Grilled Lamb Burgers Stuffed with Chevre, Kalamata Olives and Herbs

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I don't know about you but when I think of lamb, Mediterranean food images pop into my head: Olives, chevre, oregano, rosemary, sun-warmed citrus.

Ground, local lamb was on the menu recently, juicy and hot off the grill. With all the flavors of those Mediterranean images infused into each burger. No catsup is needed here.

As I'm rather fond of stuffing burgers, this is what I came up with.

Surprisingly enough, the juice from this half of a blood orange helped to blend the chevre mixture and bring all the tastes together.

Chopped, pitted kalamata olives mixed with pure white goat cheese (chevre), herbs, blood orange juice and a pinch of kosher salt.

Spread the chevre filling onto one of the lamb patties, then top with the other patty; pinch, shape, and it's ready for the grill.


Grilled Lamb Burgers Stuffed with Chevre, Kalamata Olives and Herbs
Christine's Original Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound ground lamb, preferrably locally raised, grass fed, divided
1/3 cup (heaping) chopped, pitted kalamata olives
4 ounces good chevre
1 teaspoon (heaping) Italian herb blend (see Cook's Notes)
pinch kosher salt (depending on how salty the olives are)
juice from 1/2 of a blood orange

Preparation:

In a bowl, combine the olives, chevre and herbs and mash with a fork to blend.
Add the orange juice and continue mashing until it is fully combined and of a spreadable consistency.
Season with the kosher salt if necessary.
Divide the ground lamb in half, weighing if necessary so that each piece is 1/2-pound.
Divide each of those pieces in half again so that each now weighs 1/4-pound. (I guess I could have said that in one sentence and with fewer words, hmm?)
Pat each piece into a ball then flatten into a patty, keeping the edges rounded, 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Make each two patties the same size and shape, as you will be putting one atop the other.
Decide which patties will be on the bottom and spread about half of the chevre mixture onto that patty, spreading to within 1/2-inch of the edges.
Top with the other patty and pinch the edges together, going round and round the patty, shaping as you go along so the edges are smooth and rounded. The finished burgers can wait for a few minutes at room temperature while you start the grill.
The following grilling instructions are for a gas grill:
Heat your grill to high (450 to 500-degrees). When the grill is very hot, put the burgers on, not crowding them, and cover with the grill lid.
Immediately adjust the heat to medium-high (375 to 400-degrees). Do not open the lid, nor move the burgers, for the first 4 minutes. This allows the meat to sear and caramelize on the surface and develop sear marks, and will prevent the burgers from sticking to the grill when you flip them.
After 4 to 5 minutes, using a large spatula, loosen the burgers and give them a quarter-turn. Do not flip just yet.
Replace the lid and grill for an addional few minutes to develop those great grill marks.
Now you can flip the burgers. Repeat as above for the other side, grilling to the degree of doneness you prefer.
Transfer the burgers to a plate or cutting board and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.
When you cut into the burger, the chevre-olive mixture, hot and melting, runs over the cut edges, melding with the lamb and tickling your nose with the bouquet of a hot Mediterranean summer's day.

Cook's Notes:

> Yes, sloth that I am, I used organic, dried herbs this time. But I highly recommend a tablespoon of finely chopped fresh oregano and a few teaspoons of finely chopped fresh rosemary as a better substitute. You do have both of those growing in your garden, right? Of course you do.

> There may seem to be a lot of chevre mixture for each burger, but it does melt down considerably during grilling.

Copyright © 2005-2009, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Braised Lamb Shanks

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At one point during my recent bout with the flu, I was so hungry after not being able to eat for far too many days that I pulled myself out of bed and pulled some lamb shanks out of the freezer.

A day or so later, after recovering from the above output of energy, I put this dish together using what was available in the pantry. No way was I going to the market.

Now I'm not saying that braised lamb shanks are good for what ails you. Certainly it's a rather heavy dish when one is trying to recover from illness. But I'd lost 6 pounds while not being able to eat and I was ravenous so I made them anyway. Plus the leftovers could see us through another few days. Thinking ahead.

Braised Lamb Shanks
Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
4 medium lamb shanks, trimmed of fat
1 large sweet onion, peeled, halved and sliced thin
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced in about 1/4-inch pieces
14 cloves fresh garlic, peeled, left whole
3 long sprigs fresh rosemary, stripped and coarsely chopped
1 28-ounce can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
14-ounces each, chicken broth and beef broth
1 bottle red wine (I used a Domaine de Fontsainte, Corbière 2003, but either a Malbec or a Syrah would go nicely)
Olive oil for the pan
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 350-degrees.

Heat a large cast iron pan over high heat then add about a tablespoon of olive oil.

Turn the heat to medium high and brown the shanks on all sides, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. Remove the browned shanks to a plate and keep warm.

Sauté the onions and carrots until the onions are softened.

Add the peeled garlic cloves and the chopped rosemary and sauté 1 minute more.

Add the tomatoes, stocks and wine to the skillet and give it a stir. Put the lamb shanks back in the skillet with whatever juices accumulated on the plate. Turn the shanks over in the sauce until they are coated on all sides.

Cover the skillet and put it in the oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the lamb is falling-off-the-bone tender.

Remove the lid during the last 1/2 hour of braising so the liquid can thicken.

Sop up the wonderful liquid with a crusty, chewy artisan bread that you've slathered with the braised garlic cloves. Then go back to bed.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Lamb And Rice Leftovers Fritatta

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Remember this lamb? Having saved some in the freezer for winter cooking, we roasted a small piece of this several nights ago (which was as succulent as the kabobs were last summer) - remember last summer? - sigh, then, when later in the week we were faced with one of those nights where making a full-on dinner just didn't fit in with life, the leftover lamb got cubed up and tossed in a skillet with some leftover rice and turned into a fritatta frittata.

I love to make fritattas frittata. Better known in our house as Cassidy Lane Pizza, a name adopted from those made by my dear friend Erika who taught me how to do it, they are a quick and easy way to use up leftovers. As long as you have some great eggs, a bit of (optional) cheese if you wish, you're good to go.

Lamb and Rice Leftovers Fritatta Frittata
Christine's original recipe with inspiration from Erika, always
Ingredients:
8 large organic eggs
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup low-fat milk
olive oil spray for the pan
2/3 cup cooked rice (see Cook's Notes)
1 cup (or more) leftover roasted lamb, cut into cubes about 3/4-inch square, or smaller if you desire
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
paprika de la vera (Spanish smoked paprika)

Preparation:

Crack the eggs into a large bowl, add the stock and milk and whisk well.

Spray a heavy skillet with olive oil spray and heat on medium-high.

Add the lamb and the rice and stir until hot.

Turn the heat down to medium, pour in the egg mixture and allow to cook 2-3 minutes.

Using a spatula, lift a portion of cooked eggs at the edge of the skillet and tilt the pan slightly to allow the runny uncooked egg mixture to flow into the space you created.

Continue around the pan, lifting, tiling, cooking, lifting, tilting and cooking until there is no more runny egg mixture except in the very middle of the skillet. Be sure to do this gently - adjusting the heat lower if necessary.

Sprinkle the smoked paprika over the top of your fritatta frittata and place in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes or until the middle is just set.

Remove the skillet from the oven and allow it to cool for just a few minutes to make cutting it easier.

Cut a slice and serve it with a green salad for dinner. Cut a slice the next morning and eat it out of hand as you dash off to work.

Cook's Notes:

Our eggs come from "down the road" (about 15 miles) courtesy of Tule Fog Farm. The home of pasture ranged, hormone and anti-biotic free, very happy chicks.

I love the brown rice medley from both Indian Harvest and Trader Joe's and use it almost exclusively.

2-17-08: During my downtime this past week (damn nasty flu!), it was gently and lovingly pointed out to me by my friend Simona that I had spelled frittata incorrectly - first you have 2 t's then 1 t, not the other way around. :)

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Grilled Lamb Kebabs (Kebobs, Kabobs)

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Mmmmm. Lamb. I love lamb. Tasty on its own with a sprinkling of salt and pepper, lamb takes to marinade like a duck takes to water. Which is what you will find out for yourself if you prepare the recipe below.

Lamb is a lightly marbled, lean meat with most of the fat blanketing the outside, which is easily dispatched with a sharp knife. Inner fat is mostly along the connective tissues between muscles, also easily removed, leaving luscious, lower fat, healthful meat. Yep, I said healthful. Take a look here to read why that is.

I recently received an 8-pound boned and butterflied leg of lamb courtesy of the American Lamb Board. The lamb came from Superior Farms in Dixon, California, a mere 8 miles from where I grew up in Davis.

"At Superior Farms we pride ourselves on not only the quality product we offer, but the superior care with which we give our animals," Angela, a representative from Superior Farms, told me. "Not only do we follow and exceed the requirements of the Humane Slaughter Act," she continued, "we are inspected throughout the day, every day by USDA Food Safety Inspection Service personnel. We are audited annually by an outside third party - specifically addressing animal welfare prior to and during harvest. Our management team, as well as the on-line workers have all gone through animal welfare and humane handling training and a refresher course is given annually. We have even had Dr. Temple Grandin, the leading animal behaviorist concerning humane treatment of livestock, visit one of our plants to further improve our handling practices."

That was encouragement enough. My lamb arrived and I quickly divided it into sections that will allow me to share with you at least 4 delicious ways to prepare this tasty and healthful meat.

Grilled Lamb Kebabs

Click here to print recipe
Christine's Original Marinade Recipe
Ingredients:
(Marinade - measurements approximate)
1/4 - 1/3 cup cup good olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Turkish oregano (mine is from Penzey's, courtesy of the American Lanb Board)
generous pinch of Kosher salt
generous grindings of good black peppercorns (I only use Tellicherry)
1/2 cup dry red wine

(Kebabs)
18 to 24 pieces lean lamb, from a boneless leg, cut into 1-inch x 2-inch rectangular chunks
1 large sweet onion cut into 10 or 12 wedges
1 large red bell pepper cut into 1-inch square pieces
2 portobello mushroom caps cut into 10 or 12 wedges
1 basket juicy red grape tomatoes or any tasty cherry tomatoes

olive oil

Preparation:

Mix all the marinade ingredients in a deep glass bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Add the lamb chunks, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or longer or even overnight if possible. Turn the lamb to make sure it gets fully coated with the marinade.

Prepare all the vegetables.

Have 6 skewers ready.

Remove the lamb from the marinade. Discard the marinade.

Beginning and ending with a piece of onion, thread the lamb and vegetables onto the skewers, making them fit snugly against eachother. I threaded the lamb through its 2-inch dimension and the tomatoes longwise, through the stem end.

Place the kebabs in a roasting pan and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. You can sprinkle them with kosher salt and black pepper if desired.

Grill the kebabs over medium-high heat until the lamb reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees.

Remove the skewers from the heat and allow the kebabs to rest in a warm place for 5 to 10 minutes. The lamb will continue to cook and raise in temperature to at least 145 degrees which is medium-rare. Grill lamb longer if you prefer it to be more done.

Cook's Notes:

Because I started late in the day, I marinated the lamb for just one hour and it was flavorful, juicy and succulent.

I served these kebabs over a bed of crisp salad greens that had been tossed with my golden balsamic viniagrette.

I used a Saint Joseph 2000 Rhone Table Wine for the marinade and for drinking with the meal. I purchased it at Kermit Lynch about 5 years ago and it was delicious.

This makes a great low-glycemic meal for two or three people allowing 2 skewers apiece.

I'd like to extend my appreciation to the American Lamb Board for their Summer Grilling Kit and thank them for this opportunity to showcase lamb, one of my favorite meats.

Copyright © 2005-2007, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Grilled Lamb Burgers With Black Olive Sauce

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Mmmmm. Lamb. Even though I've been cutting back on my consumption of red meat, this lamb is worth the occasional lapse.

Our lamb comes from our neighbors across the fence. Gently raised, grass fed, this is organic lamb like you've never tasted. The word succulent barely begins to describe. I had a bottled sauce that I'd been dying to try so I decided to gussy-up the ground meat in a Middle Eastern-type fashion, which covers a large area, including my culinary imagination.

Fresh, tender oregano from the garden, a few chopped sweet onions and Narsai's Assyrian Pomegranate Sauce, which gave it just the right amount of moisture and spiciness, brought this already excellent lamb to its pinnacle. The topping is a combination of mayonnaise, or Vegenaise, black olive paste and lemon juice. So simple and so satisfying.

And so perfect for Weekend Herb Blogging. WHB, the blogosphere's longest-running food event, owes its existence to my blogger buddy Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen. Being hosted this week by Ulrike of Kuchenlatien, by Monday morning you will be able to read herb-y posts and get delicious recipes from food bloggers around the world. Click here for more information about WHB and how to join in the fun.

Mr. CC did the grilling and added the "fixin's" to his plate (that's our beloved local Brio Whole Wheat Walnut Bread), while I ate my burger with my fingers, breaking off one piece at a time and dipping it in the sauce before popping it into my happy mouth.

Grilled Lamb Burgers with Black Olive Sauce

Christine's original recipe

Ingredients
For the burgers:
2 pounds ground lamb
1/3 cup sweet onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced
1/2 cup

Assyrian Pomegranate Marinade
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
several grinds good black peppercorns
For the mayonnaise:
2 tablespoons mayonnaise or Vegenaise
1 tablespoon black olive paste or tapenade
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation:

Using your clean hands, mix the onions, oregano, pomegranate sauce, salt and pepper into the ground lamb until fully incorporated.

Shape into 1/4-pound patties and place on parchment paper.

Grilling instructions are for a gas grill. If you have a charcoal grill you'll have to get directions elsewhere.

Heat your grill to 400-degrees. On placing the patties on the grill, allow them to sear for about 2 minutes then turn the grill down to 375 and cook for 5 more minutes. Flip the burgers over and finish cooking for about 10 minutes more or until they reach an internal temperature of 145 for medium rare.

To make the sauce, simply combine the ingredients well, adjust to your taste and serve. You can see a dollop of it in the "fixin's" plate photo above. It really wasn't photogenic enough to show on its own.

Have a great WHB weekend!

Copyright © 2005-2007, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Rotisseried Leg of Lamb With Rosemary-Garlic Paste Filling

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This group of recipes should be entitled Christmas Redux. Late in getting them posted, I try nonetheless to keep my promises--even though in the world of blogging, Christmas is SO past.

This post is dedicated to Mr. CC and son Josh who not only love a good leg of lamb but who also were a tremendous help in my kitchen over Christmas, keeping a close eye on the roasting lamb amidst the cacophany of company, laughter and merriment.

If I had to pick just three foods in all the culinary queendom to combine into a meal, they would be garlic, rosemary and lamb. Throw in a good red wine and I would want for nothing else, no matter the season:

Two boneless butterflied legs of local lamb, spread with a thick paste of garlic and rosemary, rolled, tied, or, in this case, encased in netting, and skewered to the rotisserie spit of our gas grill. Just writing these words brings back the taste sensations of Christmas dinner.

At about 3 1/2 pounds each, in a 350 degree closed grill, the legs were a perfect medium-rare in 1 1/2 hours. We let them rest for about 15 minutes then sliced and served them with a roasted winter vegetable medley of celery root, parsnips, whole garlic cloves, carrots and garnet yams, accompanied by another tray of roasted broccoli, cauliflower, fennel and more whole garlic cloves. Ya gotta have your veggies.

To make the paste, I used a golden balsamic vinegar dressing that I'd made for a dinner salad the previous night. This turned out to be the perfect vehicle for the garlic and rosemary.

Golden Balsamic Salad Dressing
Christine's original recipe
Makes 1 cup
Ingredients:
2 ounces golden balsamic vinegar
1 heaping tablespoon dijon mustard (I use Maille)
1/4 teaspoon sugar or Splenda granular
pinch kosher salt
several grinds black pepper
3 ounces toasted walnut oil
3 ounces extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation:
In a measuring cup, pour in the vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk until combined.

Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the walnut oil then the olive oil.

Keep whisking until the mixture has thickened and is fully emulsified.

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Rosemary-Garlic Paste
Christine's original recipe
Makes about 1/2 cup
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
1 medium head of garlic, cloves separated, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon good olive oil
2 tablespoons golden balsamic dressing
Preparation:
Place rosemary and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Drizzle the olive oil then the dressing through the feed tube, pulsing all the while until emulsified. Mixture will be thick.

Rotisseried Leg of Lamb with Rosemary-Garlic Paste Filling
Christine's original recipe
Serves 8 to 10 with leftovers
Ingredients:
2 - 3 1/2 pound boneless, butterflied legs of lamb
1/2 cup Rosemary-Garlic paste
good olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper


Preparation:

Lay the unrolled legs on a cutting board, cut side facing up.

Spread 1/2 of the rosemary-garlic paste over the entire cut surface of each leg.

Roll each leg firmly into an oblong shaped log.

Tie with string or encase in an elasticized net bag (which was provided by my butcher.)

Rub the outside of each leg with olive oil and sprinkle generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Skewer the legs onto a rotisserie spit, leaving enough space between the legs to ensure even roasting.

Have the gas grill pre-heated to 400 degrees.

Once the rotisserie has been set up and the legs are turning over the grill, lower the heat to 350 degrees, cover the grill and allow to roast until the internal temperature reaches 135 to 140 degrees for medium rare.

Remove the legs from the spit and let sit, tented loosely with foil, for about 15 minutes. During this time the internal temperature will continue to rise 5 to 7 degrees.

Slice the lamb crosswise and serve hot.

Cook's Notes:

Preparing the leg of lamb above assumes that the cook has some knowledge of how to use a gas grill and a rotisserie set up.

Herb-y Lamb Meatballs in Marinara

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If you happen upon some local, grass-fed, fresh ground lamb at your grocers or butchers, snatch it up and save it in the freezer for the time when you want to put dinner on the table quickly, bringing in some summer goodness with the marinara sauce you made back in September from the bounty of delicious, organically grown tomatoes from the farmers market.

To begin this dish, defrost your marinara sauce and heat in a saucepan. I made many, many containers of Kalyn's Sausage and Basil Marinara Sauce last September, leaving sausage out of half the sauce, and used a container of the meatless sauce for this recipe. You could also use a good, store-bought marinara.

Lamb Meatballs with Oregano in Marinara Sauce
Ingredients:
1 pound ground lamb, local, grass-fed is best
1/3 cup finely ground, dried bread crumbs (I use local Brio croutons that I grind in the food processor)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
A few grinds Tellicherry peppercorns
Olive oil for the pan

Preparation:
In a large bowl, combine well all the ingredients except the olive oil.
Scoop up about 2 tablespoons worth of lamb mixture and, using the palms of your hands, roll into a ball. Repeat with the remaining lamb.
Drizzle olive oil into a large, heavy pan set over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the lamb meatballs and saute until nicely browned all over and just cooked through.
Drain meatballs on paper towels.

To serve, place a pool of marinara sauce on a warmed plate and top with meatballs. A roasted medley of cauliflower, carrots and mushrooms rounded out our plates.