Lebanese Baked Lamb And Potatoes Recipes

Steps:

• Rinse the bulgur well, then cover with cold water and soak for 20 minutes. Drain well.
• Put the drained bulgur, lamb, grated onion, cumin and cayenne in a large mixing bowl. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well with your hands to distribute the seasoning. With a wooden spoon, beat in about 1/2 cup ice water. The mixture should be smooth and soft.
• Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and fry gently, stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 5 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Raise the heat and add 1/4 cup of the lamb mixture. Continue frying, allowing the meat to get crumbly and the onions to brown nicely, another 10 minutes or so. Stir in the pine nuts and taste. Let cool to room temperature.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a shallow 9-by-13-inch baking dish, then press half the remaining lamb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Spread half the onion-pine nut mixture over the meat. Add the rest of the meat to the pan, patting and pressing it with wet hands to make a smooth top. If desired, score the top with a sharp paring knife to make a traditional diamond pattern at least 1/2-inch deep.
• Bake uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden. Spread with the remaining onion-pine nut mixture. Serve warm, at room temperature or cool, with a dollop of yogurt.

Steps:

• Spread the oil in a medium sized oven tray.
• Mix the first set of ingredients (kafta mixture).
• Spread the kafta mixture flat in the tray but no more than 1 cm thick.
• Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes.
• Take out and add the tomatoes with their juice, water, tomato puree, lemon juice, spices, salt and pepper.
• Put back in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, lower the heat to medium and continue cooking for 30- 40 minutes more or until the meat is well cooked and the tomato sauce has thickened.
• Meanwhile, deep fry the potatoes, and keep on kitchen paper.
• When the kafta is ready, arrange the potatoes on top and put back in the oven for 5 minutes.
• Serve hot.

Steps:

• Place the onion, parsley and mint in a food processor. Blend for 30 seconds until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients.
• Blend until thoroughly mixed together. Divide this mixture into 24 portions. Using wet hands gently shape into rissoles.
• Preheat the grill. Place the rissoles on a preheated, lightly oiled baking sheet. Grill for 5-6 minutes or until browned on all sides and cooked through.
• Serve hot or cold.

Steps:

• Brown lamb in a bit of butter and set aside.
• Saute' onion in rest of butter, until tender.
• Add the rice, then saute' until rice is barely golden brown.
• Add the water, pinenuts, cinnamon, allspice, cooked lamb and salt.
• Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat to low, cook 30 minutes or until rice is done.
• NOTE: This can be used with lamb that is cut up in bite size pieces also.
• If there is a bone in the lamb, you can add more flavor to the dish by browning the bone and letting it cook with the rice, then remove the bone when serving the dish (but of course you know that).

Steps:

• Roughly chop the onions and cut the potatoes into large chunks. Slice the tomatoes into thick slices.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Put the potatoes, onions and the lamb into a deep baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Add the parsley, cumin and olive oil, thoroughly mixing with your hands. (natures best tool!) Layer the tomatoes on top and season them lightly with salt. Dot with butter and pour about 1/2 cup of water around the sides of the dish. Cover tightly with foil.
• Bake for 2 hours, stirring several times, the lamb should be tender and the potatoes soft.
• Remove the foil, increasing the oven temperature to 200*C/400*F. Cook for 45 minutes longer, stirring halfway through, until the lamb and potatoes are browned and the liquid has reduced somewhat. Serve hot or at room temperature with a salad.