Lamb Meatballs 101.

I think it's safe to say, you either fall into the "I love meatballs" camp or you fall into the "I can live without meatballs" camp. For most of my life, I believe I fell into the "I can live without meatballs" camp, but every now and then a recipe will rear it's cute lil' face and entice me into trying it. One thing is for sure, I'm more into the non-traditional meatball as opposed to the typical spaghetti and meatballs (for an example, I wrote a post about two meatball recipes that were to-die-for here).

Years ago I started a project, organizing recipes I had pulled from magazines and newspapers - recipes I had the noble intention of trying at least once. Recently, I looked at the growing pile of magazines and the folder project and decided to come up with a more technologically saavy way of organizing said recipes. I spent a portion of a weekend going through the recipes I had collected and weeding out the ones that still tripped my trigger. One of those recipes happened to be a recipe for Northern Indian lamb meatballs featured in a Martha Stewart Living magazine circa January 2005.

So I spent Sunday evening making these delectable balls of juicy lamb which simmered in a tomato based sauce fragrantly spiced with turmeric, cayenne, coriander and garam masala. The method was a tad different then my prior experience with making meatballs, but the results absolutely yielded the most tender, flavorful meatballs I have ever made.

To accompany the meatballs I heated up some garlic naan from Trader Joe's and I made an impromptu yogurt sauce from scratch. Here's my very own yogurt sauce recipe:

1/2 c. greek yogurt (plain)

1/4 tsp. kosher or sea salt

1/2 tsp.-3/4 tsp. garam masala

1/4 tsp.-1/2 tsp. cayenne

1 shallot, minced

1/4 c. flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Mix together in small bowl and chill prior to serving with meatballs and naan.

Trip Down Mediterranean (Sorta) Lane......

Has it really been over two months since my last post? Yikes, I should be put in a corner -"bad blogger". The truth is my mind has been elsewhere and personally speaking, I've been in a major funk since October, but I'm beginning to see the light of day again and well.....here I am. I hope you'll take me back with open arms! Otherwise no holiday cookies for you!

Before I left for Oregon to spend Thanksgiving with family, I invited my dad and his wife, Clarissa, over for a Sunday supper. It's the first time I've had them both over for dinner and I was jazzed about my menu, which I faithfully planned all week long. Have you ever just been in the mood for lamb? I mean, there's something about it - delicate, fragrant, tender and if you're able to source amazing lamb, it's not gamey at all. Luckily, I've been spoiled rotten the last ten months living in Los Feliz, with McCall's Meat & Fish Co in my neighborhood. I chose to go with rack of lamb (Colorado rack of lamb to be exact) and I was a bit nervous. I've cooked many cuts of lamb before but there's something about the rack that is intimidating. Thanks to Nathan (co-owner at McCalls) for putting my worries at ease, he shared secret society tips on how to roast that rack to perfection and I'm not lying kids, it was perfection.

Seasoned with salt and pepper, I seared the lamb in a super hot pan with a swig of olive oil for about 5 minutes. Then I transferred the lamb to a roasting dish and put in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes (to obtain medium rare temp). Nathan recommended checking it at around 20 minutes (which depending on your oven at home, I agree is the best policy). Not pictured above, I made an apricot chutney to accompany the lamb. It's a Mark Bittman recipe and is easy-peasy to make - sugar, vinegar, chopped dried apricots, cloves, ginger, star anise and bam, you've got magic. Dad and Clarissa really enjoyed the chutney.

I served the lamb with cinnamon scented basmati rice (all I did to achieve this was stick two cinnamon sticks in with the rice wile it cooked)- it was so fragrant, warm and inviting you to taste every morsel. I've been a big fan of Luisa Weiss, The Wednesday Chef, and several weeks ago, she posted a warm zucchini salad with harissa dressing, kalamata olives and feta. Click here for the recipe. Instead of steaming the zucchini I opted to saute the, but I think this would be delicious if you roasted the zucchini too.

Needless to say, it was one of my finer meals that I've served and I was smiling for days. I hope during this holiday season you are finding something to smile about!

My Lamb Pita-wich.

I've raved and ranted about McCall's Meat and Fish, several times since it's grand opening in February of 2010. Ever since I've been a foodie, it's been one of my mini-dreams to have a local butcher in my neighborhood. Call it divine intervention, this randomly occurred when I moved to Los Feliz in February too. It was the joining of two loves and I've been devoted to this neighborhood joint ever since.

Nathan and Karen (the dynamic owners of McCalls) are passionate about what they do, both have A+ resumes in the restaurant industry, and are committed to serving only the best, primo cuts of meat, fowl, game and seafood. I kinda feel like I won the foodie lottery to be honest. Every other weekend when I make my morning grocery run, I stop by to pick up a few essentials and a few non-essentials. About two months ago, I broke down and tried their homemade lamb sausages (mind you, all of the sausages they sell are made there at the shop). It's safe to say, I've got a slight addiction, because since then, I always order 4 lamb sausages. They are made with some harissa and other spices and I've come up with this recipe, that is quick, easy and uber mouth watering.

I call it the Lamb Pita-wich. Insert laughter here. And here. And here again.

Depending on hunger factor, I cook up one or two lamb sausages in a skillet over medium-ish heat with a smidgen of olive oil. Because these sausages are skinny, they are done in about 4-5 minutes. While the sausages are cooking, I heat up my oven and throw in one piece of the Middle Eastern Flatbread from Trader Joe's (another addiction) just to warm it up (for about a minute or two). I slather the flatbread with some hummus and tahini sauce, some arugula, the sausage and a sprinkling of feta. There are infinite possibilities here, sometimes I add a layer of tapenade too. This pita-wich is fit for anyone with an appetite. So the only thing you have to do now is jump your car, head over to McCall's and TJ's, you will send me a thank you note and maybe some flowers, I promise.

persian anyone?

My best friend from Los Angeles is married to a Persian man and for wither my birthday or Christmas she sent me a Persian cookbook. I have made several recipes from it and have throughly enjoyed the flavors and characteristics known to Persian cooking. Last week, I made this dish (the Persian name escapes me at the moment) - an eggplant, tomato and lamb casserole topped with onions and a dash of paprika. The meat is seasoned with nutmeg and cinnamon and when all is said and done, topped with a little yogurt and some rice, this meal is to die for. Hearty, even for a summery meal.