No Matter What You Call Them

When I first started my journey into Indian foods, it was a combination of being taken to an Indian Buffet or two, and then venturing into more as my cravings for those flavors expanded. That, along with the first cookbook I received, "The Complete Asian Cookbook" by Charmaine Solomon, with a section on Indian food, later followed by "The Bombay Palace Cookbook" by Stendahl. 

In each Indian Buffet I frequented, there were little lamb meatballs, obviously done on a grill or maybe in a tandoor oven, and definitely with a char-grilled flavor. Prominent enough to notice in these meatballs was the flavor of mint, other spices just making the whole so very delightfully flavored. I looked for these, when I found them, as they quickly became a favorite.

But, what are they called? 

That is something I never found out. 

Lamb Kofta or Lamb Seekh Kebabs

Over the many, many years since those early days, I have learned a lot more about Indian cooking, recipes, flavors, flavors divided by areas of India, spices - oh! the spices! - and so very much more. But, I never did find a specific recipe for those little grilled lamb meatballs. On the buffets, they were always in a bin of their own. No sauce, maybe a sprinkling of fresh cilantro. 

Much later, reading about Middle Eastern foods and such, while the flavors in general do not call me the way Indian foods do, there are a lot of great foods I have tried to date, and I also read about how much of the food of Persia and other Middle East countries filtered down into India, and in fact is how Naan bread came to be in northern Indian cuisine. 

And there I discovered Kofta. And then Seekh Kebabs.

Or Kefta, or Kafta, but however the spelling comes out, these are the very closest to the flavors I was looking for. I did a little tweaking, mainly adding in a little more fresh mint, but mostly in keeping with the flavors I recalled. Grilling (or broiling in a pinch) gives them that marvelous added layer of flavor. Obviously in a country that does not, in general, eat beef, if they even eat meat at all, lamb would be the red meat of choice. The closest to these little meatballs I have found in Indian cookbooks is called Seekh Kebab, usually the "seekh" referring to ground or minced meat (but not always!) and can be used for lamb, chicken or whatever meat is being used in the recipe. I have made Seekh Kebabs with chicken meat, and they are good, though I made them in a frypan. These type of kebab are usually formed into long sausage shapes around skewers, more often a flat skewer that helps keep the meat on while rotating on the grill. 

Ultimately, no matter what you call them, these are the closest approximation to those wonderful little grilled meatballs on the Indian Buffets.

Lamb Kofta or Lamb Seekh Kebabs

Makes about 6 to 8 servings

Lamb Kofta or Lamb Seekh Kebabs

2 pounds ground lamb, or substitute beef or go half and half
1 medium potato, baked, cooled, peeled, riced

2 shallots, minced finely
3 large cloves garlic, minced finely
½ cup fresh parsley, minced finely
½ cup fresh mint, minced finely
¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely minced
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground sumac, optional
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch ground cloves

 
To be more authentic, finely mince the meats, or briefly pulse them in the food processor. It should not be paste, but much finer than ground meat.

Combine all the ingredients and mix well with clean hands to distribute all the spices evenly. Form the mixture into elongated meatball shapes on pre-soaked bamboo skewers or on metal skewers. Another method is to form the meat into a single-thickness hot-dog shape, evenly along the length of the skewer. To bake the kofta, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Set the skewers on a broiler rack or other rack over a rimmed baking sheet and bake the kofta for 20 to 25 minutes. Thinner meat formed along the length of the skewer will be done in a much shorter time. If grilling, grill as for burgers, turning as needed for even browning. Serve with tzatziki or hummus and flatbreads with a side salad for an amazing meal.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Sometimes a Great Thing Just Happens

Sometimes I sit and think, "What in the world am I going to make for dinner?" And sometimes I sit thinking like this all the day long and nothing at all to show for all that rigorous thinking.

But then sometimes, I just kind of flow with it and something great occurs. This happened yesterday. I looked in the freezer yesterday morning and my eyes wandered around a while, finally settling on ground lamb. I had nothing particular in mind, but it was a start.
 

Lamb & Mushroom Lasagna

Then I went grocery shopping, since the fridge was looking pretty bleak. Nothing green in sight and not much of anything fresh left. Okay, so while shopping, I looked at a pound box of mushrooms and just got a craving. Okay, so what do I do with mushrooms and ground lamb?

I kept those ingredients in the back of my mind, and as I often do, I Googled those two ingredients and there were all sorts of recipes out there, of course. I always say that there is no new combination on the face of the earth. Someone, somewhere, has thought of a recipe. I have had times where I never looked up a single thing, made a dish I created in my own mind, and only later discovered that it was almost ingredient for ingredient in someone else's blog. 😲

There were many different recipes for ground lamb and mushrooms, mixed with pasta of one kind or another, but I didn't want to use penne, or elbow, or any of those. And then I thought about lasagna. I am not the world's greatest lasagna maker. I am a really good cook, and often exceptional. But lasagna does not figure in the great successes. I guess I am a glutton for punishment, because somehow I keep trying. And my efforts are sometimes pitiful, sometimes good, but not great. Yet I keep trying. I figured I would give the pasta maker some use. I hadn't used it since last June when my husband and I started a diet. Mainly I was avoiding refined carbs. We eat lots of carbs: lentils, beans, whole grains, squash, etc, but very little of white flour. Except for the holidays; don't even want to think about all that!

Okay, so lasagna.

I'd just come home from grocery shopping when I came up with this idea. I did not buy any mozzarella or ricotta. I wasn't going back out. It was about 4 degrees when I went shopping. More of that deep-freeze I didn't particularly want. And then I was thinking about the lasagna with short rib meat I made nearly a year ago when my daughter-in-law told me about a short rib lasagna she'd eaten. In that one I used a béchamel with cheese melted in it, instead of the mozzarella and/or ricotta. I had other cheese in the fridge. I had some Fontina (which is not sold here where I live, but I'd happened to find some on one of our trips to Sioux Falls recently), and I did have things like Romano and Parmesan. In a pinch, Cheddar, though that wasn't the flavor I wanted. If you do not have access to Fontina, substitute Ementhal, Gruyere or even Provolone.

in my mind, I began assembling ingredients, and writing down my recipe plan. Then I started assembling and cooking. I got the lamb and mushroom part finished, and then the béchamel sauce. In the end I used the Fontina and Romano cheese in the bechamel. I used some "sweet" spices (cinnamon, allspice, cloves and even mastik - a new one!) in the lamb mixture. They were not readily apparent in the final dish, though it did have an intriguing flavor. Since I was using fresh rosemary and thyme, the use of mastik, which has a slightly pine-like flavor, seemed like it would pair well with the resinous flavor of rosemary. And all that remained was the pasta. I did use my pasta machine and made lasagna sheets. And yes I used white semolina flour - oh well. If you do not have a pasta machine, you will need 6-8 lasagna sheets (enough to cover the pan three times), pre-cooked.

Lamb and Mushroom Lasagna

Lamb & Mushroom Lasagna

Makes one 13 x 9-inch pan

MUSHROOM MIXTURE:
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 - 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
¼ cup dry sherry or other dry white wine, optional

MEAT MIXTURE:
1 pound ground lamb (or substitute beef)
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon mastik gum, ground finely, optional
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
1 can (14.5 ounces) tomato sauce

BÉCHAMEL SAUCE:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground white pepper, optional
1 cup shredded Fontina Cheese
1 cup shredded Romano cheese

6 - 8 lasagna sheets, pre-cooked

MUSHROOM MIXTURE: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the olive oil, onions and the ½ teaspoon of salt. Toss well, then lower the heat to medium low and cook slowly for about 10 minutes, tossing occasionally. Add in the mushrooms and raise the heat to medium. Cook, tossing the mixture occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and begin to brown. Add in the fresh thyme leaves and the sherry. Cook until all the liquid has evaporated, then turn the mixture out into a bowl and set aside.

Making Lamb and Mushroom Mixture

MEAT MIXTURE: To the same skillet, add the ground lamb and cook, breaking apart evenly. Add in the salt, garlic, rosemary and other spices. Toss well and cook for a couple of minutes before adding in the tomato sauce. Cook for a minute or so to meld the flavors. Return the mushroom mixture to the pan and mix well. Set aside, off the heat.

Making Bechamel Sauce

BÉCHAMEL SAUCE: Heat a 4 to 6-quart saucepan over medium heat and add in the butter to melt. Once melted, add in the flour and mix well, stirring for about 3 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the milk slowly, until the mixture is smooth. Return to the heat and add in the salt, nutmeg and white pepper and whisk constantly, scraping the pan evenly, until the mixture thickens. Once boiling, continue to whisk for another 3 minutes. Set aside about ¼ of the cheese mixture, then add the rest to the béchamel and whisk until completely melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

Assembling layers then baked

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9-inch oven proof casserole lightly with cooking spray. put a small amount of the meat mixture in the bottom of the casserole. Place two (or three if needed) lasagna sheets to cover the bottom, without overlapping. Spoon on ⅓ of the remaining meat mixture and spread it evenly over the noodles. Ladle on ⅓ of the béchamel sauce. Top with another single layer of the lasagna sheets, another ⅓ of the meat mixture and another ⅓ of the béchamel sauce. Repeat these layers once more, then sprinkle the top with the reserved cheese. Bake the casserole for about 45 to 50 minutes, until the mixture is bubbling. Allow to cool for about ½-hour before serving. This allows for neater slices.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Lamb Burgers to Die For

Birthday Cake with Blackberry Mascarpone Filling 

Hello! I have had guests for the past weeks, coming and going. It's been wonderful having our friend Rich visiting, as well as his significant other, Heidi, and always a stupendous lot of fun when my son Kenneth and his wife come to visit. Because of the amount of guests, and amount of food prep and other things attendant on having guests in the house, I hadn't managed to get to a blog for about 11 days now. It is good to have the house quiet again, no matter how I love them all. So here I am, back at my blog, and a year older, too!

I just had my 65th birthday yesterday, though we celebrated with our guests last weekend. Yesterday was totally normal day with work to be done, though my friend Deb took me out to lunch, which was excellent.

My Calamata Tapenade

When my son and his wife visit, I try to make some favorite things. I have used a recipe for lamb burgers found on the internet quite a few years ago. This was long before I had any idea about writing a blog, maintaining a website or any such thing. This year I got out the recipe and taking a good look, realized I probably never actually used the recipe except as a guideline. For example, the original recipe calls for 2 ½ pounds of ground lamb and only 2 cloves of garlic, for starters. I love garlic, and so does almost everyone I cook for. I used 6 large cloves of garlic when making these burgers last week. And, so it went with a lot of the recipe.

The recipe called also for making a tapenade to go on the burgers and while I like tapenade (or what passes for tapenade in jars in the grocery), I had never made it myself. My husband wouldn't eat it anyway, so if it is just the two of us, I wouldn't bother. But in talking to friend Rich, along with Ken and Julia - they all love tapenade, or at least olives, so that was the one totally new and different thing I did this time. Julia made a run to the nearby grocery and brought back some marinated Calamata/Kalamata olives. If I made this tapenade again (and I most certainly will!), I would look for these same olives, because the flavor was so excellent. I had only 4 remaining ("orphan") Kalamata Olives in a jar in the fridge, so I added these to the ones Julia brought home in making the tapenade.

My son, Kenneth

I pride myself on grilling things pretty well, but I have to hand it to my son - he just has a knack. My grill racks get scraped down when I grill and all, but I have not cleaned the pan below. The lamb was quite fatty also, and all this contributed to a total conflagration. On my own, I would likely have burnt the burgers. Ken came out to tend them and managed to bring in perfectly done burgers, with perfectly soft Feta on top. I was way amazed at his grilling prowess. Yea, Kenneth!

We came to the table to eat and such was the excitement that I absolutely and completely forgot to take photos of these amazing burgers. Good grief! All I got was one photo of the two remaining burgers on the serving plate and the dregs of the remaining tapenade. Not the best or prettiest photos, for sure, though one can certainly see the perfection of the grilled burgers. While great photos are sadly lacking here, I pray that anyone who loves lamb might try these recipes out, because oh, MAN are they ever just to-die-for-good!

Perfectly Grilled Lamb Burgers

Lamb Burgers with Grilled Feta and Tapenade

Makes 6 large burgers

BURGERS:
2¼ - 2½ pounds ground lamb
6 cloves garlic, finely minced, or through a garlic press
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, minced
3 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, minced
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Garrigue Seasoning, optional

8 ounces Feta Cheese, cut into approximately 6 slices

Mix all the burger ingredients well and form patties of approximately 1/4 pound apiece. Grill the burgers to desired doneness. Use a grill pan for the Feta, to soften. Feta does not really melt, but will warm nicely. Set one slice of Feta atop each burger. Serve with Tapenade on buns. A heftier, larger type of bun is needed for these large burgers than the cheaper types of bun available!

 

 

Olives I used for Tapenade

TAPENADE: Enough for 6 burgers
7 - 8 ounces pitted Calamata/Kalamata olives, drained
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely minced
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
¼ cup olive oil (more, or less, as desired)

Place the olives, parsley and garlic in a food processor to finely chop. With processor running, add in olive oil until the mixture is at the consistency you prefer.

Serve the tapenade on the side, to spread onto the buns when serving.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.