Ben's North African-Spiced Lamb Shoulder Chops

Ben made this for two Shabbat dinner parties in a row. Yum. Let's hope lamb keeps being on sale!

No photo... we were in too much of a rush to eat.

Ben's North African-Spiced Lamb Shoulder Chops

1/2 to 3/4 cup dried Mission figs
1/3 cup hot water
4 shoulder lamb chops, trimmed of excess fat
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 + dashes cayenne (important!)
1 cup canned no-salt-added diced tomatoes and their juice
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp dried basil
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Soak the figs in the hot water, 15-30 minutes. Remove figs from water; reserve water, and quarter the figs.

Salt and pepper the lamb to taste. Heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or Dutch oven (to prevent splattering). Brown the lamb on both sides, about 4-5 minutes, working in batches if necessary to keep the meat from being crowded. Open your windows and turn on the fan to avoid setting off the smoke detector. Remove the browned lamb from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Pour off the fat from the pan. Return the pan to the heat. Add 1 tbsp oil, and saute the onions until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and all spices except basil, and cook about 1 minute or until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with the reserved fig soaking water, and cook until reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes, stirring to loosen browned bits. Stir in the tomatoes, honey, and figs. Return the lamb to the pan. Simmer, covered, over low heat until the lamb is cooked through but still tender, 20-30 minutes.

Remove lamb from the pot and place on 4 plates. Stir in the basil, and simmer about 2-3 minutes until the suace has somewhat thickened. Spoon sauce over lamb. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Inspired by: http://www.valleyfig.com/c_recipes/maindishes/braised_lamb_a.htm

Lamb Sausage and Squash Soup

The last recipe was a summer soup, and now, a week or less later, this next one is a fall soup. We spent the weekend in New England, where it is, in fact, starting to be fall even if it's still summer here; but, more important, these were the things we had on hand when we came home to an empty fridge. It's a really tasty, yet really un-photogenic autumnal soup.

Lamb Sausage and Squash Soup

4 links lamb andouille sausage, removed from casings and chopped
1 large onion, diced
1 brick frozen winter squash (or equivalent amount of cooked fresh squash puree)
1 small apple, diced
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 tbsp curry powder
cayenne to taste (about 5 dashes worked for me)
1 tbsp pear brandy

Brown the sausage in a pan; once brown, remove, drain grease, and return to pan. Add onions and curry powder; cook about five minutes, stirring often, until onions have begun to soften. Transfer sausage and onions to a large pot; add squash brick, apple, rice, 3-4 cups water, cayenne, and brandy. Bring to a boil, then simmer until apples begin to be soft, about 20 minutes. Serve hot!

Serves about 6

Winter Soup with Sweet Potato, Lamb Sausage, and White Beans

Our intention, last night, was to make another, labor-intensive recipe for Shabbat dinner. But we got home at 8:15, and couldn't really wait another two hours to eat. We ransacked the fridge and freezer -- and ended up with quite possibly my favorite soup ever. The flavors blend extremely well. A little sweet, a little spicy, and very filling, it is great for a wintertime Shabbat dinner!

Winter Soup with Sweet Potato, Lamb Sausage, and White Beans

2 large onions, diced
2 large sweet potatoes
3 links sweet lamb sausage (spicy would work, too)
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed (one cannellini, one Goya "small white beans")
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 + cups water
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large pinches oregano
1 large pinch rosemary
Several good shakes red pepper flakes
1 tsp + black pepper

Cut the sweet potatoes into large chunks and microwave about 10 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. (Alternately, and a tastier option, if you have more time you can bake the sweet potatoes at 425 for a bit over an hour.)

In the bottom of a very large pot, cook the onions over medium to medium-low heat until they are translucent and slightly colored, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic after about 5 minutes. When the sweet potatoes are soft, dice them and add to the onions (or if you baked them, add the puree that they have become to the onions).

While the onions are cooking, remove the casings from the sausages and brown them in a saucepan, breaking them up into small chunks. When brown, add them to the sweet potato/onion mixture, leaving the fat in the saucepan.

Add the beans and at least 5 cups of water, the soy sauce, enough to mostly cover everything else. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Add the spices. Simmer, covered, for 20-30 minutes. Add more pepper to taste.

Serves 5-6.