Thyme and Reason

I documented way back in 2011 how when I have a new ingredient (red spinach in that case), I am compelled to find the perfect recipe, or way to cook or use the food. This has become all the more true as my husband and I continue to get meat and produce from Grasshoppers, our local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).

Since April 2011, I’ve been getting better about just using what produce we have, trying not to stress too much about finding the best recipe to highlight that ingredient. I’m more flexible with what I cook and how I cook.

Then there was the lamb. We had a boneless leg of local lamb sitting in our freezer, courtesy of Grasshoppers. We don’t receive lamb very often, and it is expensive to purchase at the grocery. I also happen to love lamb. Therefore, I had to find THE RECIPE for this. After much debating, I chose a pretty good one.

I had three recipes to choose from: the enticingly-named “The Best Curry of your Life” from the Amateur Gourmet; another lamb curry from Indian Food Rocks via The Kitchn; and one for a lamb tagine.

The first recipe sounded amazing, but  required some ingredients I did not want to hunt down – kaffir lime leaves, fenugreek, and anise. The second recipe also sounded great but I would have to purchase more curry powders and it required a lot of added fat. The final recipe was the winner – it sounded almost as good as the others and I had more of the ingredients on hand.

Following Ms. Clark’s recipe carefully yielded delicious results. It took all of 2.5 hours (much of that hands-off), and I dirtied several pans toward the end, but it was a perfect weekend recipe and would be great to serve for a group of friends or family.

The recipe also succeeded in enticing me to buy olives for the first time. Olives are the one food I really can’t stand. They do, however, provide dishes a salty, briny complexity (as do capers and anchovies, both of which I like). I figured I’d go ahead and include the olives but not eat them. They would at least flavor the sauce. I’m glad I did – the sauce was perfectly salty and savory.

Adapted slightly from Lamb Tagine with Apricots, Olives, and Buttered Almonds, by Melissa Clark (also appears in the book In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite)

Serves 6

2 1/4 pounds boneless leg of lamb or lamb stew meat, cut into 2-inch chunks
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 t. kosher salt
1 t. ground black pepper
1 t. paprika
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. ground cumin
2 large yello onions, peeled and quartered
2 cinnamon sticks, each 2 inches long
Large pinch crumbled saffron
1 1/4 c. dried apricots, sliced
1 cup cracked green olives, pitted and sliced if desired – I left them as is since I was not eating them
2 T. butter
1/3 c. sliced almonds
Cooked couscous, for serving
Chopped parsley or cilantro, for garnish – I used cilantro

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Trim excess fat off lamb. Put meat in a deep Dutch oven or cast-iron pot with the garlic, salt, black pepper, paprika, ginger and cumin. Rub spices and garlic evenly all over meat.

Thinly slice onions, then mince enough of them to yield 1/2 cup. Add minced onion to pot with lamb; reserve onion slices.

Place pot over high heat and let cook, turning meat on all sides, until spices release their scent, about 3 minutes. You need not brown meat. Add 3 cups water to pot (it should come 3/4 of the way up lamb), along with cinnamon and saffron. Bring to a simmer, then cover pot and transfer to oven. Let braise for 45 minutes.

Turn meat, then top with onion slices. Cover pot and braise for another 45 minutes to an hour, or until lamb is very tender. Use a slotted spoon to transfer meat to a bowl, leaving broth and onions in pot.

Place pot on stove over high heat and add 3/4 cup apricots and the olives. Simmer broth until it reduces by a third and thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Return lamb to pot and keep warm until serving. (Tagine can be prepared 4 days ahead; chill, then remove fat and reheat before serving.)

To serve, chop remaining 1/2 cup apricot slices. In a small skillet, melt butter. Add almonds and cook until well browned and toasted, about 2 minutes. Put couscous in a serving bowl and top with almonds and butter and chopped apricots. Pile tagine in center of couscous and garnish with herbs.

Welcome back readers – and happy 2012! I hope everyone had an enjoyable and restful holiday season – if restful was possible during that time of year.

My holiday was a whirlwind. I spent five days home in Iowa, where I celebrated Christmas with my family, and five days in Louisana, were I attended the wedding of Chris’s cousin in Baton Rouge and celebrated New Year’s in New Orleans. It was a wonderful introduction to Louisiana that included gumbo served with potato salad (a common practice – I was told), beignets and au laits at Cafe DuMonde, a celebratory hurricane shared with my newly-minted fiance at Pat O’Briens on New Year’s Eve, a sazerac at the Swizzle Stick Bar, a New Year’s Eve jazz brunch at Commander’s Palace (one of the many highlights of the trip), and a New Year’s day feast, made by Chris’s mother, of black-eyed peas, smothered cabbage and corned beef, crab dip, meatballs, and many, many desserts. It was a hearty and delicious spread that topped off a delicious week. I returned to Louisville wanting more vegetables and fruit, but also craving more po boys and gumbo.

And if you didn’t catch my news above – Chris and I are engaged! This happened New Year’s Eve along the Mississippi River in New Orleans. I was shocked and surprised before total happiness set in. Looks like I’m stuck with my cheese-grater-sous-chef-dish-washer-love-of-my-life for a while.

Anyway – I promise not to turn this food blog into a wedding blog, so on to the recipe.

I’ve talked before about how much I enjoy consuming pork tacos. I love them. I’ve made these spiced oven carnitas twice now – and both resulted in slightly different dishes. The first time I made it was for my family when I was home in Iowa last November for my grandmother’s funeral. My mom had a large pork roast in the freezer of unknown origin. I made it and probably didn’t salt it enough. The tacos were very tasty, but not as good as the slow-cooked pork tacos that I called the best dish I’d ever made.

I made them a second time on a busy weekend in December when I had to work and wanted to use up a pork shoulder from our CSA crowding the freezer. I made sure to use enough salt and the pork was high quality, locally raised pork. It was delicious. The kind of delicious where you stand over the pan nibbling and can’t stop.  This is a winning recipe that is pretty easy and cooks largely unattended. If you make this, I recommend using good quality pork. If you don’t eat meat that often, like Chris and me, it is easier to afford better cuts of meat less often.

They reheat well and are great with corn tortillas, cabbage slaw, and salsa (or guacamole, sour cream, etc.). I hope you enjoy these as much as we did.

“spiced oven carnitas” from Not Your Mother’s Casseroles by Faith Durand

serves about 8

5 to 6 pound pork shoulder roast (also called butt roast)

salt and pepper

1/4 c. olive  oil

1/2 t. red pepper flakes

2 T. ground cumin

2 t. ground allspices

1 t. ground cinnamon

4 sprigs fresh oregano

6 garlic cloves, cut in half

juice and zest of one orange

juice and zest of one lemon

1/2 c. white wine

Preheat the oven to 350. Trim the pork roast of large sections of fat. Cut the roast into 4 evenly-sized pieces. Pat them dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven (a large, oven-safe pot with a lid) over medium-high heat. Sear the pork pieces one at a time, for several minutes on each side until well-browned. Remove from the heat.

Place the pork pieces back in the pot. Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes, cumin, allspice, and cinnamon.

Tuck the oregano sprics and garlic between the pieces. Sprinkle the lemon and orange zest. Pour the lemon and orange juices and white wine over it all.

Cover the pot and bake for 2 1/2 hours. When the pork is very tender, take it out of the oven. Keep the lid on the pot and let the meat rest for at least 20 minutes.

Remove the lid and shred with two forks. Serve hot.