What do you do with your ground lamb?

[Piccolina]

Hi all,

Just curious what sorts of things (perhaps besides the TNT shepard's pie) do you do like to do with ground (aka, minced) lamb?

 

[Andy M.]

This recipe has origins in Armenian cooking and is a regular when my family cooks out. You can mix half beef and half lamb if you prefer.

Lulé Burgers​

2 Lb Ground Lamb
1 Large Onion, minced
1/2 C Parsley, minced
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)
2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Allspice
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/3 C Tomato Sauce

Mix all the ingredients by hand. Shape into burgers and grill.

 

[mish]

Two of my favorites are Pastitsio and Gyros. I've made the former with ground beef, 'cause that's what I usually have around when the urge hits me. Since I don't have one of those amazing vertical rotisseries for making Gyros, I found this link of interest on making one at home. (If you follow the links, you'll find Alton's Gyro & Tzatziki recipes.)

http://cruftbox.com/blog/archives/001184.html

The bestest is schwarma. This is why I have the dish out

 

[luvs]

my very favorite thing is just a simple lamb burger. sage, seasalt, black pepper..... yum.

 

[Ishbel]

I use it in moussaka - and occasionally in Shepherd's Pie (but I prefer Cottage Pie!)

 

[Michael in FtW]

Moussaka, Dolmas, steamed stuffed cabbage with either a Greek tomato or egg/lemon sauce, Persian meatballs with a thick yogurt based sauce over Basmiti rice and onion, since I don't have any kind of rotisserie for making Gyros I make mini-lamb patties and substitute them for the slices of shaved rotisserie lamb, Pasties, Pastitsio, lamb burgers, thick lamb patties seasoned with rosemary and garlic smothered with leeks in a roux/yogurt gravy and served with saffron rice.

I guess the one thing that I haven't used it for is shepard's pie!

 

[Robo410]

a simple lamb garlic tomato and basil pasta sauce; the basis for a lamb chili...lamb goes really well with chipotle in adobo with black beans! so good. home made gyrros! char broiled lamb burgers! a sheppards pie, a mousaka, etc etc ... stuffed cabbage! kufta kabob...lamb sausages with pine nuts and feta! grill them!

 

[DugDbold]

I make meatloaf!

 

[Yakuta]

lamb seekh kabab or ground lamb curry.

Seekh kabab - Lamb is seasoned with minced ginger, dry roasted and ground corrainder and cumin, chili powder, freshly chopped cilantro and mint, salt to taste and then rolled onto a skewer and grilled until done. It's normally served with lemon wedges and sweet onions.

Ground lamb curry with peas (my favorite): Saute a finely chopped large onion in 3 tbsp of oil. Add ginger and garlic paste, cumin and corrainder powder, garam masala powder (simple mix of whole black peppercorns, cinnamon stick and cloves). One large tomato finely chopped. Saute all of this until the tomato releases all it's liquid and turns into a mushy pulp and oil is released. Next add the groud lamb and let it cook for 30 minutes or so until the lamb is cooked. Finally brown the lamb a bit until the oil releases, add a cup of frozen peas and stir to combine and cook it for another 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve with naan.

 

[Piccolina]

lamb seekh kabab or ground lamb curry.

Seekh kabab - Lamb is seasoned with minced ginger, dry roasted and ground corrainder and cumin, chili powder, freshly chopped cilantro and mint, salt to taste and then rolled onto a skewer and grilled until done. It's normally served with lemon wedges and sweet onions.

I am drooling over this recipe Yakuta! Thank-you for sharing it! I would omit the chilli powder (sorry, it's just that I'm not a "hot" spice person). Do you cook this on a grill or in the oven? (Almost sounds like it could be cooked on the bbq?)

 

[Yakuta]

I live in the cold midwest - the weather is cooling down a quite a bit so I can't think of grilling although I wish I still could spend more time outdoors.

This is infact a BBQ recipe but i cook it on my stove top grill pan. I marinate the lamb with all the ingredients. At the last minute I puree some yellow onions and strain the water from it and mix it to the ground lamb, skewer it on a bamboo skewer (takes some practice to thread it on) and then grill it on the pan. No one can tell it was not done on an outside grill. You can also use the oven to grill and then broil it for the last couple of minutes to give it a slightly charred taste.

 

[velochic]

Yakuta - I make Keema Mattar a lot, too. I puree the onions, though, and it really contributes to a smooth texture. ETA - an Indian friend told me to do this because I commented about how it's always so smooth in restaurants. She told me I could use canned, tomato puree, too to help keep the texture smooth. Never tried that before, though. Is this what Indian restaurants use?

OP - we like to use ground lamb to make Lahmacun.

Lahmacun (Turkish pide)

Dough:

1kg. flour
1 T. salt
1 turkish teaglass of vegetable oil
water as needed

Mix together. Knead until smooth. Roll out into dough rounds.


Topping:

500 gr. minced lamb
2 lg. onions, diced finely
1 tomato, seeded and diced finely
1 T. tomato paste
1 T. mild red pepper paste
1/2 green pepper diced finely
1/2 red pepper dice finely
cilantro or parsley (whichever you prefer), chopped
salt

Combine ingredients well. Spread a thin layer on each dough round. Bake in preheated 220°C oven for 6 - 7 minutes.

ETA - 220°C is equal to 425°F

 

[Yakuta]

Hi Veloholic that Lahmacun sounds really good. I have to try it out soon.

As far as your question on Keema Matar goes I don't like to puree my onions because it releases a lot of water. Instead I like to chop my onions extra fine and then saute them in oil until they turn almost golden. To answer your tomato question yes you can add a small can of tomato puree. A lot of restaurants do this to add color.

Keep in mind though that the best way to imitate restaurant style Keema Matar is to use elbow grease. You need to saute the Keema once cooked until it releases the oil. Once the oil starts releasing add a little bit more water and some peas and then garnish with cilantro and you are ready. Sauting it not only helps with browning but also with the smooth texture since all the other ingredients are completely sauteed and incorporated in the gravy.

 

[Piccolina]

As far as your question on Keema Matar goes I don't like to puree my onions because it releases a lot of water. Instead I like to chop my onions extra fine and then saute them in oil until they turn almost golden.

That's a very handy tip, thanks Yakuta

 

[urmaniac13]

Jessica, Yakuta has also suggested this idea below to me in another thread, which sounds really tempting and I would love to try... he is using beef and I would too, as I don't eat lamb, but he says that lamb will be fine for this recipe... after all lamb is much more popular an ingredient than beef in the Indian cuisine...


*Quote*

Hi urmaniac, yeah Pork is not popular in India except in Goa which is a resort town that was heavily influenced by the Portuguese and the majority of the population is Christian.

I am a Muslim so I don't eat pork but I do eat beef. Meatball curry also known as kofta curry is once again a moghulai preparation (influenced by the Muslim immigrants). I use ground beef to make my meatballs but ground goat or lamb can be substituted.

It's made by marinating the ground beef with ginger paste and spices (chilli powder, cumin and corrainder powder, salt, finely chopped cilantro and handful of fresh mint). Next you make a curry (with onions, tomatoes, freshly ground Indian spices and garam masala), add some yogurt to it. Next you add some water to make the gravy a tiny bit thin and then place the raw meat balls in the gravy and let them simmer for an hour until the meatballs are cooked. They soak up the gravy and the gravy thickens. You garnish it with cilantro and serve it with naan and rice.

Its delicious if you are into curries. **

 

[buckytom]

i second the lamb chilli that robo referred to. it is a strong enough flavor of meat to stand up to lots of other levels in the chilli, including cumin, garlic, and the heat and taste from various peppers.

i also love just a plain lamb burger, on a pita, with lettuce, chopped tomato and red onion, feta cheese, oregano, a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.
btw, the best lamb burger in nyc is at big nick's on broadway and west 76th street.

 

[velochic]

Thanks for the Keema tips. My indian friend did tell me that what we eat in restaurants (both in Germany and in the US) is usually different than how you cook at home. But since that's my main exposure to that cuisine, I guess it's what I'm used to. Thanks again!!

 

[SHAMALICIOUS]

Burgers, lasagne, put it on pizza, have it with pasta, can make meatballs outta them, they make good sandwich fillings too

 

[auntdot]

Went out last night and we both had a lamb ravioli with a curry sauce.

Fantastic.

Love lamb, but have never made ravioli with it before.

Have to get to work on that.

 

[Gretchen]

Moussaka or cabbage roll casserole.
CABBAGE ROLL CASSEROLE
1-1 1/2 lb. ground beef or lamb
2 medium onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1 can water
1/2 C uncooked rice
4 C cabbage, shredded
sour cream
Brown meeat, onions, and garlic. Drain. Add tomato sauce, water and salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir in rice and cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Place 2/3 of the cabbage in a greased baking dish and cover with half the rice mixture. Repeat layers. Cover and bake in 350 oven for 1 hour. Serve with sour cream. Serves 4-6.