce, and the rice vinegar. Season to taste with pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Keep warm.
4. Heat 2 TBSP vegetable oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the dumplings and cook until the bottoms are golden brown, 4-5 minutes. Carefully add 1/4 cup water to the skillet, and cover immediately. Reduce heat to medium-low and let the dumplings steam for 5-6 minutes*.
5. Ladle broth into bowls and top with wontons, green onions and chili oil. Enjoy!

*Note: USDA recommends cooking ground lamb to 160 degrees.