for the love of lamb!

A variation of this much loved viand will chase away winter chills, writes

Winter is the time for hearty, wholesome, warming meals, especially when the sky is overcast and there’s an Arctic chill in the air. Lamb is now thought of as a meat for all seasons, but during winter, the traditional Aussie lamb roast, slow-cooked rack of lamb or lamb shanks in gravy are sure to chase away the cold. To warm up, you could try a lamb curry or lamb rogan josh. But for a change, how about moving further east and bringing a touch of Middle Eastern or Mediterranean warmth into your palate. You’ll find these recipes redolent of sunny skies and swaying palms. So enjoy getting warm this winter with these exotic lamb recipes.

Lamb Passanda

2 kg boneless lamb, cubed

4 inch ginger piece

6-8 garlic cloves

4 large onions

4 tbsp cumin

4 tbsp coriander

1 tsp turmeric powder

4 cloves, crushed

2 tbsp oil

8 cardamoms, crushed

125 gms blanched almonds

125 gms cashew nuts

800 mls coconut milk

2 cups water

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large heavy bottomed casserole, fry the nuts in half the oil until they are brown. Blend in a food processor until finely chopped. Set aside. Roughly chop the ginger, garlic and onions, and puree in a blender. Next, brown oil, adding more, if needed. Keep aside. Add the onion mix to the oil, frying on medium flame until it turns dark brown. Add all the spices and cook for two minutes. Add the lamb to the mix again, then add the coconut milk and water. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 90 minutes or until the meat is tender. Add the lemon and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with rice or naan

Mediterranean Lamb

700 gms lamb, cubed

3 tbsp oil

1 onion sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp tomato puree

700 mls meat stock

1 red pepper sliced

¼ finely chopped parsley

2 tbsp cake flour

1 lemon, juice and rind

100 gms soft butter

3 tbsp mixed herbs – parsley, oregano, rosemary (dried or fresh)

1 medium sliced French loaf

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and lightly grease an ovenproof casserole with a little butter. In a separate bowl, mix the butter with herbs, and spread it on one side of the bread slices. Set aside. Mix the cake flour with salt and pepper according to your taste. Next, heat oil in a saucepan and brown the meat cubes. Set aside. Saute onions and garlic in the same saucepan. Add meat, add cake flour, and stir. Add stock and tomato puree, and bring gently to a boil. Transfer the mix to the casserole, cover and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, add the juice of lemon, parsley, mixing together lightly. Arrange the slices of bread on top of the mixture, herb side up and bake for 35-40 minutes until the meat is tender and bread topping is golden brown. Serve hot.

Easy Arni Souvlaki

1 leg of lamb cubed

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp dried oregano

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3-4 bay leaves, cut into smaller pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

Place lamb in an earthenwear or glass dish. Add all the ingredients, mix well and cover. Leave to marinate for 12-24 hours, stirring meat occasionally. When ready to cook, thread lamb onto metal skewers and cook under a hot grill or over a glowing charcoal barbeque, turning and basting frequently with marinade juices. Grill for 15 minutes or until cooked to your taste.

Arabian rice with lamb

For the rice

250 gms basmati rice

6 cardamoms

1 medium stick cinnamon

10 mls vinegar

1 tbsp rose water

1 tbsp saffron water

2 tsp fried onion

4 tsp roasted nuts

4 tsp fried raisins

For Arabic masala

1/2 tsp turmeric

3 tsp paprika powder

2 tsp peppercorn powder

4 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp grated nutmeg

1 tbsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp chilli powder (optional)

For the lamb

4 lamb shanks

50 gms ghee or oil

2 tbsp Arabic masala

120 gms yellow lentils

2 tomatoes, cubed

1 red chilli

1 small onion

2 cloves garlic

Lamb stock

Boil the rice in water with the cardamom, cinnamon, salt and a little vinegar. When cooked, toss the rice with the saffron and rose waters, and add the fried onions, raisins and nuts, mixing gently and aside. Any extra can be bottled for future use. Rub the lamb shanks with a mixture of the ghee, masala, salt and pepper. Coat the bottom of a deep bottomed oven proof casserole with the lentils, tomatoes, and chopped chilli, onion and garlic. Place the lamb shanks over the mix and add stock until the shanks are just covered. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and put the casserole in the oven to cook for about 1 ½ – 2 hours at 180 degrees. Cook until the meat is tender. When serving, place the lamb in a bed of warm rice and serve hot. This recipe can be prepared in a slow

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