Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles

Does anyone else feel like the holidays are racing toward them like an out of control speeding freight train?  I just feel like in a blink of an eye 2013 will be over and I have so much left to do before that happens!  I thought that once I made it through Maisie’s birthday and the party, that life would settle down and I could find the time and return to things like blogging but alas, this and my Moments with Maisie blog have both fallen by the wayside even as fun times with Maisie and daily cooking continues.  Guess in the scheme of things, if one thing needs to be cast aside for a while, it’s better to be living and eating than reporting on it all.

I guess that it’s good that I participate in the Secret Recipe Club and the Improv Cooking Challenge, otherwise I don’t know when I would have added recipes over the past couple of months.  Sometimes it’s nice having those deadlines, just to keep myself in the game and in touch.  Anyhow, it’s Secret Recipe Club time and this month I was assigned Jenna’s Cooking Journey. I scrolled through Jenna’s blog and found it filled with hundreds of delicious sounding recipes but the one that really caught my eye was her Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles over Orzo.  I adore eggplant and it just happened to be a loss leader at the market recently and I had a package of ground lamb in the freezer, so it was kismet!  I did change Jenna’s recipe a bit, most notably, I left out the orzo and instead decided to serve the lamb and eggplant over roasted spaghetti squash, and I served it with a side of grilled sweet baby peppers.  I changed around a few items and the cooking steps but overall, I kept very close to the original recipe.  Jenna stated that her one regret when she made the dish was that she only used one chili and the dish lacked some of the heat she was hoping for.  I went in the other direction and used two red jalapenos from my garden and left the seeds in…so the dish had a really, really good kick, perfect for me but I’m sure way too hot for most so adjust those chilies accordingly.  This dish had wonderful flavor and was just all around delicious.  Thanks Jenna for a wonderful recipe.

 Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles (adapted from here)

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil 
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 medium, firm eggplant, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 red jalapenos, sliced in half rounds (seeded for less heat)
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced finely 
• 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1 cup Cheaters Chicken Soup 
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet, over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and sauté until caramelized.  Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.  Add the lamb and cook until well browned, about 10 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper.  Stir in the eggplant, jalapenos & rosemary.  Partially cover the pan and cook until the vegetables are softened, about five minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and chicken soup.  Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Serve over orzo, couscous, pasta or spaghetti squash.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Lamb Curry

I have a couple of recipes that I refer to as “spice dump recipes” because I literally take all the ingredients and dump them into a large oven roaster or my slow cooker, give them a stir and let them cook into wonderfully flavorful meals.  This lamb curry is one of those spice dump recipes and though it comes out exactly the same whether cooked in the slow cooker or the oven, I tend to make it in the oven as I generally double the recipe so that I can freeze the curry in both family size portions and lunch size portions for Eammon.  It freezes beautifully and when I need a quick dinner I thaw the curry at half power in the microwave then heat it at full power, make some rice and dinner is on the table  This curry is not spicy or spicy hot and the yogurt gives a nice creamy smoothness to the dish.  We enjoy the curry with Jasmine rice and garnished with avocado and cilantro…but today it was sans cilantro because it’s raining cats & dogs outside and I’m too lazy and can’t be bothered to grab the umbrella and put on shoes to go out to the garden and pick the cilantro so just picture a pretty little sprinkling of cilantro on top of the avocado.

Lamb Curry

3 lbs boneless lamb stew meat or chunks of leg meat
2 large onions, thinly sliced
4 beef bullion cubes
4 cups water
1 lb mushrooms, sliced or quartered
5 TBS curry powder
2 TBS fresh rosemary, minced
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBS butter
2 TBS olive oil
3 TBS Garam Masala
3 TBS minced fresh ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried fennel
2 TBS dried oregano
4 large baking potatoes, cubed
2 small cans tomato paste
2 bunches fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use fat-free)

Cilantro and/or avocado for garnish

Oven method: Pre-heat oven to 325F; Add all the ingredients with the exception of the yogurt to an oven safe roaster and stir to mix well. Cook covered 4-6 hours until the meat and potatoes are nice and tender. Once ready, remove from the oven and stir in the yogurt.

Slow cooker method:  Add everything with the exception of the yogurt to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-5 hours. Once the meat and potatoes are nice and tender, turn off the cooker and stir the yogurt into the curry.

I serve the curry over Jasmine or Basmati rice and garnish with avocado slices and cilantro.

Enjoy!!