Rosemary Lamb from New Zealand

Lamb is very common in New Zealand, They are not original from the country but they adapted to the environment very well and today they outnumber three times the humans.

Rosemary lamb is the most common way to cook the lamb at New Zealand , eaten for special occassions even Christmas or New Year's Day

Ingredients:

- 1 leg of lamb.
- 6 garlic cloves.
- 3 potatoes.
- 1 sweet potatoes.
- 2 lemons.
- dried figs.
- Chives.
- little onions.
- One piece of pumpkin .
- 100 grams of mushrooms.
- Radish.
- 1 tablespoon rosemary.
- 1 tablespoon parseley.
- Salt.
- Pepper.

Method:

1- Peel and cut all the vegetables in little pieces (Potatoes, sweet potaoes, pumpkin, mushroom, radish).

2- Peel the lamb leaving a little layer of fat.

3- Pour some oil in a oven proof dish, put all the vegetables inside.

4- Add the little onions, dried figs and chives.

5- Put the lamb leg on top of all the vegetables , cut garlic cloves in half ,make some cuts along the leg's lamb and place the garlic cloves into each cut.

6- Make the sauce with 2 lemons' juice, a tablespoon rosemary, a tablespoon pearsley, salt and pepper. Mix well and pour over the lamb.

7- Preheat the oven to 200ºC, cook at the same temperature for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

To see if the lamb is well cooked poke the meat with a knife.

Let cool for 10 minutes and serve accompanied by meant, currant jam or rosehip.

Receta en Español

You can also watch the recipe at my Youtube Channel:

Here you have my  favourite cooking tools: https://viaja-en-mi-cocina-english.blogspot.com/2023/05/shop.html

New Zealand

Kleftiko from Cyprus

                                                                               Receta en Español 

Kleftiko is a lamb and vegetables stew ,very popular from Cyprus. The name of the dish dates from the revolution of Greece against the Ottoman Empire, there were greek guerrilla groups that lived and survive in the mountains, they were called the 'Klephts'. The name was given to them in the XV century and all their descendants have received this name until the XIX century. The meaning of 'Klephts' is thieves.

That name was due to their custom to eat stolen lamb meat, the meat was also called Kleftico, it is, stolen meat. They used to slow cook the meat in underground ovens to not be discovered by the smoke.

It became a traditional dish in the greek world. In Cyprus it is consumed whenever they have a party or big celebration.

The secret of the success of the dish is the slow cooking until the meat separates easily from the bone.

Ingredients:

- 1 lamb leg.
- 1 onion.
- 4 ripe tomatos.

- Potatos.

- 3 garlic cloves.

- 1/4 glass red wine.

- 1/4 glass olive oil.

- 1/4 glass tomato sauce.

- 1/4 glass lemon juice.

- oregano.

- Salt.

- Pepper.

Method:

1- Salt both sides of the lamb leg, make some cuts along the surface and then fill those cuts with garlic cloves that you have cut into slices. Put the lamb in an ovenproof recipient.

2-  Pour some wine, oil, tomato sauce and lemon juice over the lamb leg. 

3-  Cut tomato and onion into slices and place them next to the lamb leg.

4-  Cut potatos into slices and place them over the onion and tomato. Sprinkle some salt, pepper and oregano.

5-  Preheat oven at 180 º C , then place the lamb leg and cook at the same temperature for 1 hour and a half or 2 hours , until the meat separates easily from the bone.

The meat is juicy and delicious, an easy way to prepare a dish for every celebration.

You can also watch the recipe on my Youtube channel:

 

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Soyutma Lamb

                                                                               Receta en Español

Lamb is a food largement consumed in Azerbaijan, today I present to you 'Soyutma Lamb'.

Soyutma means slow cooked, it is the key on this dish, it is a piece of lamb cooked very slowly to obtain a different texture and taste.

Ingredients (For two people):

•   1 leg of lamb.
•   2 medium sized potatoes.
•   1 medium sized onion.
•   Some saffron strands.
•   Pepper.
•   Some fresh mint.
•   Salt.

   

Method:

1-  Wash the meat. Then add salt and pepper to the meat.

Put in a casserole, cover with water and set fire on a medium heat until water boils.

2-  Once it reaches boiling point, you can observe some foam on the surface, get rid of this foam ant put fire on a low heat.

3-  Now add the whole onion.

4-  Now let it cook for 3 hours at low heat. After the 3 hours, add peeled whole potatoes, make some cuts to the potatoes, this way they can cook faster.

Add salt, pepper, mint and some saffron strands, cook until potatoes are done.

5-  Now you can serve it, put a potato for each people , the dish should be accompanied by some yogurt with garlic (tipical from Azerbaijan).

Where to find the ingredients:

I found the mint near Madrid mosque, at arab shops at Antonio Calvo street.

My comments to the recipe

This boiled lamb is very tasty, because it is cooked very slowly , all the spices match very well with the lamb as well as the fresh yogurt.



Azerbaijan

Algerian Couscous

                                                                               Receta en Español


Couscous is a traditional dish in Algeria, it can be served as a side dish for vegetables or meat. This is a very complet dish.
Today I present you how it is traditionally prepared in Algeria.

Ingredients (4 people) :

• 250 grams medium couscous.
• 250 g lamb.
• 200 g chickpeas.
• 2 tomatos.
• 2 little zuchinni.
• 2  turnips.
• 4 carrots.
• 2 peppers.
• 1 onion.
• 3 garlic cloves.
• 1/2 teaspoon of ras-al-hanout.
• 1/2 teaspoon harissa (this is spicy).
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder.
• Olive oil.
• 50 g butter.
• Some raisins.
• Salt and pepper..

Method

1. Soak chickpeas overnight.

2. Put chickpeas in a casserole with water and salt, cook until soft.  

3. Cut onion and garlic and saute it in a pan until they are brown.

4. Cut and salt the lamb ,cook it together with onion and garlic.

5. Cut carrots, zuchinni and turnips into strips, salt . Put a little water in the pressure cooker , place vegetables into the pressure cooker , we want to steam them so vegetables should not touch water.  Close pressure cooker, put on high heat, when steam comes out from the valve put heat on low heat and cook for 3 minutes.

                     

6.   Once vegetables are cooked, we add them to the casserole with the lamb. Add chickpeas, tomatos cut into slices, pepper, innamon, ras-el-hanout ,100 ml water and salt. Cook at low heat for 1 hour and a half.

7.   Cook cous cous the way I told you in the previous post:  How to cook cous cous.

8.   Now is time to plating. Cous cous must be placed at the side, it should be mixed with the rest of the meal only when eating.

Here you have a link to my favourite cooking tools where you can find my spices grinder:  

Favourite cooking tools

Algeria

Tava Elbasani (Lamb with yogurt)

                                                                               Receta en Español

Elbasani is a city placed in the center of Albania, this recipe comes from that city.

Ingredients: 4 Serves

• 900 g de lamb in pieces.
• 2 cups of water to boil the lamb.
• 2  tablespoons butter.
• 2  tablespoons flour.
• 3     eggs.
• 500 grams greek yogurt.
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper.
• Salt.
• oil.

Method:

1. Salt lamb to taste.
2. Pour a little oil in a great pot. Over medium heat cook lamb both sides, the pot should not be crowded ,cook a few pieces at the same time.
3. Then fill the pot with water and add all the roasted lamb pieces and cook over medium heat for 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile melt butter in a pan over medium heat, add flour and stir to mix well. Once the mixture begins to turn brown , put aside and let cool.

1. Preheat oven at 175 ºC.
2. Beat eggs in a bowl , add yogurt, pepper and butter sauce, salt to taste.
3. Place lamb in a baking dish. Pour the yogurt mixture over the lamb. Cook in oven for 45 minutes and serve immidiately.

This is the result:


Tava Elbasani

My comments to the Recipe:

This is a nice way to eat lamb, it is a new flavour that makes lamb softer.

Here you have a link to my favourite cooking tools where you can find my spices grinder:  

Favourite cooking tools

Albania

Kabuli Pulao (Afghanistan)

                                                                               Receta en Español

Pulao is one of the most typical dishes in Afghanistan; it is rice with grapes.

Kabuli Pulao is a version of Pulao adding lamb meat. This is the recipe I will present today.

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice.
450 g lamb.
2 cups meat broth.
1/2 sliced onion.
25 g blonde raisins.
1 carrot cut in strips.
2 teaspoon cumin.
1 ½ teaspoon cardamom.
1 teaspoon cinamon.
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper.
1 teaspoon butter.
Salt.

Method:

1- Fry carrots and grapes with butter. Put aside.

 
2- Take a big pan and sautée  onion until golden.
3- Add rice and broth, bring to a boil. Then cover and let cook on low heat during 20 minutes until rice is tender.
4- Take another pan, pour a litle oil and add spices. Cook some minutes until spices give of aroma, then add the meat and fry until done.
5- Place the meat in an oven proof dish, cover with rice, carrots and grapes. Cook in oven for 20 minutes at 250 º C.

Thie is the end:

My comments:

It is an easy recipe and very tasty due to the mixture of grapes and spices.

Here you have a link to my favourite cooking tools where you can find my spices grinder:  

Favourite cooking tools

Afghanistan