Loving Lamb

Pastitsio can be described as Greek lasagna. It's typically made with lamb, not pork or beef, and it features penne (or a similar) pasta instead of flat noodles, but the concept is the same. The flavor, however, is very different. The difference begins with the lamb, but the addition of nutmeg, cinnamon, and feta cheese complete the transformation. This is one of those dishes I always eat too much of and that I always want leftovers from. It also freezes well and is a great way of using up leftover roast lamb.

I first had a schawarma in Beirut, Lebanon during the Thanksgiving break of 1970. It was love at first bite. The schawarma is a Middle-Eastern version of the Greek gyro made with chicken, turkey, or lamb. It took me a while to figure out how to duplicate it without a vertical rotisserie but I did manage to nail it by using a marinade and cooking the meat low and slow in the oven until it was fork tender. This sandwich is worth making for just one meal, but even more worth making for two meals

I got an urge for something middle-eastern the other day and did some searching. I finally decided to make kufta. It turns out kufta is roughly the same thing as kibbeh and kofta, but by searching on that name I found more variations and so more ideas. One idea I particularly liked and that appears to be Armenian in origin is layered with potatoes and tomatoes. Note: You can substitute ground beef for the lamb if necessary.

This Irish Stew's combination of turnips, carrots and parsnips are fairly common ingredients, but the ingredient that to my mind most typifies this dish is the barley. I always end up adding too much barley (that stuff really swells up) but it is so good combined with the lamb that I don't mind and even if you're paying $7/pound for the lamb the total cost is probably no more than about $3 serving for a scrumptious winter meal.

Rack of lamb is the ovine equivalent of a standing rib roast. It's essentially the same exceedingly tender cut of meat. A standard rack has eight ribs and a large rack can serve four people. Typically the ribs themselves are frenched (meaning the end of each rib is scraped clean) and they are beautiful on a plate. So if you have an occasion that deserves a prime rib roast but it's just the two (or three) of you, try a lamb rack instead - this is red meat at it's best.

Slowly braised lamb shanks are almost impossible to beat on a cold wintry day. Savory and richly-flavored, this dish will almost make you glad the weather is bad. And although there's some prep up front, most of the cooking process is trying to ignore the marvelous odors that permeate your home, treading softly on cat feet into each corner until your stomach is grumbling and rumbling with hunger. A little snack about halfway through the cooking might be a good idea.