As I looked in my refrigerator and saw the leftover Ham of God I gravitated to the more original Lamb of God and pulled out the leftover scalloped potatoes, a pound of ground lamb and the rest of the asparagus.
Cooking only for myself I decided to make my lamb meatballs.
1 lb ground lamb
1 cup green or black olive tapenade
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon Turmeric
2 good grinds of black pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 egg
Mix with hands. They will look a little orange because of the seasoning but don't let it scare you. Make little balls with your hands and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes and remove for sauce.
I made the sauce not so much for tonight but for the left overs. You can make and freeze a bunch of the meatballs and then make the sauce fresh each time to heat them in. This is enough sauce for 8 meatballs.
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons salted butter
Splash of olive oil
Chop the garlic and warm it in the oil until it is soft but not brown. Add the milk and the butter. When the butter has melted add the meatballs and let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for a few minutes.
Milk sauce with lamb may sound weird but trust me when you have this over rice and the creamy buttery sauce penetrates the rice you will be in heaven. With the potatoes I didn't so much need the sauce, but you should know how to make it.
Between the olive tapenade in the lamb and the salted butter in the sauce you really don't need more salt unless you like things really salty.
8 meatballs, half a pound of asparagus, a good bunch of leftover potatoes and two glasses of Terra Rosa Malbec, (A wine I really love, fruity and dense and complex enough to stand up to spicy lamb and gentle enough to sip by itself) and I am quite content to be sitting here at the computer for a few minutes before going back to my book.
Roberta Flack is playing in the background and it is just about as romantic it can be...considering I am alone tonight. What can I tell you...sometimes you have to be happy with lamb meatballs, wine and a warm bed, and even if not completely happy at least content.
I am so having some chocolate.
5 comments:
So where are the recipes for olive tapenade and hummus?
As per your request it has been done.
Thank you for reminding me.
Let's hope the chocolate wasn't that disappointing stuff I brought back from Belgium. Who'd think that the Belgians would start looking to Hershey Foods for recipe ideas?
Milk sauce?
I confess I'm very curious to try this. I LOVE lamb and have a few friends who can eat lamb like you wouldn't believe. Have you tried the milk sauce with a roast lamb or perhaps a lamb stew?
Of course I'm all for red wine with everything ;-)
I have never done the milk sauce with anything but the meatballs.
I had this sauce (made with goat milk) in yemen and the way it flavored the rice, kept the meat moist and was overall delicous made me keep in my mind.
I might try it with a stew and let you all know how it goes.
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