Spring Dinner

Lamb is not welcomed. Lamb, with its assertive flavour, barges into dishes and overpowers them with frosh like intensity. However, I’ve found that a careful choice of cuts and preparation methods can bring out the true beauty that can only be afforded by this spring allied meat. In fact, most of the gaminess, so despised by many, resides in the fat. Using leaner cuts or draining the fat can have a dramatic effect. I do not recommend choosing cuts without fat though as you will lose the tenderness afforded by a well marbled meat. As our evenings have still got the lingering nip of spring, I turned to a meal of Lamb Tagine, asparagus with warm vinaigrette and an apple tart.

Lamb Tagine

The lamb works well with a basmati rice or basic couscous.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 stick cinnamon
4 cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 inch grated fresh ginger
1 pinch saffron
5 cloves garlic minced
2 medium onions, diced
5 carrots, peeled, sliced
1 lemon zest
1 can chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Directions

Seal diced lamb, 2 tablespoons olive oil, paprika, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, salt, ½ inch grated ginger, saffron, 2 cloves minced garlic, and coriander in a Ziploc bag and marinate 8 hours.

Place the lamb in a tagine or Dutch oven and brown with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Remove meat and soften onions and carrots in the fat for approx 5 minutes. Add the remaining garlic and ginger and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the lamb, lemon zest, chicken broth and tomato paste.

Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Asparagus with Vinaigrette

This recipe is adapted from David Tanis’ A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes.

Ingredients

4-5 lbs asparagus
2 small shallots, diced
2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¾ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions

Fill a stock pot with water and set to a boil. Salt heavily. I usually like to salt until the water tastes bright, like seawater. Add the asparagus for 3-5 minutes until just cooked. The asparagus should be al dente and bright green. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the shallots, vinegar and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Feel free to adjust the vinegar and salt and pepper as needed.

Toss the asparagus with the vinaigrette just before serving.

Apple Tart

This recipe is also adapted from David Tanis’ A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes. The pastry, I’ve found is incredibly flexible and forgiving. I’ve used it in a number of recipes, both savoury and sweet and can be frozen for a quick defrost whenever required.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ lbs cold butter, cut into thin slices
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg beaten, plus cold 7-Up to make ½ cup
8 apples
½ cup sugar
1 cup honey

Directions

Place the flour and salt into a bowl. Mix butter with hands or a pastry cutter until it forms a mealy consistency. Add the egg-water mixture and form dough with a quick knead. It should be soft and sticky and form a rough ball.

Pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap and refrigerate from an hour to overnight.

Divide the pastry in half. The other half can be frozen. Place the dough between two large sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Roll the pastry into a rectangle about 11 by 16 inches.

Transfer the dough to a baking sheet and then let it relax. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until needed.

Peel and core apples. Cut into quarter and slice as thinly as possible. Arrange in rows on pastry and sprinkle with sugar

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Bake for about 45 minutes until the pastry is crisp. Cool on a rack. Glaze with warmed thinned honey and cut into rectangles before serving.