Miniature Bell Peppers Stuffed with Lamb

Farmers’ Markets are at the peak of the harvest and have an abundance of local produce. The colorful fruits and vegetables piled high make me happy and leave me dreaming about the tasty possibilities each week (sometimes twice a week). I try to walk away with something unusual and fun to experiment with. This week it was an assortment of miniature bell peppers, 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter! I don’t think this dish would be quite as decadent with full size peppers. You could put the couscous in the peppers with the lamb, but this may yield a drier, less powerful filling. The sweetness of the bite size peppers and the savory lamb and cheese simply melt in your mouth….mmmmm.

Serves 2
Active Time: 40 min, Total Time: 1 hour 10 min
Oven Temp: 400°F

½ onion
2 garlic cloves
1 in piece of ginger
1 green chili
2 tbsp oil
1 bay leaf
½ lb ground lamb
2 tbsp tomato paste
⅛ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp yoghurt
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp garam masala
1 oz goat cheese

10 miniature bell peppers
½ c couscous

Oregonians, Check Out Oven & Shaker!

Oven & Shaker in the Pearl District is receiving national attention less than a year since opening. I didn’t try a sandwich before leaving Oregon, but CNN’s Eatocracy blog seems to think they are worth mentioning. I know Portland is full of amazing restaurants – I tried not to go to the same place twice because there were so many to explore. This is one I would definitely revisit! If you have like the East Side’s famous Nostrana, you’ll love it (and the price).

Jay and I went to Oven & Shaker for Valentine’s Day dinner this year and shared a sampling of reasonably priced small plates…and a pizza of course. While I don’t recall our exact selections, I do remember it was all delicious. We tried the arancine, probably the goat cheese pizza, and definitely the lamb and pork meatballs (mmm…lamb).

If you live in Portland or are just passing through, Oven & Shaker is well worth a visit.

Lamb Kefta with Egg and Tomato

Mmmm…lamb. These meatballs are incredibly moist, and the egg poached in the spicy tomato sauce adds an interesting flavor. I served this dish over rice, but traditionally it is served right in the pan with hunks of crusty bread for utensils. At first I was perplexed by handling the meat so roughly – usually you hear this makes it tough – but here it really brings the mixture together so the meatballs don’t fall apart.

Serves 2 to 3
Active Time: 25 min, Total Time: 40 min
Adapted from Moroccan Food & Cooking

For the Kefta:

½ lb ground lamb
2 bread slices
½ onion
small bunch flat leaf parsley
1 egg
½ tsp ground cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
dab of butter

For the Sauce:

14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
small bunch fresh cilantro
⅛ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp paprika
2 to 3 eggs

¾ c uncooked rice

Mezze & Tiffin Feast

Special occasions call for a special menu. For a birthday dinner, I like to provide a variety of dishes and complex flavors, typically resulting in five to seven small plates…and leftovers. Last year it was Italian themed with numerous antipasto dishes. This year combined Moroccan and Indian. Mezze is a North African and Middle Eastern tradition of sampling different small plates, while tiffin refers to a light meal or snack in India.

The Menu:

Hummus with zahtar – Variation on a classic

Mint & Cilantro Chutney – A creamy chutney made with Yogurt to offset the heat of the green chili

Crusty Bread

Chilled Almond & Garlic Soup – A bit bland and disappointing. The consistency was weird too: almonds are pureed with bread and milk resulting in a grainy texture.

Roasted Red Peppers with Feta & Lemon – A tasty salad option

Aloo Ki Tikki – Potato patties, essentially fried samosa filling

Lamb Kofta – Spicy miniature meatballs, excellent for dipping in the chutney

After two and a half hours in the kitchen, the feast was ready and mostly delicious. Oh, and of course there was also birthday cake: traditional chocolate with ganache (so rich!), not Moroccan or Indian inspired. Although, I do have a recipe for chocolate cake with cardamom cream that I should pull out one of these days…

Interested in seeing more woodworking like the table, chairs, and candle holder in the photo above? Check out saltwoodstudio.com.

Beef and Lamb Bastilla

This dish was inspired by the Moroccan pie we had a while ago at an excellent local restaurant, Marrakesh. We didn’t look for a recipe*, so it isn’t quite like the traditional dish, but the combination of sweet and savory is still delicious. Working with phyllo dough can be tricky: keep it covered until ready to use or it will dry out and crumble. The accompanying salad was pretty basic: lettuce, tomatoes, bell pepper, feta, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

Serves 3 to 4
Active Time: 40 min, Total Time: 1 hour
Oven Temp: 375°F

½ small onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ lb ground beef
½ lb ground lamb
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp chili powder
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tbsp lemon juice

10 phyllo dough sheets
2 tbsp butter, melted
½ c walnuts

powdered sugar
cinnamon
lime zest

Spaghetti and Meatballs with a Twist

If you think this image looks like any other spaghetti and meatballs, you’re in for a surprise.  Jay had the excellent idea of putting an Indian twist on this classic dish.  He made the sauce the night before so we ate at a reasonable hour.  And of course there is plenty of sauce for later.  We don’t measure spices, so a lot of this is a guess: more of this, less of that is the key.  The plan was for lamb meatballs, but the grocery store was out resulting in my first in-home experience with bison.

Serves 4, with about a 24 oz jar of sauce left over
Prep Time: 20 min, Cooking Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Oven Temp: 350°F

For the Sauce:

1 garlic head
olive oil
garam masala
chili powder
salt & pepper

½ small onion
3 roasted chili peppers
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp garam masala
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp yellow curry powder
½ tsp dried savory
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp paprika
2 Roma tomatoes
6oz can tomato paste
28oz can crushed tomatoes
¾ c coconut milk

¼ c peanut butter
¼ c shredded mozzarella
¼ c freshly grated parmesan